Argamum: the Greek and Roman port on Cape Dolosman
Argamum (Greek Orgame) is an archaeological site on Cape Dolosman near Jurilovca in Tulcea County, Romania. A Greek colony founded around the 7th century BC, it later became a Roman fort and a Byzantine town. Its gate, walls, streets and early Christian basilicas rise above the Razim lagoon.
Argamum is the oldest settlement on Romanian soil to be named in an ancient text, and legend says the Argonauts stopped here on the way home with the golden fleece.
The history of Argamum
Argamum is the oldest settlement on the territory of present-day Romania to be mentioned in an ancient written source: the Greek writer Hecataeus of Miletus names it, as Orgame, in the 6th century BC. Greek colonists from Asia Minor settled here around the 7th century BC, on a promontory that then overlooked an open gulf of the Black Sea, the Gulf of Argamon. Its history, and in particular its links with the large neighbouring city of Histria, is not well known.
Legend says Argamum was one of the places where the Argonauts landed on their way home after finding the golden fleece, pursued by the fleet of King Aeetes, the father of Medea. In the 1st century AD the town came under Roman rule and took the name Argamum, a name that appears on an inscription from around 100 AD. It was a port of call for ships on the route between Byzantium and Tyras and prospered for several centuries.
The site was first located in 1916 by the historian Vasile Pârvan. Excavations began in 1926 under Paul Nicorescu and resumed in 1965. They revealed an impressive archaic cemetery, traces of houses on the eastern cliff and pottery kilns; from the classical period come a stretch of the city wall, buildings and further kilns towards the promontory, and groups of burial mounds. Among the finds are coins, bronze arrowheads, bronze ingots shaped like marine mammals and the so-called Olbian dolphins, small bronze objects used as money that also served as offerings.
The Roman-Byzantine fortress covered about 2.6 hectares. It was roughly triangular, with eight towers, six buttresses, two main gates on the west and south sides and a small gate on the south. Inside and around it stood early Christian basilicas of the 5th and 6th centuries. The town faded away in late antiquity, partly because of insecurity during the incursions of Goths, Huns, Avars, Slavs and, later, Bulgars, and partly because a sandbar closed the gulf and turned it into the Razim lagoon, unsuitable for larger ships. Its inhabitants probably moved south, towards Histria, Tomis, Callatis or Constantinople. Today the ruins of the gate, the defensive wall, streets, basilicas and earth ramparts are visible on a site that spreads over about 100 hectares, most of it still unexplored.
Curiosities about Argamum
- Argamum is the oldest settlement in Romania attested in an ancient source: Hecataeus of Miletus mentions it in the 6th century BC.
- Legend counts Argamum among the stops of the Argonauts on their journey home with the golden fleece, with the fleet of King Aeetes in pursuit.
- The same place carried several names: Orgame in Greek, Argamum in Latin, Argamon in Byzantine sources and Orgame again in Genoese ones.
- Excavators found small bronze “Olbian dolphins”, first minted at the city of Olbia, which were used as money and also as offerings.
- The ancient Gulf of Argamon no longer exists as such: a sandbar closed it and it became the Razim lagoon, which is one reason the town was left behind.
- The site covers about 100 hectares, but most of the city still lies unexplored under the ground.
Tours near Argamum
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
GROUP Guided Day Trip to the Danube Delta, Tulcea - Letea
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Guided Birdwatching day trip to the Danube Delta - private program
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Danube Delta Tour from Tulcea to Mila 23, Letea Forest and Sulina
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Danube Delta PRIVATE boat trip to Letea Forest (guided tour)
See details ›Visiting Argamum: what to see
- The partly uncovered and restored ruins lie on a high, steep bank of the Razim lagoon, about 6 km from the fishing village of Jurilovca, whose population is mainly Lipovan.
- Visible remains include a city gate, a stretch of fortress wall, streets, early Christian basilicas and earth ramparts, so allow time to walk the whole promontory.
- Because much of the site has never been excavated, treat the ground with care and stay on the clear paths.
- Histria, about 27 km away, and Halmyris, about 36 km away, are the nearest other ancient sites on this guide.
- The sources give no information on facilities or access, so check the current opening hours and conditions before you go.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Argamum is
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Photos of Argamum
Questions
What is Argamum?
It is an ancient site on Cape Dolosman in Tulcea County: a Greek colony founded around the 7th century BC that became a Roman fort and later a Byzantine town.
Where is Argamum?
On Cape Dolosman, about 6 km from Jurilovca, on the edge of the Razim lagoon in northern Dobruja, in the east of Tulcea County.
How old is Argamum?
Greek colonists settled here around the 7th century BC, and Hecataeus of Miletus mentioned the city in the 6th century BC, making it the oldest settlement in Romania named in an ancient text.
What can you see at Argamum?
A gate, a defensive wall, streets, early Christian basilicas and earth ramparts, in a site of about 100 hectares of which most is unexcavated.
Why was Argamum abandoned?
Barbarian incursions made life unsafe, and a sandbar closed the Gulf of Argamon, which became the Razim lagoon and no longer suited larger ships. The inhabitants probably moved south.
What else is near Argamum?
Histria is about 27 km away and Halmyris about 36 km, and the Genoese Lighthouse and Noviodunum are also on this guide.
Also nearby
Histria
Dobruja · Greek colony of the 7th century BC, ruins by a lagoon
27 km away
Halmyris
Tulcea · Roman fort and port with an early Christian crypt
36 km away
Castrum Noviodunum
Isaccea · Roman fortress and Danube fleet base
67 km away
Genoese Lighthouse
Constanța · lighthouse relit in 2020 after 107 years
69 km away