Moesia Inferior Research Articles

WOMEN’S CULTURAL HERITAGE IN INSCRIPTIONS OF MOESIA INFERIOR: A CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE

This research looks at the issue of the relationship between the tangible and intangible heritage in epigraphy of women in Moesia Inferior, shedding light on their social, professional, juridic, religious status, onomastics etc. and the importance of materials used for the inscriptions (almost exclusively limestone and marble).

A New Military Diploma from Ibida (Moesia Inferior)

The authors published a new military diploma from the settlement of Ibida (Moesia Inferior). The document is a copy of a constitutio issued August, 14th 99 for the troops of Moesia Inferior. The diploma was found in an archaeological context which confirms the dating. It is revealed to be a third one from Ibida issued in the same day. Moreover, the unit of the soldier who received the honesta missio is the same as in another diploma found in Ibida.

Mulieres in Military Milieu of Troesmis

The current research focuses on the identification of certain patterns, specific to the analysis of women mentioned in the epigrahical records of an important military settlement of Moesia Inferior, Troesmis. The case study of female figures at Troesmis could serve as a reference for similar investigation of other military milieu of the same province regarding the subject.

The Tribe Affiliation of the Romans in the Lower Danube

The article deals with the perception of the tribe Papiria in the nomenclature of the Roman civics in two Trajanic colonies in Moesia Superior and Moesia Inferior—col(onia) Ulp(ia) Tra(iana) Rat(iariensium) and col(onia) Ulp(ia) Oescensium respectively. Although located close geographically and with a few common traits of their historical development, some discrepancies appeared in the topic which are discussed. The inscriptions provide, although scanty, some information on the tribe affiliation of the civic and religious colonial elite, augustales coloniae as well as the tribe affiliation as a part of a certain ornamenta. All this allows to establish the Roman tribe as an important social marker and for prestige in the Roman civic community, and can therefore serve in the Roman provinces as a sign of the progress of urbanization and Romanization. Certainly, the observations made are preliminary due to the scanty evidence available so far for various reasons.

Ancient DNA and paleoproteomic analysis on Roman Imperial-era individuals from Histria, Romania

Ancient biomolecules have become an increasingly important part of archaeological investigations interested in understanding population movements and health. Despite their ability to elucidate historically-attested contexts of human mobility and interaction between different cultural groups, biomolecular techniques are still underutilized in certain historical and archaeological contexts. One such context is the Roman Imperial limes, or border zone, along the lower reaches of the Danube, which saw more than five hundred years of migration, conflict, and accommodation among a wide range of populations, from Mediterranean settlers to steppe pastoralists. In this region, more than a century of archaeological investigation has unearthed the remains of tens of thousands of Roman-era individuals. However, only a limited number of contexts have undergone biomolecular analyses. While these deceased humans may offer an untapped reservoir of biomolecular information, many were collected during a period when the standard precautions and protocols for ancient biomolecular research were not yet established. Because contamination is a major barrier for successfully recovering ancient DNA and proteins, conducting a pilot study to assess bimolecular preservation of a small representative dataset of human remains before embarking on a more extensive research program may prevent unnecessary sampling. This study applies ancient DNA and paleoproteomic techniques to human remains from a Roman-period cemetery at Histria, a site located just south of the Danube at the edge of the Roman province of Moesia Inferior. The individuals from whom we sampled dentin and dental calculus were excavated between the 1940s and 1980s and were housed at the Francisc J. Rainer Institute since. Our results suggest that both microbial and human ancient DNA is preserved in the dental calculus and dentin samples. We also successfully recovered sex-specific amelogenin peptides in tooth enamel from three individuals, including a juvenile. In conclusion, our results are encouraging, signifying the feasibility of future aDNA and paleoproteomic research for this skeletal collection. Our analyses also showcase how sex estimation with genomic and proteomic methods may contradict traditional osteological approaches. These findings not only offer deeper insights into the lives of these individuals but also show promise for the investigation of broader anthropological questions, such as the impact of Roman annexation in this region.

LE DOSSIER EPIGRAPHIQUE DU REGNE D’HELIOGABALE EN MESIE INFERIEURE

The epigraphic file of Heliogabalus’ reign in Moesia In ferior. The author realizes an inventory of the epigraphic file in Moesia Inferior under Heliogabalus. He emphasizes that the inventory is poor and he tries to ex plain it through the lack of building initiatives (due to a relative peace at the Low er Danube) and through the destruction of other epigraphic texts as an effect of damnatio memoriae. The author compares the texts with other reigns and he thinks that the destruction process was not more considerable that in the time of the barracks-emperors.

