Alexandru V. Matei directed excavations in and around Porolissum between April and July 2003. The main foci of research were:

Road network: Several sections of Roman-period roads paved with a resistant volcanic stone were excavated in 2003. These sections formed part of an extensive network of paved roads within the military and civilian districts of the city. There were two principal roads leading to and from Porolissum - one that ran parallel with the northern wall of the military camp and down Pomet Hill toward modern-day Moigrad and another that ran from the civilian district into the broad valley below Pomet and Citera Hills that conveys eastward and southward. The routes are easily discernable from aerial photographs and even from the top of Pomet Hill.

Fountain or well head: A surprising discovery was a stone fountain or well head, adjacent to the westernmost road in the civilian district that led to the military camp. The military camp was furnished with a large cistern. With the population explosion over the next few decades an aqueduct was constructed from a hill ca. 3 km to the southwest and along a ridge leading to the western portion of Porolissum. This fountain or well head is a component of the still poorly understood water system.

Pottery kiln: One of the not-completely-unexpected surprises of the 2003 field season was an updraft pottery kiln. Debris collected from around the kiln indicates that ceramics were manufactured on site almost as soon as the city was founded in the 2nd century AD. Thanks to archaeological work in Roman Britain, Germany and other frontier regions of the Roman Empire, we are well aware that soldiers and associated civilian populations based in and around military camps manufactured their own uility goods, including pottery, iron tools. leather goods, etc. A broad range of fine- and coarse-bodied pottery was produced at the Roman workshop at Porolissum.

Magnetometry readings suggest that the southern part of the Forum was converted into potters' quarters in the course of the Middle Ages. The excavation of the Forum, beginning in 2004, will shed light upon this Medieval craft indistry.

Timber houses: The Romans adopted indigenous Geto-Dacians traditions of constructing their houses, forts and public buildings with stone foundations and timber superstructures. In fact, the first phase of Roman occupation at Porolissum is known as the "timber" phase. Perhaps 40 years after its foundation, many structures in the military and civilian districts were rebuilt using stone and mortar. Due to the conditions of preservation on site, it is possible for excavators to recognize this building technique in the archaeological record.