Limes Moesiae
Encyclopedia
Limes Moesiae was a Roman
-built system of fortifications consisting of three lines of defense, between the Black Sea
shore and the Danube
. Additionally, in Wallachia
there were other two lines of defense: the "Constantine Wall" and the "Limes Transalutanus".
times. Between the 2nd and the 3rd century was increased and abandoned.
It seems it was used by non-Roman kingdoms after the 5th/6th century and partially rebuilt and increased
It consists of three sections:
These three sections consist of earth ditchs, three meters high and two meters wide, and are very similar to the dykes between Roman Britain
and Wales
(like Wat's Dyke
).
Near the Limes Moesiae there are two other limes related to the defense of Moesia
(and Roman Dacia
):
wrote that at the mouth of the Dniester
river there was the old Greek city of Tyras
, which was "annexed to the province of Moesia" by emperor Nero
in 56 AD. There exists a series of its coins with heads of emperors from Domitian
to Alexander Severus
, showing that Romans were present in this area until the 4th century.
Mommsen even wrote that "Moldavia and the south half of Bessarabia as well as the whole of Wallachia were incorporated in the Roman Empire".
All these facts confirm the creation of defensive earth dykes in order to defend these new territories of the Roman Empire
. Furthermore, Mommsen wrote, "Bessarabia is intersected by a double barrier-line which, running from the Pruth to the Dniester, ends at Tyra and appears to proceeds from the Romans".
Full military occupation of the plain between the Carpathian foothills and the Danube may already have occurred
by the end of Trajan
’s first Dacian War (101/102). The majority of forts here, however, were established after the
final conquest of the Dacian kingdom in 106 AD.
The abandonment of Moldova
and the creation of the so-called Limes Transalutanus
fortification-line can both be tentatively dated to the reign of Hadrian
. Despite claims to the contrary, the Roman abandonment of Dacia probably occurred during the reign of Gallienus
(260-68), before the traditional date of around 275 when Aurelian
established the new province of Dacia south of the Danube (Cătăniciu 1981,
53-55).
In the Late Roman period, the extent of control and military occupation over territory north of the Danube remains controversial. One Roman fort (Pietroasa de Jos
), well beyond the Danubian Limes and near actual Moldovia, would seem to have been occupied in the 4th century A.D., as were bridge-head forts (Sucidava
, Barboşi, and the unlocated Constantiniana Daphne) along the left bank of the river. In this Roman fort, built by Constantine I, researchers have found even a thermae
building in the 1980s.
But the earth bank and ditch, known as the "Brazda lui Novac de Nord" (or "Constantine Wall"), though later than the Limes Transalutanus and often regarded as being of Late Roman date, remained problematic until recent excavatrions indicated without doubt it was done by emperor Constantine
around 330 AD. Constantine made this Wall in Wallachia at the same time of the "Devil's Dykes
" (or "Limes Sarmatiae"), a series of defensive earthen ramparts-and-ditches, built by the Romans between Romania and the Pannonian plains.
Similarly, although considered 1st century and believed to predate the Limes Transalutanus, the function and
origins of a shorter section of bank and ditch known as the "Brazda lui Novac de Sud" remain uncertain. The absence of any evidence for Late Roman forts or settlements along its course and south of it rather suggests a later, probably medieval, date.
The fortification line erected by the king of the Thervings Athanaric
, between the banks of river Gerasius (modern Prut
) and the Danube
to the land of Taifali (modern Oltenia
), probably reused the old roman limes
called Limes Transalutanus
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
-built system of fortifications consisting of three lines of defense, between the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
shore and the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. Additionally, in Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
there were other two lines of defense: the "Constantine Wall" and the "Limes Transalutanus".
Characteristics
The Limes Moesiae, near the Danube delta, probably was built initially during TrajanTrajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
times. Between the 2nd and the 3rd century was increased and abandoned.
