Mehadia (; ; ) is a small market town and commune in Caraș-Severin County, Banat, Romania. It lies on the European route E70, in the Cerna River valley. The town is located on the site of the ancient Roman colony Ad Mediam and was noted for its Hercules baths. It had a population of 2,492 in 1900, and of 4,118 in 2011. The commune is prone to major recurring flooding. The 1838 floods destroyed some 2,000 houses in the valley and the 1841 floods in Mehadia were also devastating. It experienced major flooding more recently in May 2005. The commune is composed of four villages: Globurău (Golbor), Mehadia, Plugova (Ekés), and Valea Bolvașnița (Bolvásvölgy). Etymology The Romanian historian, Alexandru Dimitrie Xenopol, stated that the name of the town had been derived from the ancient Roman name Ad Mediam. Linguist Cicerone Poghirc proposed that the Romans had adopted a hypotethical (non-attested) native *Mehedia or *Mehadia form. Most linguists agree that the Romanians adopted the medieval Hungarian name of the town which was first recorded as Michald in 1323. History During Roman period, Mehadia was the known by the name "Ad Medium"; the ruins of a fortress and other Roman antiquaries testify this fact. The Hercules baths also are of Roman vintage known in that period as Thermae Herculis or Ponies Herculis. Subsequent to the fall of the Roman Empire, the place was deserted till it was restored in recent times (after 1735) and the springs are most visited (June to September are the best months for visiting the baths). The Roman road from the Danube to Dacia was close to this village. Recent archaeological excavations have further substantiated the Roman period rule in the region. Many inscriptions dedicated to Hercules which testify the Hadrian reign of the Romans are seen at the baths. During the continent floods of 1910, Mehadia suffered serious loss to farms and property and several hundred people died; 600 houses were destroyed. Geography Mehadia is located in southwestern Romania in the Cerna valley at an elevation of . It is located along European route E70, south of the village of Plugova and north of Topleț. Beyond Topleț to the south is Orșova, which was for many years the residence of a Pasha and contained a prominent Turkish fortress. The town of Băile Herculane lies nearby to the east. Different parts of the river valley in the commune