Once again on the roman military equipment in Barbaricum near the Roman Dacia

This paper is an up-to-date research on the Roman military equipment found in Barbaricum beyond the Dacian limes previously dealt with in a lecture published in 1999 in the Proceedings of the 17th Congress of the Frontier Studies. The discussion of other 10 items gave the opportunity to draw additional conclusions and find more evidence for the already made statements. So, nine pieces (nos. 1-9) were discovered in the autochthonous settlements concentrated in the central part of the historical region of Wallachia (Fig. 1). Among them there are only two weapon accessories (nos. 4 and 8) and the rest of the items (nos. 1-3, 5-7, 9) are belt and baldric fittings. All the military equipment pieces date from the end of the 2nd century AD until c. AD 260. The origin of the items found at Mătăsaru (nos. 7-9) is almost certain in Roman Dacia. The others (nos. 1-6) discovered along the roads linking the southern Danubian bank with the main part of Roman Dacia placed inside the Carpathian Mountains probably originate in Moesia Inferior. The earlier piece (no. 10) unearthed in the Vandal settlement at Medieșu Aurit was obviously imported from Dacia Porolissensis. Both weapon accessories belong to types distributed throughout the Roman Empire. No. 6 is a representative of the eastern variant of the ring-buckles met in Syria, Dacia and Moesia and the rest of the belt and baldric fittings belong to variants diffused only in the Danubian provinces.

A brief discussion about the circulation of North-Italic Firmalampen marks found in Roman Dobrudja

Regarding ancient clay lamps, one can only be impressed by the variety and creativity involved in certain types. Out of the numerous types of lamps that have been discovered and catalogued during past centuries, one particular category sparks interest in those who research the activity of this industry, and that is Firmalampen. This paper aims to start a new discussion regarding some aspects around the presence of this special type of lamps in ancient Dobrudja, part of the province of Moesia Inferior, mainly about the circulation of the North-Italic marks in this region, the trade and the local production. By comparison with other parts of the Empire, we can acknowledge some potential regional particularities and preferences of the population towards a widely spread product.

Recruitment and family networks in Moesia Inferior

"The goal of this paper is to bring under scrutiny the cases of connections between civilian families and the Roman army in Moesia Inferior, in order to map the recruitment pattern of the military. For this purpose, I shall first examine the family networks, which point to recruitment and sometimes social mobility over generations; and secondly, I shall also look at those families whose members do not seem to be all active (of the attested sample) in the army. Keywords: Roman army, Moesia Inferior, recruitment, family networks. "

Territorium Ciuitatis Ausdecensium: an Open Issue of Ancient Topo-Demography

This paper aims at re-examining the available data regarding the location of ciuitas Ausdecensium in Moesia Inferior, starting from the uncertainty as to the place where was discovered the inscription CIL III 144372 – the famous boundary stone which records the resolution of a land dispute between this ciuitas and a neighbouring population of Dacians. The analysis is focused on some key-elements which could elucidate the relation between ciuitas Ausdecensium and the Thracian strategy Οὐσδικησική recorded by Ptolemy: the fact that we deal with a boundary stone which, therefore, was initially placed at an extremity of the territory belonging to this ciuitas, the fact that this territory extended in the opposite direction, most probably to the south, from the place where the boundary stone was installed, as well as the fact that the interprovincial border between Moesia Inferior and Thracia is considered to have passed north of the Balkans’ range, not very far from Danube’s line, although the exact border route is still debated. All these circumstances lead to the plausible consequence of territorium ciuitatis Ausdecensium reaching the interprovincial borderline. At its turn, this consequence, corroborated with the location in northern Thracia of the strategy Οὐσδικησική, according to Ptolemy’s account, supports the possible contiguity between territorium ciuitatis Ausdecensium and the territory of the strategy Οὐσδικησική. If this hypothesis is accurate, it may shed light on the processes that led to the creation of this ciuitas and, at the same time, could generate the need to be reassessed the opinion that considers this population of southern Thracian origin as having been relocated to Dobruja.

A Numismatic Perspective on the Architecture of North and West Pontic Cities in the 1st-3rd Centuries AD. Defensive Systems.