It seems it was used by non-Roman kingdoms after the 5th/6th century and partially rebuilt and increased
It consists of three sections:
- one in the south between ConstantaConstantaConstanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....
and the Danube, usually called Trajan Walls. - a second just north of the Danube delta, called even "Lower Trajan's Wall in Moldova" or "Athanaric Wall
- a third in central MoldovaMoldovaMoldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
from the PrutPrutThe Prut is a long river in Eastern Europe. In part of its course it forms the border between Romania and Moldova.-Overview:...
to the DniesterDniesterThe Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe. It runs through Ukraine and Moldova and separates most of Moldova's territory from the breakaway de facto state of Transnistria.-Names:...
river, called even Greuthungi Wall
These three sections consist of earth ditchs, three meters high and two meters wide, and are very similar to the dykes between Roman Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
(like Wat's Dyke
Wat's Dyke
Wat's Dyke is a 40 mile earthwork running through the northern Welsh Marches from Basingwerk Abbey on the River Dee estuary, passing to the east of Oswestry and onto Maesbury in Shropshire, England...
).
Near the Limes Moesiae there are two other limes related to the defense of Moesia
Moesia
Moesia was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River. It included territories of modern-day Southern Serbia , Northern Republic of Macedonia, Northern Bulgaria, Romanian Dobrudja, Southern Moldova, and Budjak .-History:In ancient...
(and Roman Dacia
Roman Dacia
The Roman province of Dacia on the Balkans included the modern Romanian regions of Transylvania, Banat and Oltenia, and temporarily Muntenia and southern Moldova, but not the nearby regions of Moesia...
):
- The Constantine Wall, called even "Brazda lui Novac de Nord", built in Walachia around 330 A.D. and long 300 km.
- The Limes Transalutanus, probably done by HadrianHadrianHadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
to defend Roman Dacia from the southern Carpathian mountainsCarpathian MountainsThe Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
to the Danube.
History
The historian Theodor MommsenTheodor Mommsen
Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen was a German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician, archaeologist, and writer generally regarded as the greatest classicist of the 19th century. His work regarding Roman history is still of fundamental importance for contemporary research...
wrote that at the mouth of the Dniester
Dniester
The Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe. It runs through Ukraine and Moldova and separates most of Moldova's territory from the breakaway de facto state of Transnistria.-Names:...
river there was the old Greek city of Tyras
Tyras
Tyras , was an ancient Greek city founded as colony of Miletus, probably about 600 BC, situated some 10 m from the mouth of the Tyras River...
, which was "annexed to the province of Moesia" by emperor Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
in 56 AD. There exists a series of its coins with heads of emperors from Domitian
Domitian
Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War...
to Alexander Severus
Alexander Severus
Severus Alexander was Roman Emperor from 222 to 235. Alexander was the last emperor of the Severan dynasty. He succeeded his cousin Elagabalus upon the latter's assassination in 222, and was ultimately assassinated himself, marking the epoch event for the Crisis of the Third Century — nearly fifty...
, showing that Romans were present in this area until the 4th century.
Mommsen even wrote that "Moldavia and the south half of Bessarabia as well as the whole of Wallachia were incorporated in the Roman Empire".
All these facts confirm the creation of defensive earth dykes in order to defend these new territories of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. Furthermore, Mommsen wrote, "Bessarabia is intersected by a double barrier-line which, running from the Pruth to the Dniester, ends at Tyra and appears to proceeds from the Romans".
Full military occupation of the plain between the Carpathian foothills and the Danube may already have occurred
by the end of Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
’s first Dacian War (101/102). The majority of forts here, however, were established after the
final conquest of the Dacian kingdom in 106 AD.
The abandonment of Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
and the creation of the so-called Limes Transalutanus
Limes Transalutanus
Limes Transalutanus is a fortified frontier system of the Roman Empire, built on the western edge of Teleorman's forests. The frontier was composed by a road following the border, military stonghold, a three metre vallum 10–12 metres wide, reinforced with wood palisades on stone walls, and also a...
fortification-line can both be tentatively dated to the reign of Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
. Despite claims to the contrary, the Roman abandonment of Dacia probably occurred during the reign of Gallienus
Gallienus
Gallienus was Roman Emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260, and alone from 260 to 268. He took control of the Empire at a time when it was undergoing great crisis...
