Limes Mauretaniae
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The Limes Mauretaniae was a portion of a 4,000-kilometre (2,500 mi) Roman fortified border (limes) in Africa approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of the modern day Algiers.[1]
Stretching between Auzia (Sour El-Ghozlane, Algeria) and Numerus Syrorum (Maghnia, Algeria), it was a portion of the North African border fortification and security line of the Roman Empire which reached from the Atlantic coast to the Limes Tripolitanus in Tunisia.[2]
Function
In Roman North Africa there were no continuous border fortifications such as
History
During his
In the African provinces, there was frequent unrest and uprisings during Roman rule. In 238 AD the governor of Africa, Gordian I, and his son Gordian II (as co-regent) were proclaimed against their will by the Roman Senate as the counter-emperor to Emperor Maximinus Thrax. However, their troops were defeated by the Legio III Augusta. Under Emperor Diocletian, the new province of Mauretania Sitifensis, named after its capital Sitifis (now Sétif), was separated from Mauretania Caesariensis.
In the 5th century, both provinces fell to the
Topography
The North African Limes protected the provinces which stretched about 90 to 400 kilometres (56 to 249 mi) inland from the
The eastern border of the province of Mauretania Caesariensis (identical to the eastern border of the later province of Sitifensis) ran approximately on a line west of
The Roman area of influence, which was originally limited to the coast of Caesariensis, was extended further south for economic reasons into the Maghreb from the 1st to the 3rd century. This inevitably led to unrest among the local population, who feared for their livelihood. In the west, the River Malva (Moulouya) formed the border with the province of Mauretania Tingitana.
An extensive barren plain separates Algeria from Morocco. In the north, the foothills of the
Roman influence and control in the province of Mauretania Tingitana stretched along the Atlantic coast to the Sala River (
The road network established by the Romans in North Africa ensured good and timely logistical connections for the trade and supply of their widely deployed troops. In Caesariensis there were three traffic routes running parallel to the coast. As a rule, however, the surfaces were unpaved. Natural traffic routes—like rivers—were not available in the province of Caesariensis. The border of the steppe was well developed for military reasons.
Economy
The main export products of both Mauretanian provinces were wood and purple dye as well as agricultural products. Tingitana exported wild animals for the circus games. The Moorish tribesmen resident here were eagerly recruited as auxiliary troops, especially as light cavalry. The residents of the coast lived in a symbiotic relationship with the nomads of the steppe and the hill tribes. At the beginning of the dry season, nomads and hill tribes moved to the coastal regions, hired themselves out as workers, and exchanged agricultural products for animals from their herds.
Border and fortifications
Rome's struggle against the barbarians was always characterized by the numerical superiority of the opponent. Rome was often forced to compensate for its inferiority through the use of technology. The Limes of the two Mauritanian provinces was not a continuous fortified border wall because of the considerable distance from the Atlantic to the eastern border of the province of Caesariensis. Instead, there were barriers (clausura) in the valleys of the Atlas, ditches (fossata), ramparts, and a series of watchtowers and castles. The installations were connected by a road network laid out on strategic considerations. The border security system was largely adapted to the circumstances of the topography, but also to the behavior and lifestyle of the ethnic groups living at that location, and was therefore hardly fortified in spots. The expansion of the border in Mauritania was intensified at the beginning of the 1st century AD and expanded somewhat further to the south until the 3rd century.
East of the Monts du Hodna there was a system of clausurae, the Fossatum Africae, which "consisted of a ditch, wall, watch-towers, and gates." This system is believed to date from the time of Hadrian, around the 120s AD. There are at least three separate sections of the fossatum; this section is the longest at around 87 miles (140 km)[5] The fossatum "consists of a single ditch 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) wide and 2.3 to 2.4 m (7 ft 7 in to 7 ft 10 in) deep, with a low wall not more than 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) high."[6] In general the priority was to seal off the mountainous area by using natural obstacles. The Roman-occupied area of the province of Mauretania Caesariensis was defined by a line of fortifications running along the
Mauretania Tingitana was difficult to control and defend due to its topography. In the northeast, the tribes of the Rif Mountains were a constant concern. Initially, there was no security line with watchtowers to better monitor the massif. The south-east trending and up to 4,000-metre (13,000 ft) high Atlas runs abruptly into the Sahara on its eastern side. None of these regions could be conquered by Rome. Likewise, the easily accessible coastal areas of central and southern Morocco south of Rabat remained outside the Roman sphere of influence.
The line of forts in Tingitana was mainly oriented towards the coast, or at least close to the coast, and was used to ward off Moorish attacks and pirate raids from the Rif and the Atlas. Because of the pirate threat, both coastal protection and the inland river Sububus (Sebou) were strengthened from the 2nd century onwards by the construction of forts in Thamusida, Iulia Valentia Banasa, and Tremuli (Souk El Arbaa).[7] The Roman troops of the province were concentrated mainly in the forts on the coast and around the provincial metropolis of Volubilis. Sala and Volubilis, however, were outside the area protected by the forts on the river. Volubilis was exposed inland and therefore required major defense efforts. From the second half of the 2nd century, a city wall and numerous castra and observation posts served to protect the city. On the coast, the Sala was closed off from the Atlantic to the Bou Regreg by an 11-kilometre (6.8 mi)-long moat, which was partially reinforced with a wall, four small forts, and around 15 watchtowers. Additional forts were built in Tamuda (Tétouan), Souk El Arbaa, and Oppidum Novum (Ksar el-Kebir) on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.
