The limestone quarry from Măgura Călanului

Abstract

Măgura Călanului is a toponym often encountered in the literature, being the limestone provenance place for different constructions found in the perimeter of the Dacian fortresses from the Orăştie Mountains. A recent endeavour focused mainly on documenting the ancient exploitation marks has also led to the identification of certain aspects of archaeological interest, partially known or completely new for the scientific environment. The article presents a series of arguments which argue for re-dimensioning the area associated with the limestone extraction throughout different periods and for interpreting Măgura Călanului as a much complex archaeological entity than believed until present, composed of quarries, fortifications, settlements, and, last but not least, of access routes.