Raetia

Raetia
Provincia Raetia
Raetia Provincia Raetia
Augusta Vindelicorum
Historical era	Antiquity
• Established	15 BC
• Ostrogothic conquest[citation needed]	476 AD
	Succeeded by
Ostrogoths
Alemanni
Baiuvarii
Churraetia
Today part of	Austria; Switzerland; Germany; Liechtenstein; Italy;

imperial province of Raetia (Switzerland/Tyrol/Germany south of the Danube), with no legions

deployed there in 125.

Raetia or Rhaetia (

Vindelicia, on the south-west with Transalpine Gaul and on the south with Venetia et Histria, a region of Roman Italy

.

It thus comprised the districts occupied in modern times by eastern and central

River Danube. Later the Limes Germanicus marked the northern boundary, stretching for 166 km north of the Danube. Raetia linked to Italy across the Alps over the Reschen Pass, by the Via Claudia Augusta

.

The capital of the province was

Augusta Vindelicorum, present-day Augsburg

in southern Germany.

History

Little is known of the origin or history of the

Celtic tribes were already in possession of much of it and had amalgamated so completely with the original inhabitants that, generally speaking, the Raetians of later times may be regarded as a Celtic people, although non-Celtic tribes (es. Euganei) were settled among them.^[1]

The Raetians are first mentioned (but only incidentally) by Polybius,^[1]^[5] and little is heard of them till after the end of the Republic. There is little doubt, however, that they retained their independence until their subjugation in 15 BC by Tiberius and Drusus.^[1]^[6]

At first Raetia formed a distinct province, but towards the end of the 1st century AD Vindelicia was added to it; hence,

procurator; it had no standing army quartered in it but relied on its own native troops and militia for protection until the 2nd century AD.^[1]

During the reign of Marcus Aurelius, Raetia was governed by the commander of the Legio III Italica, which was based in Castra Regina (Regensburg) by 179 AD. Under Diocletian, Raetia formed part of the diocese of the vicarius Italiae, and was subdivided into Raetia prima, with a praeses at Curia Raetorum (Chur) and Raetia secunda, with a praeses at Augusta Vindelicorum (Augsburg), the former corresponding to the old Raetia, the latter to Vindelicia. The boundary between them is not clearly defined, but may be stated generally as a line drawn eastwards from the lacus Brigantinus (Lake Constance) to the Oenus (River Inn).^[1]

During the last years of the Western Roman Empire, the land was in a desolate condition, but its occupation by the Ostrogoths in the time of Theodoric the Great, who placed it under a dux, to some extent revived its prosperity.^[1] Much of Raetia prima remained as a separate political unit, Raetia Curiensis, for several centuries, until it was attached to the Duchy of Swabia in AD 917.

Economy

The land was very mountainous, and the inhabitants, when not engaged in predatory expeditions, chiefly supported themselves by breeding cattle and cutting timber, little attention being paid to agriculture. Some of the valleys, however, were rich and fertile, and produced wine, which was considered equal to any in

Italia. Augustus preferred Raetian wine to any other. Considerable trade in pitch, honey, wax, and cheese occurred.^[1]

Geography

The chief towns of Raetia (excluding Vindelicia) were Tridentum (

Verona and Tridentum across the Reschen Pass to the Fern Pass and thence to Augusta Vindelicorum (Augsburg),^[7]^[1] the other from Brigantium (Bregenz) on Lake Constance by Chur and Chiavenna to Como and Milan.^[1]

The Rätikon mountain range derives its name from Raetia.

Important cities

Alae (Aalen)
Arbor Felix (
Arbon
)
Abodiacum (Epfach)
Aquileia (Heidenheim an der Brenz)
Augusta Vindelicorum (Augsburg)
Ausugum (Borgo Valsugana)
Bauzanum or Pons Drusi (Bolzano)
Belunum (Belluno)
Bilitio (Bellinzona)
Brigantium (Bregenz)
Cambodunum (
Kempten im Allgäu
)
Castra Batava (Passau)
Castra Regina (Regensburg)
Clavenna (Chiavenna)
Clunia (probably Feldkirch or Balzers)
Curia (Chur)
Endidae (Neumarkt)
Feltria (Feltre)
Foetes (Füssen)
Guntia (Günzburg)
Gamundia Romana (Schwäbisch Gmünd)
Oscela (Domodossola)
Parthanum (
Partenkirchen
)
Sebatum (San Lorenzo di Sebato/St. Lorenzen)
Sorviodurum (Straubing)
Sublavio (Ponte Gardena/Waidbruck)
Tridentum (Trento)
Veldidena (
Wilten district of Innsbruck
)

Vipitenum (Vipiteno/Sterzing)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Raetia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 812–813.
^ Ab urbe condita v. 33
^ xx. 5
^ Naturalis Historia, iii. 24, 133
^ Histories xxxiv. 10, iS
^ compare Horace, Odes, iv. 4 and 14
^ "Via Claudia Augusta – die alte Römerstraße, Bayern, Tirol, Südtirol, Italien: Introduction". Archived from the original on 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2010-10-12.

External links

Bagnall, R., J. Drinkwater, A. Esmonde-Cleary, W. Harris, R. Knapp, S. Mitchell, S. Parker, C. Wells, J. Wilkes, R. Talbert, M. E. Downs, M. Joann McDaniel, B. Z. Lund, T. Elliott, S. Gillies (18 January 2018). "Places: 991348 (Raetia)". Pleiades. Retrieved March 8, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

47°21′36″N 8°33′36″E / 47.3600°N 8.5600°E / 47.3600; 8.5600

[EB1911-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Raetia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 812–813.

[2] Ab urbe condita v. 33

[3] xx. 5

[4] Naturalis Historia, iii. 24, 133

[5] Histories xxxiv. 10, iS

[6] re Horace, Odes, iv. 4 and 14

[7] "Via Claudia Augusta – die alte Römerstraße, Bayern, Tirol, Südtirol, Italien: Introduction". Archived from the original on 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2010-10-12.

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