Classis Pannonica
The Classis Pannonica (CP), later Classis Histricae , was part of the Roman border troops in the north and east and operated on the rivers Danuvius ( Danube ), Dravus ( Drava ) and Savus ( Save ) from the 1st to the 5th century The surveillance area extended from Castra Regina ( Regensburg ) to Singidunum ( Belgrade ).
Two large fleet associations are known for the Danube: the Classis Pannonica and the Classis Moesica . Although one might assume from their name that their area of operation only extended to these two provinces, this was not always the case. By military diplomas (for members of both fleets) their affiliation is the host of the Roman provinces Pannonia inferior or Moesia inferior occupied (Lower Moesia). The Danube Fleet existed (in a different organizational form) until late antiquity .
Fleet operations
1st to 2nd century
The forerunner of the Danube fleet was a 35 BC. Naval department deployed on the Save. We have no reports of Roman naval activities on the Danube from the late 1st century. However, the fleet was probably set up in the years around 6-10 AD under Emperor Augustus .
6 n. Chr. Crossed Tiberius ' Army at Carnuntum the Danube, the Marcomani attack. The Danube Fleet secured the transfer and supplies of the intervention troops. During the fighting in the Pannonian uprising , she was given the honorary name Classis Flavia Pannonica . Tacitus also reports a Danube flotilla for the year 50 AD.
After the failed attempt by the Romans to integrate the Germania magna into the Reichsverband and to push the northern border to the Elbe, the fleet - in addition to the o. Tasks - above all to prevent the infiltration of looters and tribes seeking land. The difficulties of traveling upstream also forced the Romans to permanently station the individual flotillas in the surveillance rooms that were assigned to them.
The scenes on the Trajan Column show that naval units were also involved in the Dacian Wars. In an inscription, a certain Manlius Felix is named as Praefectus classium Pannonicae et Germanicae (Admiral of the Pannonian and Germanic fleet). So it should have commanded both fleets in personal union. The consolidation of fleet units stationed a long way apart for campaigns was still common in later times.
The funerary inscription of Marcus Valerius Maximianus reveals its function during the Marcomann Wars of Marcus Aurelius . Among other things, he was responsible for the food supply of the two Pannonian army columns. For this task, however, he was remarkably subordinate to departments of the Misenische, Ravennatic fleet and units of the Classis Britannica . In this context, it is also noticeable that the CP, the provincial fleet actually responsible for the area of operation, was not involved in these activities. It seems to have been intended for other missions. In addition to the possible transport of personnel and equipment, this could have been the further seamless surveillance of the north-eastern bank of the Danube, since the Pannonian army was bound elsewhere. The Danube border would otherwise have been completely unprotected against enemy attacks without security by the fleet.
Georg Alexander Rost also considers it possible that the fleet was either partially destroyed or captured by the attackers. Emperor Mark Aurel was able to repel the attackers in hard fights from 165 to 175. In the second marcomann war (178-180), the Romans then also advanced into the area of settlement of the marcomanni. This in turn required a powerful fleet. The Danube fleet was reorganized, reinforced by new buildings and played an important role in the fighting.
3rd to 5th century
From 374 on, Jazygen and Quaden invaded Pannonia. However, the Danube Fleet was not particularly successful in fighting it. At the end of the 4th century - according to the Notitia Dignitatum (ND) - the base of the Classis Histricae in Carnuntum was closed and their Liburnarii stationed there moved to Vindobona .
The Danube flotillas are likely to have played an important role in border protection on the Limes even in late antiquity, based on the information provided by the ND. The Vita Sancti Severini also provides some information about the shipping traffic on the Danube in the 5th century. The Favianae (Mautern) threatened by famine z. For example, ships that were previously trapped in the ice on the Inn brought food from Raetia . After Severin had predicted the imminent demise of the city for the population of Castra Batava (Passau) and had urged them to withdraw to Lauriacum , he returned to Favianae on a ship . In the course of the 5th century, however, the Danube fleet finally disappeared from the literary sources.
function
The fleets in the Mediterranean were mainly used for fighting pirates and water police measures, the fleets in the north had mainly military and logistical tasks and mostly cooperated closely with the land forces. In addition to protecting the river border of the provinces of Raetia , Noricum and Pannonia, the CP was responsible for keeping the important traffic routes Danube, Drava and Sava open as well as transport and logistics tasks for the units of the land army. Together with the forts and the units of the Classis Moesica (on the lower Danube and Black Sea coast), the CP also formed an important part of trade protection on the Danube, as one of the most frequented main trade routes to the north, the Amber Road , near Carnuntum ( Bad Deutsch Altenburg ) crossed the stream. Before the Danube breakthrough at the Iron Gate was dammed by a power station in the 20th century, the ravine with rapids was much deeper and due to dangerous eddies it was not passable. It is believed that it marked the dividing point between the area of responsibility of the Classis Pannonica (upstream) and the Classis Moesica (downstream to the Black Sea).
