Frontiers of the Roman Empire: A Social and Economic Study

355 Pages·6.099 MB·English

by  Whittaker C.R.

Frontiers of the
С. R. W H I T T A K ER
Roman Empire
A Social and Economic Study
The Johns Hopkins University Press
Baltimore and London
® 1994 The Johns Hopkins University Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
The Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4319
The Johns Hopkins Press Ltd., London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Whittaker, С R.
[Frontieres de TEmpire romain. English]
Frontiers of the Roman Empire : a social and economic study /C.R.
Whittaker.
p. cm.—(Ancient society and history)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8018-4677-3
1. Rome—Boundaries—History. 2. Boundaries. I. Title.
II. Series.
DG59.A2W5513 1994
937'.06—dc20 93-31342
A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.
To Carmen and Ted
How many things by seasons seasoned are
To their right praise and true perfection
Contents
List of Illustrations xi
Preface xv
Introduction:
The Historiography of Frontiers 1
One
Space, Power, and Society 10
Two
Frontiers and the Growth of Empire 31
Three
Why Did the Frontiers Stop Where They Did? 60
Four
Economy and Society of the Frontiers 98
Five
The Frontiers under Pressure 132
Six
The Collapse of the Frontiers 192
ix
Contents
Seven
Warlords and Landlords in the Later Empire 243
Notes 279
References 307
Index 331
x
Illustrations
1. Gaul according to Strabo 13
2. The mappamundi from Hereford cathedral 15
3. Illustration of a flumen finitxmum from Hyginus 20
4. Centuriation according to Hyginus 21
5. The suovetaurilia scene on Trajan's Column 22
6. The Gemma Augustea from Vienna 34
7. Map of the Rhine frontier 39
8. Map of the Danube frontier 40
9. Map of the African frontier 41
10. Map of the frontier in Britain 42
11. Map of the desert frontier of Syria and
Mesopotamia 50
12. Map of Armenia and the northern Euphrates 51
13. Map of the Arabian frontier 52
14. Hadrian's Wall at Housesteads, Britain 64
15. The wall of the Djebel Tebaga, Tunisia 64
16. The Roman limes at Hirnstetten, Germany 65
17. Map of Upper Germany 72
XI
Illustrations
18. Map of oppida sites in Germany 76
19. Map of African clausurae 80
20. The clausura at Bir Oum Ali, Tunisia 81
21. The ecology of northern Britain 88
22. Map of German artifacts found in free Germany 90
23. Castle Nick, Hadrian's Wall 92
24. The guichet on the wall of the Djebel Tebaga 93
25. Climatic map of North Africa 94
26. Climatic map of Syria and northern Arabia 96
27. Military supply routes to the western armies 102
28. British imports of terra sigillata 103
29. Map of the distribution of inscriptions of
Roman traders in Gaul 107
30. Map of the distribution of mortaria in Britain 109
31. The farm building at Feddersen Wierde,
Germany 115
32. Map of Roman buildings beyond the Danube;
plans of some of the buildings 116
33. Map of the Rhine-Meuse basin 120
34. Roman goods crossing the frontier 123
35. Map of Roman coins found in free Germany 124
36. Plan of Feddersen Wierde, Germany 126
37. Plan of the fort at Khan el-Manqoura, Syria 138
38. The fort at Qasr Bshir, Jordan 139
39. Map of the Saxon Shore 154
40. Map of the later Rhine frontier 157
41. The fort at Deutz-Cologne 164
42. Map of the later Danube frontier 172
43. Map of regions beyond the Danube and the
Sin tana de Mure§ culture in the later empire 177
44/ The Roman fort at Eining 182
45. Germanic grave goods 216
Xll
Illustrations
46. Map of late Roman coin finds in Westphalia,
Germany 226-27
47. The treasure of Traprain Law, Britain 230
48. Map of Germanic graves in Gaul 234
49. The burial at Landifay, France 236
50. The grave goods of Childeric at Tournai,
Belgium 267
51. The dress of Childeric 268
xui