Celemantia

Iža, Slovakia

Celemantia (or Kelemantia) was a Roman castellum and settlement on the territory of the present-day municipality Iža. It is the biggest known Roman castellum in present-day Slovakia. It was a part of the Roman Limes, the frontier-zone of the Empire.

A Germanic settlement 'Celemantia' in this area is mentioned by Claudius Ptolemaios in the 2nd century AD. It can be identical with the remnants of a civil settlement found next to the castellum or with another unknown settlement or, as some historians assume, it is the name of both the castellum and the remnants of the civil settlement.

The construction of the castellum started in the latter half of the 1st century. It was conquered during the Marcomannic Wars (166-180) and burned down by Germanic tribes, and was rebuilt later. It ceased to exist around 400 (beginning of the Migration Period). The ruins were very well visible up to the late 18th century, but afterwards people used stones from the constructions to build the fortress and other buildings in Komárno.

According to a local legend, a Roman soldier, Valentin, kept his mistresses in the fortress. The fictitious story explains the origin of the name Leányvár, meaning Girl Castle in Hungarian. However the name probably refers to the fact that the ruins of the castle were donated by King Béla IV of Hungary to the Dominican nuns of Margitsziget who later built a small fortress among them.

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Iža, Slovakia
See all sites in Iža

Details

Founded: 50-100 AD
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Slovakia

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Ivan Balla (21 months ago)
Nádherná pamiatka
Liliána Kaszmán-Saróka (2 years ago)
Nagyon érdekes mementója a régmúltnak. Ezt minden környékbelinek látnia kellene!
Lenka Fialová (2 years ago)
Cesta k místu je strašná. Směrovky jsou na hlavních silnicích viditelné, ale když už jste mimo tyto hlavní tahy, tak na žádnou nenarazíte. Hodně aut se radši otočilo než by si zničilo tlumiče. Zářitek super. Dalším mínusem byla neposečená tráva, která byla až ke kolenům vysoká, takže bylo velmi obtížné se dostat k některým částem vykopávek. Pro starší osoby naprosti nedostupné. Ale plus je, že jsou pěkně popsané. Okolo je nádherná čistá příroda plná bylinek bez klíšťat.
Sean Ryan (3 years ago)
Sets the imagination as other people say. The German tribes destroyed this fort several times and the Romans just kept rebuilding... Not a 5 only because no one seems to be looking after it...
Peter Adamka (4 years ago)
Absolutely no care is given to such unique site. Shame.
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