Devil's Dykes
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The Devil's Dykes (Hungarian: Ördög árok), also known as the Csörsz árka ("Csörsz Ditch") or the Limes Sarmatiae (Latin for "Sarmatian border"), are several lines of Roman fortifications built mostly during the reign of Constantine the Great (306–337), stretching between today's Hungary, Romania and Serbia.
History
The fortifications consisted of a series of defensive earthen ramparts-and-ditches surrounding the plain of the Tisia (
They were probably designed to protect the
Some elements of the fortifications, however, date from the 2nd century AD, and probably constituted an earlier defensive line constructed under emperor Marcus Aurelius (ruled 161–180) at the time of the Marcomannic Wars, the previous occasion that the Tisza plain was occupied by the Romans.
The "Limes Sarmatiae" was intended to expand the
Indeed, in 374 AD, the
In 375, emperor
Following his death, political infighting and a lack of good leadership in the Roman Empire led to the "Limes Sarmatiae" being overrun and destroyed.
See also
- Roman Limes
- Limes Moesiae
- Brazda lui Novac
- Wall of Constantine in Constantinople
- Deil's Dyke – A linear earthwork in south-west Scotland.
Notes
- ^ Devil's Dykes essays with photos (in Hungarian) Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Penguin Atlas 87
- ^ Lenski, Noel (2014). Failure of Empire. University of California Press. p. 142.
References
- Garam Éva-Patay Pál-Soproni Sándor: Sarmatischen Wallsystem im Karpatenbecken, Régészeti Füzetek Ser. II. No. 23., Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum, Budapest, 1983, 2003.
- Istvanovits Eszter: The history and perspectives of the research of the Csörsz Ditch.XVIIIth International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies. Amman, 2000.
- Patay Pál: Neuere Ergebnisse in der topographischen Untersuchung der Erdwalle in der Tiefebene, Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve, Szeged, 1969/2
- Penguin Atlas of the Roman World (1995)
- Soproni Sándor: Limes sarmatiae. Archeológia Értesítő 96., Budapest, 1996 p. 43–52.