Favourable conditions such as climate, soil, vegetation or
food turned our town into the craddle of the oldest settlement known in Europe.
Situated on the Danube, the 9,000 year old western residential district of ..the
town, known as Schela Cladovei, has been under the investigation of
archeologists for the last 36 years. It was here that the first dwellings of
Europe were built, the first inhabitants were buried, the first vegetables were
raised and the first surgical operations were performed. The first works of art
were also created here.
This region allows us to to get informed about the outcome of the first war
events- This was the first settlement to be destroyed as a result of an armed
conflict. The Schela Cladovei culture - as it was called by historians - is
dated around 7,200 B.C.
Numerous other settlements superposed upon this one led to a flourishing Dacian
settlement which was born under the precincts of the present town. The
settlement got the name DRUBETA - which in the language of the Dacians meant
,,the settlement in the cleavage area" - is known to us from later Roman
sources. The conquering Romans gave the name Drobeta to the new town they had
settled, taking over the name of the ancient settlement they had conquered. As
for the Dacians, they were not only valliant fighters but also renowned precious
metal craftsmen.