(260-68), before the traditional date of around 275 when Aurelian
Aurelian
Aurelian , was Roman Emperor from 270 to 275. During his reign, he defeated the Alamanni after a devastating war. He also defeated the Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi. Aurelian restored the Empire's eastern provinces after his conquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 273. The following...
established the new province of Dacia south of the Danube (Cătăniciu 1981,
53-55).
In the Late Roman period, the extent of control and military occupation over territory north of the Danube remains controversial. One Roman fort (Pietroasa de Jos
Pietroasele
Pietroasele is a commune in Buzău County, Romania, known for its vineyards. The name means "the rockies". The commune is composed of six villages: Câlţeşti, Clondiru de Sus, Dara, Pietroasa Mică, Pietroasele and Şarânga.-History:...
), well beyond the Danubian Limes and near actual Moldovia, would seem to have been occupied in the 4th century A.D., as were bridge-head forts (Sucidava
Sucidava
Sucidava is a Dacian and Daco-Roman historical site, situated in Corabia, Romania on the north bank of the Danube...
, Barboşi, and the unlocated Constantiniana Daphne) along the left bank of the river. In this Roman fort, built by Constantine I, researchers have found even a thermae
Thermae
In ancient Rome, thermae and balnea were facilities for bathing...
building in the 1980s.
But the earth bank and ditch, known as the "Brazda lui Novac de Nord" (or "Constantine Wall"), though later than the Limes Transalutanus and often regarded as being of Late Roman date, remained problematic until recent excavatrions indicated without doubt it was done by emperor Constantine
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
around 330 AD. Constantine made this Wall in Wallachia at the same time of the "Devil's Dykes
Devil's Dykes
The Devil's Dykes , also known as the Csörsz árka or the Limes Sarmatiae , are several lines of Roman fortifications built mostly during the reign of Constantine I , stretching between today's Hungary, Romania and Serbia.-History:The fortifications consisted of a series of...
" (or "Limes Sarmatiae"), a series of defensive earthen ramparts-and-ditches, built by the Romans between Romania and the Pannonian plains.
Similarly, although considered 1st century and believed to predate the Limes Transalutanus, the function and
origins of a shorter section of bank and ditch known as the "Brazda lui Novac de Sud" remain uncertain. The absence of any evidence for Late Roman forts or settlements along its course and south of it rather suggests a later, probably medieval, date.
The fortification line erected by the king of the Thervings Athanaric
Athanaric
Athanaric was king of several branches of the Thervingian Goths for at least two decades in the fourth century. His name, Athanareiks, means "Year King" or "King for the Year" comes from the Gothic word Athni meaning "year" and the Gothic Reiks meaning "king."A probable rival of Fritigern, another...
, between the banks of river Gerasius (modern Prut
Prut
The Prut is a long river in Eastern Europe. In part of its course it forms the border between Romania and Moldova.-Overview:...
) and the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
to the land of Taifali (modern Oltenia
Oltenia
Oltenia is a historical province and geographical region of Romania, in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Danube, the Southern Carpathians and the Olt river ....
), probably reused the old roman limes
Limes
A limes was a border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire.The Latin noun limes had a number of different meanings: a path or balk delimiting fields, a boundary line or marker, any road or path, any channel, such as a stream channel, or any...
called Limes Transalutanus
Limes Transalutanus
Limes Transalutanus is a fortified frontier system of the Roman Empire, built on the western edge of Teleorman's forests. The frontier was composed by a road following the border, military stonghold, a three metre vallum 10–12 metres wide, reinforced with wood palisades on stone walls, and also a...
Controversy
There it is a controversy over the historical perspective of who built the earth dykes: the Romans, the Byzantines or others:- Roman explanation: Emperor NeroNeroNero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
extended the Roman MoesiaMoesiaMoesia was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River. It included territories of modern-day Southern Serbia , Northern Republic of Macedonia, Northern Bulgaria, Romanian Dobrudja, Southern Moldova, and Budjak .-History:In ancient...
province north of the Danube delta in 56 AD until Tyras (near actual OdessaOdessaOdessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
), according to Mommsen and this is historically confirmed. With Emperor TrajanTrajanTrajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
they connected the conquered DaciaDaciaIn ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians or Getae as they were known by the Greeks—the branch of the Thracians north of the Haemus range...
