Limes Porolissensis

Located in Roman province of Dacia, present-day Romania, the Limes Porolissensis was a frontier of the Roman empire in Dacia Porolissensis, the northernmost of the three Dacian provinces. It was a defensive line dating from the 2nd century AD after the Conquest of Dacia. The frontier was a complex network of over 100 observation towers, fortlets, walls and forts disposed in a line over 200 km from the Apuseni Mountains to the Eastern Carpathians, following the highland chain of the Meseș Mountains.^[1]

It integrated the following forts:

Pre-Roman fortifications[edit]

Prior to Roman conquest of Dacia the area was guarded by hillforts reinforced with ditches and palisades. The earliest hill fortifications of this type belong to the 5th century BC, with some of these being in use during the reign of Burebista, but most were constructed during the Dacian period. Thirteen hillforts were identified in total, with the two main groups being the Meseș Mountains line and the Șimleu Massif, the latter located just outside the Roman limes line. Besides their military function they also served to monitor and control the movement of people and goods. A Dacian political-administrative centre may have developed around them, of much smaller size than the one of Orăștie Mountains region. ^[2]

Establishment[edit]

Almost all Roman forts and fortified structures were built around 106 CE, immediately after the conquest of Dacia, and mostly from timber. The largest fort initially was the one at Romita, with Porolissum gaining later attention due to its defensive properties. The stone phase of these structures started a few decades after the establishment of the military frontier.^[3]

References[edit]

^ Radu, Zagreanu; Corneliu, Gaiu (2015-01-01). "Marcu et alii - Recent Developments in Understanding the limes Porolissensis". Limes XXIII.
^ Wanner, Robert (2010-07-07). Forts, fields and towns: Communities in Northwest Transylvania from the first century BC to the fifth century AD (thesis thesis). University of Leicester.
^ Wanner, Robert (2010-07-07). Forts, fields and towns: Communities in Northwest Transylvania from the first century BC to the fifth century AD (thesis thesis). University of Leicester.

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

Roman castra from Romania - Google Maps / Earth Archived 2012-01-17 at the Wayback Machine

[1] Radu, Zagreanu; Corneliu, Gaiu (2015-01-01). "Marcu et alii - Recent Developments in Understanding the limes Porolissensis". Limes XXIII.

[2] Wanner, Robert (2010-07-07). Forts, fields and towns: Communities in Northwest Transylvania from the first century BC to the fifth century AD (thesis thesis). University of Leicester.

[3] Wanner, Robert (2010-07-07). Forts, fields and towns: Communities in Northwest Transylvania from the first century BC to the fifth century AD (thesis thesis). University of Leicester.

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