The coins of the Greek cities of the Roman era (the so-called “provincial coins”) become an important source of information about the issuing ancient city through the historical and architectural themes illustrated on their reverse. They allow not only the detection or nuancing of some events, which the passage of time has largely made forgotten, but also show the ancient monuments to the current researcher, unspoiled by the passage of time, in the splendour of the era of their construction. In this work, part of a wider project, we want to address a category of monuments illustrated by provincial coins from the north and west Pontic area, respectively that of defensive constructions, which were included in the composition of the fortified enclosures of the cities from this area. City gates (often monumental or triumphal), portions of walls, and even entire urban enclosures are themes frequently illustrated by the coin engravers in the 2nd-3rd centuries AD. In the following, the monetary issues, which illustrate defensive edifices of the cities of Thrace (Anchialos, Augusta Traiana, Byzie, Hadrianopolis) and Moesia Inferior (Callatis, Marcianopolis, Nicopolis ad Istrum, Tomis) or those of the Bosporan Kingdom, will be analysed from a constructive point of view, as well as from a broader historico-geographical perspective.

Return from the Hunt: a Re-Discovered Votive Relief from Northern Moesia Inferior

Recent archival materials brought to attention a fragmentary marble votive relief found near Tulcea depicting the so-called Thracian horseman as a hunter with the prey in his raised right hand. This iconographic variant is very rare outside Thracia and the Balkans region. The evidence of the votive reliefs of the Thracian horseman in the northern Moesia Inferior is not rich but features a great iconographical variety, hinting at an intended choice from the part of the dedicants of the votives and great awareness of the iconographical composition. The material (imported marble) and the dimensions of several of the reliefs uncovered up to now in the region are quite large and make plausible the idea of votives intended for cult places/sanctuaries. The relief discussed is singular among the similar finds in the region, for it bears also an inscription on its upper border.

Daily Life in the Limesgebiet: Archaeozoological Evidence on Animal Resource Exploitation in Lower Danubian Sites of 2nd–6th Centuries AD

Roman Limesgebiet was both a border between the Greco–Roman world and barbaricum, but also the contact area between these two parts of the ancient oicumene. In Moesia Inferior, this area was established after the Roman conquest in the 1st century AD, in order to defend the Danube border. This article analyses segments of the cultural landscape development in the Roman Danube limes: e.g., the animal resources of subsistence as a paleoeconomy component and reconstruction of the environmental context in the area. The settlements under archaeozoological study are: Sacidava, Capidava, Dinogetia, Noviodunum, Aegyssus, and Halmyris. The settlements have exploited a relatively large faunal spectrum, with taxa of 19 mammals being identified. Animal husbandry had a major importance in paleoeconomy and was focused on cattle, sheep/goat, and pig; other domestic species are horse, donkey, dog, and cat. The hunting is of small importance, according to the frequency of animal remains, and the forest species are dominant. Red deer and wild boar are present in all assemblages, and they are the dominant wild species in terms of frequency; roe deer, hare, wolf, aurochs, fox, beaver, badger, Eurasian otter, and pine marten have been also identified. Aquatic resources are represented by molluscs and fish.

EPIGRAPHIC AND PROSOPOGRAPHICAL NOTES ON Q, MARCIUS QUADRATUS FROM IBIDA

The author discuss the origin of Q. Marcius Quadratus, whose epitaph was found in Ibida (Moesia inferior). The debate was about a Libyan or a Liburnian origin of Quadratus. Taking into account the occurrences of Marcii in both Dalmatia and Africa, as well the historical content, the author proves that the restitution Libycus is more plausible, identifying the person with a veteran.

'I HAD A DREAM...' - THE DEDICATION OF AN EQUES OF THE ALA I DARDANORUM IN THE SURROUNDINGS OF TROESMIS AND THE PROBLEM OF RURAL SETTLEMENTS IN NORTHERN MOESIA INFERIOR

Within the framework of multidisciplinary investigations, under the ongoing Troesmis-project the basic topographic features of the Roman, Late Roman and Byzantine settlement of Troesmis (Turcoaia, Tulcea County, RO) were clarified. The decisive result was the localisation of the approximately 16 ha legionary camp and the approximately 30-35 ha civilian settlement around it. It was possible not only to postulate the boundaries of the ancient settlement, but also to register for the first time numerous new sites in the surroundings. The central settlement of Troesmis is embedded in a dense network of roads and rural settlement sites of different types. Additionally, for older accidental finds of stone monuments (inscriptions, sculpture etc.) it was possible to recover, at least at hypothetical level, the initial context of display and to correlate the archaeological data with the epigraphical evidence. This paper presents the case of the votive altar ISM V 218, dedicated, following a dream, to the divine power of Liber Pater by M. Antistius Caecina, eques of ala I Dardanorum Antoniniana . Its provenance also provides the opportunity for short comments on the Roman rural estates and settlements in the Northern Moesia Inferior.

