The Roman town of Micia is located on the left bank of the Mieresch River, near the present-day village of Veţel. The auxiliary camp, established by legionary vexillations, was located in ancient times on the rear fortification line of the western Dacian Limes and, in addition to its purely military use, also served as an administrative center with a beneficiarius post and a possible customs station.

The fort, which covered an area of approximately 6.5 hectares in its final phase of expansion, shows signs of an older wooden construction phase and a more recent stone construction phase. It is believed to have been in use from the early 2nd century (conquest of Dacia under Emperor Trajan) until around 272 AD (abandonment of Dacia under Emperor Aurelian). The camp was built by construction crews from Legio XIII Gemina and probably also Legio IIII Flavia Felix. The units stationed there included Ala I Augusta Ituraeorum Sagittariorum, Cohors II Flavia Commagenorum, Ala I Hispanorum Campagonum, Ala I Gallorum et Bosporanorum, and Numerus Maurorum Micensium. It is noteworthy that Micia was always used jointly by several cavalry and one infantry unit, making it one of the largest military bases in Dacia alongside the legionary camps. In addition to the military camp, Micia also contains extensive remains of civilian buildings. These include, for example, a thermal bath complex and a small amphitheater.

The knowledge of Roman settlement, which probably never completely disappeared from the public consciousness, became known beyond the region from the 18th century onwards at the latest. Systematic archaeological research began in the 19th century and continued particularly in the second half of the 20th century, but large parts of the archaeological remains have been lost unnoticed to this day due to numerous construction projects (railway construction, factory buildings). Since 2024, the fort of Micia and its civilian surroundings have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Dacian Limes within the World Heritage Site “Frontiers of the Roman Empire.”

Since 2020, Roman Micia has been systematically researched as part of a long-term project supported by the National History Museum in Bucharest (MNIR), the Museum of Dacian and Roman Civilization (MCDR) in Deva, and the national museum in Klausenburg. To support the project and, in particular, the ongoing excavations on site, a cooperation agreement was signed in 2025 under the leadership of the Institute of Archaeology in Bucharest with the Chair of Archaeology of the Roman Provinces to enable students from the Archaeological Institute of the University of Cologne to carry out excavations and research on site as part of an Erasmus+ grant. This funding is to be continued in the coming years and, in addition to the work in Micia, will also enable Romanian students/lecturers to work/conduct research in Cologne.

Responsible: Eckhard Deschler-Erb

Cooperation partner: Mihaela Simion, Marius Neculae, Petra Savin (MNIR-Bukarest); Marius Barbu, Mihaela-Maria Barbu (MCDR-Deva)

Funding: Erasmus+ (E+), European Solidarity Corps projects (ESC)

Image: Micia  – View of the fort vicus with thermal baths and amphitheater (Micia Simion, MNIR-Bucharest)