Long stretches of the northern bank were not pacified and trading activities in the towns and forts on the Danube were very extensive. Larger battles on the water presumably did not occur at all or only very rarely due to the lack of an equally equipped enemy. Even in peacetime it was an important aspect for the provincials, as a large part of the public transport - especially the supply of grain - was handled by them.
The Danube Fleet was of great importance on the occasion of large-scale river crossings by the army. Usually a ship bridge was built for this. For this purpose, the ship's chain was first tied to the ground with wicker baskets filled with stones with the bow against the current direction. Then beams and planks were placed over the hulls to connect them together. As additional reinforcement, a sturdy railing was also attached to both sides to make the crossing safer for carts. Finally, a trench was dug at both bridgeheads, an earth wall was built up and a guard was provided.
Border security
In antiquity, the Danube presented a completely different appearance: its water flowed more slowly, the sediments were not washed away, which is why the widely ramified river bed was not as deep as it is today, although it appeared wider and deeper than the rivers in Italy. In spring there were regular floods that turned the surrounding landscape into a swamp that was difficult to access. The banks and river islands were overgrown with dense vegetation, as long stretches of them were not used by humans. The water flowed faster past islands as the river bed was narrower there. In the course of this, invaders and looters ( latrones ) often used such islands as hiding places and retreats. Emperor Marcus Aurelius therefore forbade the Jazygen to enter them and to use their own ships. The Germanic tribes mostly used dugouts ( monoxyla ) or similar boats to move about on the river .
The fights on the Danube mostly took place in the summer months or in winter ( naumachiati ). Although there were also a large number of forts to secure the imperial border on the Danube, a really effective surveillance of the river border was only possible with the help of the fast and agile ships of the fleet, which made daily patrols for this purpose, as the chronicler Ammianus Marcellinus did reported for the year 376 AD:
- "While our troops were busy elsewhere, the Greuthungen noticed that the ships, which prevented their crossing through their usual patrols, remained inactive in the port and therefore managed their crossing on rafts that were only poorly assembled."
Based on this statement, it can be assumed that these daily journeys effectively prevented possible attackers from crossing over to the Roman bank. There was a good reason for this too. Ammianus then reports on a real sea battle that ended with a severe defeat of Greuthungen, which were translated on dugout canoes and rafts.
Ship types
For the surveillance of the Danube, the soldiers had patrol boats and troop transports with a hull length of 15 m to 20 m, for belt and sail operation. The transport of goods and goods was carried out with Pramen, on which loads of up to 20 tons could be moved. These ships had only a shallow draft in order to be able to cross very shallow waters with them without any problems.
The ship types mainly represented in the fleet were Liburnians with a trireme as the flagship . This assumption is supported by the reliefs of the Trajan column. At the time of the reign of Trajan (98–117) the fleet (together with the units of the classis Moesica ) is said to have comprised approx. 125 larger and 100 smaller vehicles. An additional 100 ships were in service on the tributaries. The most common types of Roman warship, the triremes, were probably only used on the lower Danube. The lighter Liburnians were better suited to river patrol requirements.
The typical liburna was a low, light and fast double-breasted suit with a ram and mast. It is still unclear which types of ship were actually used upstream from Carnuntum in view of the more difficult flow conditions. The unregulated course of the current with its countless windings and side arms also had a much smaller gradient than is the case today. The use of the light Liburnians on the sections of the Noric and Upper Pannonian Danube is therefore very likely.
In the 4th century the fleet consisted mainly of naves lusoriae , navis actuaria and naves iudiciarae , which, with their flat bottoms, were ideal for meandering rivers. These types of ships proved to be surprisingly fast and stable in the experiment and could be mastered in a relatively short time even by inexperienced crews.
Fleet command, officers and men
The commander-in-chief of the fleet was usually a legate ( legatus pro praetore ) appointed by the Senate, who could also hand over command entirely or only partially to a prefect . During a campaign, a legatus Augusti pro praetore took over command of land and naval forces. The praefectus classis was subordinate to the governor of the respective province. A sub-prefect ( subpraefectus ) stood by his side as chief of staff and deputy . The praepositus classis ranked among the prefects , and each fleet usually includes two such officers. He also took on independent commands.
