Limes (Roman Empire)
Limes (plural limites) is a modern term used for the Roman border defence in Germany. It marks the borders of the Roman Empire, though it was not used by the Romans for this purpose.[1][2]
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
| File:Limes Germanicus 2nd c.png The limes Germanicus, 2nd century | |
| Location | The valleys of the Rhine and the Danube; Britain. |
| Includes | Hadrian's Wall, Roman defenses along the Cumbrian coast, and the Limes Germanicus; the Antonine Wall is a later addition to this site |
| Criteria | Cultural ii, iii, iv |
| Reference | 430 |
| Inscription | 1987 (11th Session) |
| Extensions | 2005, 2008 |
| Area | 526.9 ha |
| Buffer zone | 5,225.7 ha |
The term has been extended to refer to the frontier defences in other parts of the empire, such as in the east and in Africa. It is used by the World Heritage site bureaucracy to include the two walls in Britain, the Antonine Wall and Hadrian's Wall.
The Limes is often associated with Roman forts, but it could apply to any area near the walls where the Romans exercised loose control with military forces.
Limes (Roman Empire) Media
Roman Empire 125 AD near its maximum extent
- Costantino nord-limes png.PNG
Northern Frontiers in 337 AD showing the reconquests of Constantine the Great
- Roman Empire with dioceses in 400 AD.png
Roman Empire with dioceses in 400 AD
- Gask Ridge Limes 85 n. chr.png
Römische Kastelle in Zentralschottland (Gask Ridge), 1. bis 2. Jahrhundert n.Chr.
Map of forts and walls in North Britain around 155 AD (most forts on and south of Hadrian's Wall have been omitted)
Map of British and Gallic forts on the Saxon Shore
- Limes1.png
Map of the legion camps and forts in Germania Inferior
- Limes2.png
Map of the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes
- Historische Karte CH Rome 1.png
Location of the Roman camps on the Rhine-Lake Constance line and in the hinterland provinces of Maxima Sequanorum and Raetia I, 3rd century AD
- Limes3.png
Map of Limes in Austria (system of fortifications representing the boundary of Roman control)
References
- ↑ Benjamin Isaac 1988. The meaning of 'Limes' and 'Limitanei' in Ancient Sources. Journal of Roman Studies, 78, pp. 125–147.
- ↑ Great Walls and Linear Barriers, Peter Spring, Pen and Sword, 2015, Chap. 24. ISBN 1473853842, 9781473853843
