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{{Infobox Romanian subdivision
|type                   = commune
|county                 = Constanța
|population_total       = auto
|image_map              = Topalu jud Constanta.jpg
|map_caption            = Location in Constanța County
|subdivisions           = Topalu, Capidava
|official_name=Topalu
|leader_name            = Constantin Baltă<ref>{{cite web |url=https://prezenta.roaep.ro/locale27092020/romania-pv-final |title=Results of the 2020 local elections |publisher=Central Electoral Bureau |access-date=15 June 2021 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|leader_term            = 2020&ndash;2024
|leader_party           = PSD
|area_total_km2=79.29
|coordinates            = {{coord|44|33|N|28|3|E|region:RO_type:city(3220)|display=inline,title}}
|website={{url|http://www.primariatopalu.ro}}
}}

'''Topalu''' is a [[Commune in Romania|commune]] located on the right bank of the [[Danube]] in [[Constanța County]], [[Northern Dobruja]], [[Romania]].

==Administration==
The commune includes two villages:
* Topalu (historical name: {{langx|tr|Topal}})
* Capidava (historical names: ''Calichioi'', {{langx|tr|Kaleköy}})

==Demographics==

{{Historical population
| source = [[National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|National Institute of Statistics]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Constanta (Romania) - Cities, Towns, and Communes |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/romania/constanta/ |website=citypopulation.de |access-date=7 January 2024}}</ref>
|2002 | 1951
|2011 | 1785
|2021 | 1517
|align = left
}}

At the 2011 census, Topalu had 1,707 [[Romanians]] (99.94%), 1 others (0.06%).<ref name="INSSE">{{cite web | url = http://www.constanta.insse.ro/phpfiles/COMUNICAT_RPL_CONSTANTA.pdf | title = Constanța County at the 2011 census | date = February 2, 2012 | access-date = March 8, 2012 | publisher = [[National Institute of Statistics (Romania)|INSSE]] | language = Romanian | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120324053940/http://www.constanta.insse.ro/phpfiles/COMUNICAT_RPL_CONSTANTA.pdf | archive-date = March 24, 2012 }}</ref>

== History ==
{{Expand section|date=February 2011}}
[[Image:Part of Tabula Peutingeriana showing Eastern Moesia Inferior, Eastern Dacia and Thrace.png|thumb|right|text-top|upright=1.5|Capidava on Tabula Peutingeriana (upper center)]]

=== Tabula Peutingeriana ===
Capidava is depicted in the form ''Calidava''/''Calidaua'' in Segmentum VIII of [[Tabula Peutingeriana]] (1st-4th century AD) on a [[Roman road]] between [[Axiopolis]] and [[Carsium]].<ref name="Tabula Peutingeriana"/><ref name="Olteanu Toponyms"/> The map provides accurate data on the distances between Axiopolis, Capidava and Carsium. These distances coincide with the distances between the present localities of [[Hinog]] - [[Capidava, Constanța|Capidava]] and Capidava - [[Hârșova]]. This is also verified by the discovery of military marking pillar at [[Seimenii Mici]] that indicates the distance of 18,000 feet (27&nbsp;km)  from Axiopolis to Capidava.<ref name="Capidava cIMeC"/>

=== Ancient times ===
[[File:Capidava.jpg|thumb|right|text-top|upright=1.5|Ruins of the Geto-Dacian fortress Capidava]]
The village '''Capidava''' is the site of the fortified [[Gaeti|Geto]]-[[Dacia]]n center with the same name, [[Capidava]].

After the [[Roman conquest of Dacia]] it became a [[Roman Empire|Roman]] [[city]] and [[castra]] in the [[Roman province|province]] of [[Scythia Minor (Roman province)|Scythia Minor]] (modern [[Dobruja]]).

== Etymology ==
Capidava is a [[Getic]] toponym, meaning the "curve fortified settlement".<ref name="Capidava cIMeC"/>

== See also ==
* [[Dacia]]
* [[Roman Dacia]]
* [[List of ancient towns in Scythia Minor]]
* [[List of ancient cities in Thrace and Dacia]]
* [[Dava (Dacian)|Dacian davae]]

