Oppidum

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Plan of the Gallic oppidum Bibracte

The Romans referred to fortified settlements as oppidum (Latin for "fortified country town") . In the Middle Ages, an oppidum was understood as a small town-like settlement with a market function, which, however, lacked town charter.

Roman time

The term was used by the Romans to refer to city-like settlements both inside and outside the borders of the Roman Empire .

In contrast to other Latin terms for city, such as municipium , colonia or civitas , the term oppidum says nothing about legal status. That is why the cities of the so-called barbarians are referred to as oppida in the Roman sources . The Celtic oppida described by Julius Caesar in his De bello Gallico , such as Bibracte , are particularly well known to this day . But the city-like settlements of the Venetians , Histrians and Illyrians were also named by the Romans.

Because of the corner towers and gates, the carceres , the starting gate systems in the Roman circus , were also called oppidum .

middle Ages

In the Middle Ages , the term was used in Latin texts until the 14th century for a town-like settlement with a market function, although the terms forum or civitas were often used for the same place at the same time . In settlement research , they are referred to as minor cities because, among other things, they lacked fortifications ( castle as settlement core or city ​​wall ) and full city rights. In contemporary Brandenburg sources they are called small towns / small towns (e.g. stedeken ) or stains / market towns .

The fortification of an oppidum or market did not take place like that of a city with walls and stone towers, but with a moat and palisade as a "light fence".

Scientific terminology

In prehistory and early history and archeology , the city-like settlements of the Celts of the late Iron Age , the La-Tène , are referred to as oppidum based on Caesar .

Web links

Wiktionary: Oppidum  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ MT Cicero: De provinciis consularibus Oratio 1,4 : Thessalonice is as oppidum called
  2. ↑ Sallust: Bellum Iugurthinum 12–45 : names the Numidian oppida Thirmida, Cirta, Vaga and others. a. m.
  3. ^ Gaius Iulius Caesar: De bello gallico I, 23
  4. ↑ Titus Livius: Ab urbe condita , VI, 40–41 : mention of the oppida in Istria
  5. ^ Marcus Terentius Varro : De lingua latina 5.32
  6. ^ Max Döllner : History of the development of the city of Neustadt an der Aisch up to 1933. Ph. C. W. Schmidt, Neustadt a. d. Aisch 1950, OCLC 42823280 ; New edition to mark the 150th anniversary of the Ph. C. W. Schmidt publishing house, Neustadt an der Aisch 1828–1978. Ibid 1978, ISBN 3-87707-013-2 , p. 294.