De grenzen van het Romeinse Rijk

Abstract

Summary In the second century AD the Roman Empire reached its largest extent. By that time the military infrastructure at the periphery of the Empire stretched over thousands of kilometres, across the three continents surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Rome had to exert its power in very different climates and landscapes, and deal with external threats varying from the highly developed Parthian Empire to hardly organised nomadic groups. The military infrastructure at its boundaries was therefore quite diverse, but nevertheless the military installations show many similarities across the Empire, due to the frequent displacements of army units and their commanders. This paper provides a concise overview of the frontier sections on all three continents and a brief discussion of differences and similarities.