== References ==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="Tabula Peutingeriana">{{cite book
|last           = Anonymous
|title          = Tabula Peutingeriana
|chapter        = Segmentum VIII,3
|language       = Latin
|url            = http://www.tabula-peutingeriana.de/tp/tpx.html
}} 1-4th century AD.</ref>
<ref name="Olteanu Toponyms">{{cite web
 |last        = Olteanu
 |first       = Sorin
 |title       = Categorii de toponime în funcţie de origine şi aşezare
 |trans-title = Toponymy categories according to origin and location 
 |url         = http://soltdm.com/geo/arts/categs/categs.htm
 |language    = Romanian
 |work        = Linguae Thraco-Daco-Moesorum
 |access-date  = 3 January 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110716103139/http://soltdm.com/geo/arts/categs/categs.htm
 |archive-date = 16 July 2011
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref>
<ref name="Capidava cIMeC">{{cite web
 |last1         = Florescu
 |first1        = Radu
 |last2         = Manea
 |first2        = Florentina
 |editor1-last  = Oberländer-Târnoveanu
 |editor1-first = Irina
 |editor2-last  = Bor
 |editor2-first = Corina
 |title         = Capidava
 |url           = http://www.cimec.ro/Arheologie/Capidava_en/default.htm
 |publisher     = Institute for Cultural Memory (Institutul de Memorie Culturală) - cIMeC
 |location      = Bucharest, Romania
 |archive-url    = https://web.archive.org/web/20101031172728/http://www.cimec.ro/Arheologie/Capidava_en/default.htm
 |archive-date   = 31 October 2010
 |access-date    = 2 February 2011
 |url-status       = dead
}}</ref>
}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book
|last       = Grumeza
|first      = Ion
|title      = Dacia: Land of Transylvania, Cornerstone of Ancient Eastern Europe
|url        = https://books.google.com/books?id=07-RjGQajw0C
|year       = 2009
|publisher  = [[Hamilton Books]]
|isbn       = 978-0-7618-4465-5
|quote      = The shores of the Danube were well monitored from the Dacian fortresses Acidava, Buricodava, Dausadava (the shrine of the wolves), Diacum, Drobeta (Turnu Severin), Nentivava (Oltenita), Suvidava (Corabia), Tsirista, Tierna/Dierna (Orsova) and what is today Zimnicea. Downstream were also other fortresses: Axiopolis (Cernadova), Barbosi, Buteridava, Capidava(Topalu), Carsium(Harsova), Durostorum(Silistra), Sacidava/Sagadava (Dunareni) along with still others...
}}
* [https://www.scribd.com/doc/11531662/Capidava2008 Early Byzantine Capidava]
* [http://www.capidava.ro/uk/index.php Official Capidava Archaeological Site]
* [http://www.cjc.ro/ictcad/sectiune.php?s=45 Official Capidava Fortress Site at Constanţa County Council]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110217090726/http://www.enciclopedia-dacica.ro/dave/capidava.htm Capidava at Encyclopedia Dacica]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120319190453/http://www.turism-constanta.ro/EN/capidava.html Capidava at Turism Constanţa] hosted by ''The Public Office for Tourism, Commerce and 					Public Services'', part of the [[Constanţa County Council]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120319190453/http://www.monumenteistorice.ro/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=73&category_id=19&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&lang=EN Capidava] hosted by the [[Romanian National Institute of Historical Monuments]]
* [http://www.ziare.com/vacanta/delta-dunarii/cetati-nestiute-ale-romaniei-capidava-949874 Capidava article at ziare.com]
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.capidava.ro/uk/index.php Official Capidava Archaeological Site]
* [http://www.cjc.ro/ictcad/sectiune.php?s=45 Official Capidava Fortress Site at Constanţa County Council]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110217090726/http://www.enciclopedia-dacica.ro/dave/capidava.htm Capidava at Encyclopedia Dacica]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120319190453/http://www.turism-constanta.ro/EN/capidava.html Capidava at Turism Constanţa] hosted by ''The Public Office for Tourism, Commerce and 					Public Services'', part of the [[Constanţa County Council]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120319190453/http://www.monumenteistorice.ro/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=73&category_id=19&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&lang=EN Capidava] hosted by the [[Romanian National Institute of Historical Monuments]]
* [http://www.ziare.com/vacanta/delta-dunarii/cetati-nestiute-ale-romaniei-capidava-949874 Capidava article at ziare.com]

{{Dacian cities}}

{{Constanţa County}}

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Communes in Constanța County]]
[[Category:Localities in Northern Dobruja]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Danube]]
[[Category:Dacian towns]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Romania]]
[[Category:Ruins in Romania]]
[[Category:Place names of Turkish origin in Romania]]