FINES Bordering Practices and Natural Features in Livy (original) (raw)

A. Montesanti, The Ebro Treaty. Finis and Imperium in Livy’s bordering perspective.pdf

This paper aims to analyse Livy’s – and by extension the Roman – view of the Ebro Treaty, proposing a different perspective on the geopolitical problem of Saguntum through a general reconsideration of the concept of finis. The connection between the Ebro and Saguntum represents the main difficulty and at the same time the key to comprehending the diplomatic question. Livy’s account may provide new elements useful for understanding the terms of the treaty: Livy defines the river Ebro as ‘fines’, yet Saguntum is in the middle of the Roman and Carthaginian imperia. After analysing ancient (Polybius and Hannibal) and modern views, I will scrutinise Livy’s account. His textual evidence seems to suggest a very different perception of the term finis, which seems to have ‘zonal’ features rather than ‘linear’. In this way, the concept of finis would be clearer if understood to be a political extension of Rome – an extension of her imperium.

NEAR AND BEYOND THE ROMAN FRONTIER

Pontic sigillata discovered in the dacian settlement of Poiana, Nicoreşti commune, Galaţi county 17-46 Sigillatele pontice descoperite în aşezarea geto-dacică de la Poiana, comuna Nicoreşti, jud. Galaţi Sorin CLEŞIU Imports and roman imitations from the main dava type settlements on Siret River: Barboşi, Poiana, Brad, Răcătău 47-84 Importuri şi imitaţii de factură romană în principalele aşezări de tip dava de pe Siret: Barboşi, Poiana, Brad, Răcătău Vitalie BÂRCĂ Câteva consideraţii privind vasele metalice de import din mediul sarmatic nord-pontic 85-124 A few remarks on the import metal ware within the north-pontic sarmatian environment Horea POP, Cristinel PLANTOS Un import roman din zona Şimleu Silvaniei (jud. Sălaj) 125-128 An imported roman artifact at Şimleu Silvaniei (Sălaj county)

Economic Life on the Fringes of the Roman Empire

Journal of Ancient Civilizations 35/2, 2020

The present paper aims at making some observations on trade between the inhabitants of the Roman Empire and those dwelling outside its frontiers, but nevertheless living in the vicinity of Roman frontier zones. Using three examples – the Rhine frontier, the Middle Euphrates, and the Eastern Desert of Egypt – it highlights the importance of every-day economic interactions at the frontier zones of the Roman Empire. Furthermore, the paper offers some remarks on the different concepts of frontiers and borders in the Roman world.

Roman frontiers and raiding

S. Golubović et al. (eds), Proceedings of the 24th International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies, 2023

The key issue about Roman frontiers has always been the question of purpose. One school of thought has pointed to the lightness, and frequent perforation, of artificial frontiers, seemingly implying a regulatory function, whether focused on people, trade, or arms control. Another tradition emphasises the rhetorical aspect of Roman frontiers, i.e. their visual or psychological projection of power, whether external or internal. A third, mainly British school has dwelled upon the city-wall like appearance, and incremental fortification, of Hadrian’s Wall, and suggested defence as the main purpose of this heavy frontier infrastructure. None of these approaches, however, will fully explain the spatial design and stepwise development of Roman limites. With their base functions of observation, alert, response and back-up all carefully tailored to the local geography, Roman frontiers had a unique capacity to instantly respond to local security threats, and to scale up and give chase. This identifies raiding, the unpredictable, and scalable, base mode of belligerence in the Barbaricum, as the main concern behind the creation and development of Roman frontiers as we know them between the Irish and the Black Sea.

The eastern frontier of the Roman Empire with special reference to the reign of Constantius II

1982

The basic intention of the thesis is to provide a reassessment of Constantius as a military man, specifically in the prolonged war with the Sassanian king, Sapor II. However, it also encompasses many aspects of the social, economic and religious life of the communities which lay on the frontier between Rome and Persia. In the first chapter I discuss the historical background upto the death of Constantine, attributing the major reorganization of the eastern limes to the time of Diocletian and Galerius. In chapter II I describe events on the frontier during Constantius 1 reign. I adduce reasons for his adoption of a defensive strategy against the Persians and consider the nature of the Roman forces and fortifications in northern Mesopotamia. Chapter III contains a survey of the frontier legions and the major centres which they defended. In the fourth chapter an analysis of Persian aims and capabilities is offered, and particular notice is paid to the campaign of 359, while chapter V...

Roman boundary walls on the Liburnian territory

THE CENTURY OF THE BRAVE, 2018

The paper is about boundary walls that were built during the Roman period in 1st century AD. The aim is to define territorial relations between native Liburnian communities. Three such walls confirm that it was an unusual type of delineation undertaken only in extreme situations. The longest of three boundary walls was part of a border between communities of Neditae and Corinienses. Another boundary wall, near Jablanac, separated territories of Begi and Ortoplini. The third wall, discovered recently in the village of Golubić, Obrovac area, was probably part of a boundary between Hadra (Smokovac in Krupa) and one of the communities with center on the left bank of Zrmanja river.

Archaeology of Roman Frontiers, Syllabus, 2012

Hadrian's wall is one of the best known monuments of the Roman empire, but was it a frontier? This course will address the various aspects of the Roman empire's boundaries, be they physical, political, economic, ideological, cultural, military, symbolic, territorial, or combinations thereof. This course will also encourage students to deal with material from outside Roman territory in order to address questions of interaction across frontiers and how we might better assess Roman relations with those outside their control.