Due to increasing attacks by local tribes, the border in Tingitana was withdrawn to the line Frigidae (Azib el Harrak[7])–Thamusida[7] under Diocletian in the second half of the 3rd century. The area around Volubilis was abandoned, while the city of Sala was probably kept until the early 4th century.
In the beginning of the principate forts were rather rare in the provinces because the troops were deployed over a wide area. The forts and watchtowers that were built later were mostly rectangular and occupied 0.12 to 0.5 hectares (0.30 to 1.24 acres). The smaller military posts, called fortlets or burgi, had a size of only 0.01–0.10 ha (0.025–0.247 acres), reinforced walls, no windows and only a small garrison. They were strategically located in the area and were used, among other things, to send messages by exchanging signals with the neighboring forts.
Armed forces
For defense and protection against uprisings and raids by nomadic and hill tribes, the Legio III Augusta was the only legion in North Africa outside of Egypt since the time of Augustus. This might initially appear to be spreading the forces too thinly, but was based on the economic assessment of the defense worthiness of arable land in contrast to regions of less importance that justified a less expensive defense effort. So, during Hadrian's visit in 128 extensive sections of the border areas along the deserts were not monitored by the Romans at all. The existing armed forces had the task of protecting the border line against raids from the steppe, mountain, and desert areas, but on the other hand they were not allowed to pose a threat to Rome. This balancing assessment between sufficient military means to avert an external danger and at the same time avoid an internal threat applied in principle to all provinces. Although the military potential was apparently temporarily overwhelmed, the legion and auxiliary units in North Africa were basically able to fulfill their mission.
Until the early 1st century AD, except in
In the 2nd century, the auxiliary forces consisted of three alae and ten cohorts, a total of around 7,000 men, in Caesariensis, and five alae and at least ten cohorts, a total of around 8,000 men, in Tingitana. The auxiliary units were made up of soldiers from Gaul, Italy, and North Africa. From the 4th century, Berber tribal groups were increasingly recruited. However, the number of troops changed only slightly. In the provinces, however, the 1:1 ratio between the legions and the auxiliary units that was normally aimed for was not maintained; it was significantly less favorable.
In late antiquity, according to Notitia Dignitatum three commanders had command authority over the troops stationed at this Limes (Limitanei and Comitatenses). These were:
- for Tingitaniam (western Algeria, Morocco) of the Comes Tingitaniae
- for intra Africam (Tunisia, Algeria, western Libya) the Dux et praeses provinciae Mauritaniae et Caesariensis.
- The latter was under the command of the Comes Africae, the commander of the African field army, the Comitatenses.
Fleet
Since
- Cartennae (Ténès),
- Icosium (Algiers),
- Portus Magnus (Arzew/Bethioua),
- Saldae (Béjaïa) and
- Tipasa (Tipaza)
See also
References
- ^ Tenney Frank (1959). An Economic Survey of Ancient Rome. Pageant Books. p. 68.
- ^ René Ployer; Marinus Polak; Ricarda Schmidt (2017). "The frontiers of the Roman Empire: a thematic study and proposed world heritage nomination strategy" (PDF). Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- . Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ^ Smith, William (1854). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, vol vii. London: Walton and Maberly. p. 357. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ISBN 0-19-815235-3. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ISBN 0-8061-3000-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-0691035420. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- . Retrieved 6 August 2020.
Further reading
- Nacéra Benseddik: Les troupes auxiliaires de l'armée romaine en Maurétanie Césarienne sous le Haut Empire. Algier 1979.
- Maurice Euzennat: Le Limes de Volubilis. In: Studien zu den Militärgrenzen Roms. Bd. 6 (1967), p. 194 ff.
- M. Euzennat: Le Limes de Tingitane. La frontière méridionale. Paris 1989.
- Margot Klee: Grenzen des Imperiums. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 2006, ISBN 3-534-18514-5.
- Nigel Rodgers: Die römische Armee. Tosa im Verlag Carl Ueberreiter, Wien 2008.
- Margaret M. Roxan: The auxilia of Mauretania Tingitana. In: Latomus. Bd. 32 (1973), p. 838 ff.
- John Warry: Warfare in The Classical World. Salamander Books, London 1980, ISBN 0-86101-034-5.
- Derek Williams: The Reach of Rome. Constable and Company, London 1996, ISBN 0-09-476540-5.
- Hans D. L. Viereck: Die Römische Flotte, classis Romana. Koehlers 1996, ISBN 978-3782201063, p. 257.
- Salama, P. (1977). "Les Déplacements successifs du Limes en Mauretanie Césarienne (Essai de synthèse)". In Fitz, Jenő (ed.). Limes: Akten des XI Internationalen Limeskongresses. Budapest: Akademiai Kiado. pp. 577–595. ISBN 9789630513012.