with the mouth of the DniesterDniesterThe Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe. It runs through Ukraine and Moldova and separates most of Moldova's territory from the breakaway de facto state of Transnistria.-Names:...
river and probably did the first construction of the earth dyke that later was called Greuthungi Wall. With emperor HadrianHadrianHadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
came the consolidation of the Roman territories and the limes was withdrawn to the "Limes Transalutanus" and the smallest "Trajan Wall" between ConstantaConstantaConstanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....
and the Danube: these two Walls are confirmed to be Romans. When the Roman Empire expanded again after the loss of Roman DaciaRoman DaciaThe Roman province of Dacia on the Balkans included the modern Romanian regions of Transylvania, Banat and Oltenia, and temporarily Muntenia and southern Moldova, but not the nearby regions of Moesia...
, Emperor ConstantineConstantine IConstantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
made the so-called "Constantine Wall" as a LimesLimesA limes was a border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire.The Latin noun limes had a number of different meanings: a path or balk delimiting fields, a boundary line or marker, any road or path, any channel, such as a stream channel, or any...
(occupying all WallachiaWallachiaWallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
south of the southern Carpathians mountains) until the earth dyke later called "Antharic Wall". Has been demonstrated by academics that the "Constantine Wall" was built by the Romans around 330 AD and was increased many times until Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. - Byzantine possibility: Probably the Eastern Roman EmpireByzantine EmpireThe Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
built or enlarged the two sections of the Limes Moesiae north on the Danube delta, between the 6th and the 10th centuries. They wanted to defend the Greek colonies in the Black Sea coast (between the Danube and CrimeaCrimeaCrimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
) from the continuous barbarian invasions. - There it is even another theory: the Barbarian. This hypothesizes a so-called Trajan's WallTrajan's WallTrajan's Wall is a complex of valla in Eastern Europe: in Romania, Moldova and Ukraine.Contrary to the name and popular belief, the ramparts were not built by Romans during Trajan's reign.-Romania:...
, not related to the Roman EmpireRoman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. This Trajan's Wall shold be connected to the Serpent's WallSerpent's WallSerpent's Wall is an ancient system of fortifications that stretch across all of Ukraine, from the town of Zmiiv in the east to Podolia in the west. They seem to be similar in purpose and character to Trajan's Wall situated immediately to the west...
, made by Barbarian Kingdoms, that stretched from Bucovina to central Ucraine. This theory supports the opinion that the "Antharic Wall" and the "Greuthungi WallGreuthungi WallThe Upper Trajan's Wall is the modern name given to a fortification located in the central area of modern Moldavia. Some scholars consider it to be of Roman origin, while others think it was built in the third/fourth century by the Germanic Greuthungi to defend their borders against the Huns...
" are not Roman, creating a controversy.
See also
- Limes Romanus
- Trajan's WallTrajan's WallTrajan's Wall is a complex of valla in Eastern Europe: in Romania, Moldova and Ukraine.Contrary to the name and popular belief, the ramparts were not built by Romans during Trajan's reign.-Romania:...
- Limes TransalutanusLimes TransalutanusLimes Transalutanus is a fortified frontier system of the Roman Empire, built on the western edge of Teleorman's forests. The frontier was composed by a road following the border, military stonghold, a three metre vallum 10–12 metres wide, reinforced with wood palisades on stone walls, and also a...
- Lower Trajan's Wall in Moldova
- TyrasTyrasTyras , was an ancient Greek city founded as colony of Miletus, probably about 600 BC, situated some 10 m from the mouth of the Tyras River...
- Devil's DykesDevil's DykesThe Devil's Dykes , also known as the Csörsz árka or the Limes Sarmatiae , are several lines of Roman fortifications built mostly during the reign of Constantine I , stretching between today's Hungary, Romania and Serbia.-History:The fortifications consisted of a series of...
- PietroaselePietroaselePietroasele is a commune in Buzău County, Romania, known for its vineyards. The name means "the rockies". The commune is composed of six villages: Câlţeşti, Clondiru de Sus, Dara, Pietroasa Mică, Pietroasele and Şarânga.-History:...