The above officers each had their own staff with their adjutants. The " Realencyclopaedie des classical antiquity " (Pauly-Wissowa), names four inscriptions by flotilla commanders and three by trierarchs of the Pannonian fleet.
A nauarchus princeps or nauarchus archigybernes was used as the flotilla chief. This corresponds roughly to the rank of today's rear admiral. In the 3rd century the rank of naval tribune was created ( tribunus classis ), which now took over the duties of the first nauarch. Later it was also called tribunus liburnarum (= tribune of warships).
The crew of a standard river combat ship consisted of:
- Officers ( trierarchus ),
- Rowers ( remiges ) and a centurion
- Marines ( manipulares / milites liburnarii ).
This ( classiari / classici ) was again divided into two functional groups:
- the nautical personnel responsible for the ship's command and
- the marine infantry.
Their service time was usually 26 years (legionnaires 20 to 25 years), from the 3rd century onwards 28 years, occasionally one knows of even longer service periods. After their honorable discharge ( honesta missio ) they were compensated with a large sum of coins or a piece of farmland and were usually granted citizenship if they had entered the Roman army as peregrini (= foreigners). They were only allowed to marry after retiring from active service.
Liburnari
The legions stationed in Noricum and Pannonia apparently had their own naval departments from late antiquity. Confirmation of this is provided by the Notitia Dignitatum (ND). Among other things, it lists legions and their garrison locations for the late antiquity that were under the command of a Dux . Some of these units also have Liburnarii . Liburna originally only referred to a smaller type of warship, over time it became a general collective term for Roman warships. As a result, their crews were also known as liburnarii in late antiquity . According to the ND, there were four legions of Liburnarii in Noricum and Pannonia (see also the list below). Except for the legio I Noricorum , which was not set up until the end of the 3rd century, these are legions that have existed since the early imperial era.
The troop list for the province of Raetia shows that not only legions must have had naval divisions, but apparently also auxiliary units, since in 1994 two Roman ships were excavated at the Oberstimm auxiliary fort by an excavation team from the Museum of Ancient Shipping in Mainz and were completely salvaged. The two 15-meter-long military ships come n. Chr from the time 100. Their wrecks were already 1986 in a silted tributary of the Danube in Manchinger district Oberstimm been discovered. But it was only 8 years later that they could be recovered and then restored and preserved in the Roman-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz .
Late antique flotillas on the upper and middle Danube
In the course of the decline of the Roman central power, the provincial fleets also degenerated. From the late 4th century onwards, several independent flotillas were created on rivers and lakes to protect the re-Roman areas. At this time, the waterway became even more important for military logistics, as the land connections became more and more unsafe due to highway robbers and increasing deterioration of the roads. In the 5th century, the Danube fleet consisted of three smaller, probably largely autonomous, units. These were the:
- Classis Histricae ,
- Classis Arlapensis et (Co) Maginensis ,
- Classis Lauriacensis .
The ND also lists bases with marines who belonged to the legionary or limit units stationed there . Whether they were also a kind of river police is still controversial in research, but it is very likely. In this context it should be mentioned that the gravestone of a certain Augustiana Cassia Marcia is kept in the Museum Carnuntinum (Bad Deutsch Altenburg / Lower Austria). Her husband, Marcus Antonius Basilides, was a frumentarius (paymaster) of the Xth Legion and in this capacity was assigned to the classis Histricae . In the field of view of the grave stele, a high-sided boat can be clearly seen with the inscription " Felix Itala ".
