August-October 2024
Archaeological site Covasna – Citadel of the Fairies is located on the outskirts of Covasna, on the Citadel Hill. The most numerous discoveries at the site belong to the Dacian Kingdom era (a fortified fortress with stone, clay and wood walls, organized on at least four terraces), but materials dating back to the Bronze Age or the Middle Ages were also discovered. The 2024 campaign took place both inside the fortified area, on Terrace II, and outside it, on the saddle connecting the Citadel Hill with the neighboring peaks, where the ancient access road probably passed.
On Terrace II, near the wall and the bastion here, two Dacian edifices with a roof supported by wooden pillars arranged in three or four rows were identified in previous campaigns. Neither of these edifices has been fully outlined, as a result of which their functionality remains uncertain for the time being. The two edifices could be temples, of the type with alignments of columns, but another functionality, civil or military, cannot be ruled out. In 2024, the western area of Edifici II was investigated in particular in an attempt to establish its limit, which was successful. The edifice was delimited here by a vein of native rock, probably visible in antiquity as well, to the west of which no traces of pillars were identified. As a result, until now Edifici II has been delimited on three sides, to the south (the wall of Terrace II), east (rock) and west (rock). Research will continue in the next campaigns to the north, to establish the limit of the building here as well. Given that the excavation was mainly in the foundation of the building, few materials were found, especially ceramic fragments.
A new research sector was opened in 2023 along the route of the possible access road to the fortress, where excavations continued in 2024. So far, no ancient complex has been identified and no archaeological materials have been discovered, but the research is just beginning.
