The modern city is located near the site of
the important Dacian political, economic and social centre of Apulon, mentioned
by the ancient Greek geographer Ptolemy and believed by many archaeologists to
be the Dacian fortifications on top of Piatra Craivii. After Dacia became a
province of the Roman Empire, the capital of Dacia Apulensis was established
here, and the city was known as Apulum. Apulum was the largest city in Roman
Dacia and the seat of the XIII Gemina Legion. Apulum is the largest castrum
located in Romania, occupying 37.5 ha (750 x 500 m).