On the basis of the ND, the following picture emerges for the distribution of the late antique Noric and Pannonian fleet units:
| Commander | unit | Fort |
| Dux Pannoniae Primae et Norici Ripensis | Praefectus legionis quartaedecimae geminae militum liburnariorum cohortis quintae partis superior | Carnunto (Carnuntum) |
| Praefectus legionis decimae et quartaedecimae geminae geminarum militum liburnariorum | Arrabonae | |
| Praefectus classis Histricae | Arrunto sive Vindomarae (Vindobona) (a Carnunto translata) | |
| Praefectus legionis secundae Italicae militum liburnariorum | Ioviaco ( Ioviacum ) | |
| Praefectus classis Lauriacensis | Lauriacum | |
| Praefectus legionis primae Noricorum militum liburnariorum cohortis quintae partis superioris | Adiuvense | |
| Praefectus classis Arlapensis and Maginensis | Arelape and Comagena | |
| Praefectus legionis liburnariorum primorum Noricorum | Fafianae ( Favianis ) | |
| Dux Valeriae ripensis | Praefectus classis Histricae | Florentiae |
| Dux Pannoniae secundae ripariensis et Saviae | Praefectus classis primae Flaviae Augustae | Sirmi (Sirmium) |
| Praefectus classis secundae Flaviae | Graio (Graium) | |
| Praefectus classis Histricae | Mursae ( Mursa ) |
bases
| Ancient name | Closest place |
| Sirmium | Sremska Mitrovica |
| Siscia |
Sisak (on the Save) |
| Graium |
Sremska Raca (on the Save) |
| Servitium |
Stara Gradiška (on the Sava) |
| Mursa Maior | Osijek |
| Taurunum | Belgrade Zemun |
| Singidunum | Belgrade |
| Aquincum | Budapest ( navalia / headquarters ) |
| Acumincum | At the mouth of the Tisza |
| Altina | Mohács |
| Brigetio | Komorn / Komárom |
| Carnuntum | Bad German Altenburg |
| Vindobona | Vienna |
| Comagena | Tulln / Lower Austria |
| Favianis | Mautern on the Danube |
| Arelape | Pöchlarn |
| Adiuvense | Wallsee |
| Lauriacum | Enns / Upper Austria ( Enghagen ?) |
| Ioviacum | Schlögen / Upper Austria |
| Batavis | Passau |
| Castra Regina | regensburg |
See also
Remarks
- ↑ Werner Jobst: 1983, p. 84
- ^ AE 1956, 124 = AE 1959, 183
- ^ Eugippius "Vita Sancti Severini"; Edition of Rudolf Noll, “The life of St. Severin ”, Linz 1947
- ↑ Arrian: Anabasis, 5,7,3-5 and Vegetius FR: Epitoma rei militaris, 3,7
- ↑ Herodianus, Ab excessu Divi Marci, 6,7,6
- ↑ Dio, Cassii Dionis Historiae Romanae epitome, 71, 19.2
- ↑ Radislav Hosek, Markomannenkriege 1993, pp. 33–37
- ↑ Ammianus Marcellinus: 31.5.3
- ↑ Zosimus: 4,35,1 and 4,38, Claudian: 8,623
- ^ Viereck, 1996
- ↑ REA, XIII / 1, Stuttgart 1926, Grosse, article "liburna"
- ↑ III., Fiebiger, article "classis 3."
- ↑ Thomas Fischer: Noricum , Mainz 2002, p. 122
- ↑ Werner Jobst: 1983, p. 84
literature
- Georg Alexander Rost, Hellmut Flashar : From the sea being and sea trade in antiquity. A study from a maritime-military perspective. John Benjamin Publishing Company, 1968, ISBN 90-6032-361-0 , pp. 84-85
- Hans DL Viereck: The Roman fleet, Classis Romana. Köhlers Verlagsgesellschaft, Hamburg 1996, ISBN 3-930656-33-7 , pp. 255-256
- Barbara horse shepherd: The fleets and the Roman border policy. In: The Navis I project; On the Roman naval bases on the Danube in late antiquity: Ronald Bockius, Römerzeitliche Schifffahrt an der Donau. In: Lectures of the 18th Lower Bavarian Archaeological Day (2000).
- Robert Grosse: Roman military history from Gallienus to the beginning of the Byzantine thematic constitution . Weidmann, Berlin 1920. Reprinted by Arno Press, New York 1975, ISBN 0-405-07083-7 .
- Ernst Neweklowski: The Roman Danube Shipping . In: Culture reports from Lower Austria, supplement to the official news of the Lower Austrian state government. 1951, episode 7.
- Our home town. In: Monthly newspaper of the Association for Regional Studies of Lower Austria and Vienna. Volume 23, 1952, No. 8–10, pp. 149–157.
- Christoph Schäfer: Lusoria, a Roman ship in an experiment. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft, Hamburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-7822-0976-2 , p. 14.
- Thomas Fischer: Noricum . Zabern, Mainz 2002, ISBN 3-8053-2829-X , p. 122. (Orbis Provinciarum / Zabern's illustrated books of archeology)
- Radislav Hošek: The Danube Fleet as a military and economic factor. In: Herwig Friesinger, (Ed.): Markomannenkriege, Causes and Effects; VI. International Symposium "Basic Problems of the Early Historical Development in the Northern Central Danube Region". Vienna, November 23-26 , 1993, Brno 1994, ISBN 80-901679-3-6 , pp. 33-37.
- Christoph Rummel: The fleets on the northern frontier of the Roman empire from the 1st to 3rd century . Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Volume I, Text and Bibliography, Nottingham 2008. PDF