![]() Whether the principal design of this linear frontier was to act as a strict boundary and provide defence against attacks, control trade, or monitor the movement of people remains disputed. The system also had fortlets situated close to the Limes line and forts for auxiliary troops connected by road to the border. In Raetia, the Limes included a stone wall some 3 metres (9.8 ft) high with towers behind or on the wall. In its final stage, the Limes in Germania Superior consisted of a timber palisade or an 8-metre (26 ft) wide ditch, both overlooked by watchtowers built in stone. The Germanic Limes that bounded the provinces of Germania Superior (Upper Germany) and Raetia (Rhaetia) was constructed in phases over several decades between the end of the 1st century CE and the mid-3rd century CE and took different forms. Traces of these limes structures are still visible today in the German landscape, in part thanks to the preservation and restoration of foundation walls and full-size reconstructions. A broad frontier strip was created in Germany, marked by a timber palisade, forts and fortlets (small cohort forts), and towers. ![]() In England, this defence system took the form of a wall – Hadrian‘s Wall. In the 2nd century CE, the Roman army developed an unbroken line of fortifications along their northern borders. Today, the word limes refers to the Roman defence system and associated military installations constructed along the empire’s borders. Over time, the word limes was used to describe a land boundary and a frontier zone within or outside Roman territory. 118 CE) wrote his Germania in 98 CE, he coined the term limes, which originally meant a military road along which troops advanced into unfriendly territory. The subject of intensive surveying and archaeological investigation since the late 1800s, the German frontier is part of the transnational World Heritage Site “Frontiers of the Roman Empire” together with Hadrian’s Wall and the Antonine Wall. These military installations are still visible in the German landscape today and are known as the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes. Map courtesy FRE Project, Main Limes Museums, Creative CommonsĪround 2,000 years ago, the Romans extended their control into German territory and developed a nearly unbroken line of fortifications over 500 kilometres long (310 mi) with some 900 watchtowers and 120 forts. Map of the Roman provinces and frontiers during the reign of emperor Hadrian (117-138 CE). Germany’s frontier ran beyond the upper reaches of the Rhine and Danube. ![]() These frontiers extended over 7,500 kilometres (4,660 mi), stretching from the Atlantic Ocean, across Europe to the Black Sea, through the deserts of the Middle East to the Red Sea, and across North Africa. Where there was no natural frontier such as rivers, mountains, deserts, or sea, the Romans constructed artificial barriers. In the 2nd century CE, the Roman Empire stretched from Scotland in northern Europe to the deserts of southern Egypt, encompassing the entirety of the Mediterranean basin. The Romans extended their control into German territory and developed a nearly unbroken line of fortifications over 500 kilometers long (310 mi). Photo by Carole Raddato, World History Encyclopedia, Creative Commons Between the two gates, a bronze statue of emperor Antoninus Pius greets the visitors. The gate takes its name from the Via Praetoria, the camp’s road running in a north-south direction. The reconstructed Porta Praetoria, the main gate of the Saalburg Roman Fort.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |