The most important of these ascribe the following possible meanings to the city's name: Sarmizegetusa Regia contained a citadel and residential areas with dwellings and workshops as well as a sacred zone.

[8] The archaeological inventory found at the site demonstrates that Dacian society had a relatively high standard of living.

[12][13] Serving as the Dacian capital for at least one and a half centuries, Sarmizegethusa reached its zenith under King Decebal.

The site has yielded two especially notable finds: The smithies north of the sanctuary also provide evidence of the Dacians' skill in metalworking: findings include tools such as metre-long tongs, hammers and anvils which were used to make some 400 metallic artefacts — scythes, sickles, hoes, rakes, picks, pruning hooks, knives, plowshares, and carpenters' tools [16] — as well as weapons such as daggers, curved Dacian scimitars, spearpoints, and shields.

[16] Nevertheless, the flowering of Dacian civilization apparently underway during the reign of Decebalus came to an abrupt end when Trajan's legions destroyed the city and deported its population.