MILESTONES FROM CAPIDAVA AND THE TERRITORIUM CAPIDAVENSE. AURELIAN’S WAR AGAINST THE CARPI INTER CARSIUM ET SUCIDAVAM IN A NEW LIGHT

The article is focused on the 2nd to 4th century milestones recorded by archaeological excavations at Capidava and within a range not exceeding 15 miles, as the crow flies. Our inquiry pinpointed several finds from Dorobanțu, Seimenii Mari, Capidava and the nearby Topalu (10 pillars), set up on the occasion of the road construction works under emperors Hadrian (?), Antoninus Pius and Septimius Severus, Aurelian, by the Tetrachs and, finally, during Constantine. One should highlight the find cluster of Aurelian’s milliaria in the area Topalu – Capidava (3 out of 10 referred supra, comparable in Moesia Inferior only to the situation from around Sexaginta Prista). Considering that unusual clustering, as well as all archaeological pieces of evidence we have for now on the begining of the general reconstruction of the castellum at Capidava under Aurelian and Probus, at the end of the bellum Scythicum, one might rightly infer a local major event. To such an interpretation, a well-known building inscription (Bauinschrift, CIL III 12456 = ISM IV 88) from Durostorum honored Aurelian for bringing the city back to its former splendour (in pristinam splendorem restituta). The inscription was equally and prominently set into one wall to the memory of the war against the Carpi, somewhere inter Carsium et Sucidavam. But what if Capidava and the area around it had actually to do with those fierce battles?

Cocceius Naso als Präsidialprokurator von Dacia Inferior und seine Diplome

Through a new fragment of a military diploma from 123 for Dacia inferior, it becomes possible to complete the already known constitution from which the diploma depends. It was issued for alae and cohortes under the governor Cocceius Naso. He was in office in the province at least from the middle of 122 until after the middle of 126. He is mentioned in altogether ten diplomas. The numerous discharges under him are the result of mass recruitments in the late period of the emperor Domitian or under Nerva in Moesia inferior.

Kaolin clay pottery discovered in the Roman city of Romula (Olt County, Romania)

Pottery vessels made of kaolin clay from the Roman Period (2nd, 3rd centuries CE) found in Romula (Reșca village, Olt County, Romania) from Dacia Inferior (Malvensis) were investigated by petrographic, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, thermal analysis, electron microscopy, and mechanical tests. Our results are compared with available data on kaolin clays and pottery vessels from other sites located along the lower course of Danube river and near the Black Sea, namely in Moesia Superior, Moesia Inferior, and Thracia. Archeological and geographical contexts are addressed. Results of our analysis suggest a local production of ceramics in Romula, by using raw materials from the north of Lower Danube, in opposition to the idea that kaolin ware was imported from the provinces south of the Danube.

Status prawny prowincji mezyjskich w okresie wojen markomańskich

In 1962, Anthony R. Birley advanced a remarkable thesis, claiming that the rank of the Roman province of Upper Moesia (Moesia superior) was temporarily reduced from consular to praetorian. To support the assertion, he cited the fact that one of the two legions stationed in the province left it for a period of time; this automatically entailed a revision of its status, which was thus downgraded. A province with one legion was governed by a former praetor, whereas a province with two or more legions was administered by a former consul (vir consularis). A.R. Birley drew on the account in SHA vita Marci 22.9, which states that Marcus Aurelius changed – pro belli necessitate – the status of several provinces, as well as on two inscriptions (CIL III 1566; XIII6806), which contained an unorthodox record of senatorial careers. Both inscriptions mention Upper Moesia. A.R. Birley’s proposition was widely accepted by researchers, though critical views were also expressed. Nonetheless, its impact was so effective that it was subsequently argued that the mechanism should be presumed to have applied to Lower Moesia (Moesia inferior) as well.
 Still, a thorough analysis of all available sources permits one to conclude that the view is erroneous and altogether unfounded. In fact, its represents an outcome of a puristic application of the prosopographic method, which in this case proved a fundamental mistake.

Fragmentarische Diplome aus der hadrianisch-antoninischen Regierungszeit

collection of 16 fragments of diplomas from the reigns of Hadrian and Antoninus Pius is published here. They are copies of constitutions for the armies of Dacia Porolissensis, Moesia inferior, Pannonia inferior and Syria as well as for unknown provinces. Some of the constitutions are already known, others are new. In any case, they intensify the records for the armies during the two periods of government.