Abstract
Inspired by the catalyst papers, this essay traces the impact of displacement on existing and emerging identities of groups and individuals which were relocated to ‘frontier’ areas in the aftermath of conflict and conquest by Rome during the reign of emperor Trajan. The Dacian Wars, ending in 106 CE with the conquest of Dacia by Roman armies, not only resulted in the deliberate destruction of settlements and the society of the conquered, but also the removal of young Dacian men by forced recruitment into the Roman army, some serving the emperor in the Eastern Egyptian Desert. In turn, the wealth in gold and silver of the newly established Roman province of Dacia was exploited by mining communities arriving from Dalmatia. As a result of these ‘displacements’ caused by war and the shared experience of mining in the remote mountains of Dacia or guarding roads through the desert east of the Nile, we can trace the emergence of new senses of belonging alongside the retainment of fixed group identities.
Highlights
Inspired by the catalyst papers, this essay traces the impact of displacement on existing and emerging identities of groups and individuals which were relocated to ‘frontier’ areas in the aftermath of conflict and conquest by Rome during the reign of emperor Trajan
In the case of certain cavalry and infantry soldiers from Dacia and miners from the province of Dalmatia, we can trace their relocation after 106 CE to the desert forts in the Eastern Egyptian Desert and to the gold mining district of Alburnus Maior in the Apuseni mountains of Romania, respectively, in the textual evidence
Given the wide range of facets ascribed to some ancient deities, the teleological reading of their veneration at Alburnus Maior as closely linked with mining has to be taken with a grain of salt
Summary
The circumstances by which these ‘Illyrians’ from Dalmatia arrived in the new province are not quite clear. Batonis), Maximus is a widely popular Latin cognomen and Bato an Illyrian name seems to be typical of Pannonian tribes in Dalmatia and in Pannonia.21 This contract over the sale of a slave girl notes a host of witnesses to the contract.. Kavieretium/k(astellum) Aviereti(um) refers to a place in or near the mining district of Alburnus Maior or whether it needs to be sought in Dalmatia in the territory of the Pirustae, see Daicoviciu The backstory of Maximus Veneti might be very similar to another princeps called T(itus) Aurelius Aper who on a funerary monument from the late 2nd or early 3rd century CE at nearby Ampelum, is noted as a Delmata and princeps adsignatus from the town (municipium) of Splonum in Dalmatia.. That the community was not egalitarian, but stratified—an observation underpinned by the contracts which reveals further socioeconomic distinctions between employers and miners, landowners, bankers even—between have and have-nots.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
