Roman-Irish relations

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The Roman-Irish relations or Hiberno-Roman relations in antiquity are characterized by the cultural exchange between the Roman Empire and individual Irish clans . The Irish island , referred to as "Hibernia" or "Ivernia" in Roman literature, is one of the few regions in Western Europe that was not conquered by Rome. The non-systematic trade and cultural exchange came to a standstill towards the end of the Roman occupation in England and Wales, and Irish clan chiefs also invaded Britain .

The Roman Empire in Trajan's time; he was Roman emperor from 98 AD to 117 AD . The green area shows the Roman Empire, pink and light blue represent areas that were visited from time to time, yellow lines show border fortifications - including the Antonine Wall and Hadrian's Wall in Britain

However, there is evidence of some Roman influence on Irish local culture. It shows itself in commercial, cultural-religious and military respects.

Ireland as a neighbor of Roman Britain

Relations between Rome and Hibernia were mostly commercial . Richard B. Warner wrote in 1995 that trade relations between the Mediterranean and Roman Britain intensified after the invasion of southern Britain by Emperor Claudius (reign 41–54 AD), and in the wake of that with the island of Hibernia . The reasons for the Roman invasion of Britain may have included vague ideas about natural resources and other economic opportunities.

There is some evidence of possible voyages of discovery in the time of Gnaeus Iulius Agricola , the Roman governor of Britain and father-in-law of the historian Tacitus . They fall at the time of efforts to extend the Roman sphere of influence to the border of the Scottish highlands . From the year 79 Agricola advanced further into the north of Britain than any Roman before him. He penetrated as far as the Tanaus or Taus (a place that could not be identified with certainty, perhaps the Firth of Tay ) and built some forts that were strategically located particularly well. These forts were able to withstand long sieges, even in winter, because they held supplies for a whole year. In the summer of 80 that followed, Agricola set about safeguarding its conquests and laid a series of forts on an isthmus where the inlets known by Tacitus as Clota ( Firth of Clyde ) and Bodotria ( Firth of Forth ) cut deep into the island Defense works. The further advance northward took place in AD 81, when Agricola apparently advanced successfully across the Firth of Clyde on the west coast of Britain against the resistance of previously unknown tribes. At that time he even thought of the conquest of Hibernia and for this purpose he gathered troops on the coast of the Irish Sea , which was directly opposite Ireland. A conquest seemed to him at first relatively easy to do, whereby he wanted to take advantage of the internal quarrels of the nobles of Ireland. Therefore he had kindly received a chief who had had to flee from Ireland, so that he could be of use when the opportunity arose. However, because of insufficient troop strength, he should not have crossed over to Ireland. However, some historians still believe that translation is possible and think of a small-scale trial or punitive expedition. Tacitus does not mention anything about it, and the island remained outside the Roman sphere of influence.

Attacks by Irish Celts on Roman Britain, who had allied themselves with the Picts, have been documented in connection with the Pictic Wars of the 4th century.

References to Roman-Irish contacts in Ireland

The geographer Claudius Ptolemy identified in his map from the 1st century the island off Britain as Hibernia, listed coastal settlements and named Irish tribes; a knowledge that only traders or other informants who had visited the island during this time could possess. In addition, many Roman archaeological objects have been found in the regions of central and southern Ireland, suggesting a relationship with Roman culture. In Newgrange also were Roman coins found.

In the town of Drumanagh, north of Dublin and on Lambay Island , artefacts of Roman origin, including military finds, have been brought to light that could indicate a form of Roman presence. The most common point of view is that the military presence was called in to ensure the safety of Roman traders or to promote marketplaces and thus the Roman-British or Irish exchange of goods. Other interpretations, however, suggest that they could have been just Roman trading outposts, or just indigenous Irish settlements that had trade ties with Roman Britain.

According to Patrick Reinard, the Romans visited the island of Hibernia, he confirms this assumption through studies of literary sources and archaeological finds and their interpretations and compares them with findings from other border regions in the Roman Empire. The evidence shows that there were intensive political and economic contacts between the British province and Ireland. He goes on to say that the Roman military and the administration made a precise picture of the neighboring population in order to assess possible economic, military and political potentials, but also to record the geographical or nautical situation in order to weigh the plans of the Roman navy to be able to.

literature

  • Francis John Haverfield : Hibernia . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume VIII, 2, Stuttgart 1913, Sp. 1388-1392.
  • Richard B. Warner: Tuathal Techtmar: a myth or ancient literary evidence for a Roman invasion? In: Emania (journal of the Navan research group) , Volume 13, 1995, pp. 23-32 ( online ).
  • Richard B. Warner: Yes, the Romans did invade Ireland. In: British Archeology , Volume 14, 1996.
  • RAG Carson, Claire O'Kelly: A catalog of the Roman coins from Newgrange, Co. Meath and notes on the coins and related finds. In: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy , Volume 77, Section C, pp. 35-55.
  • Thomas Charles-Edwards: Early Christian Ireland . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000.
  • Vittorio di Martino: Roman Ireland. The Collins Press, London 2003.
  • Philip Freeman: Ireland and the Classical World . University of Texas Press, Houston 2001.
  • C. Swift: Ogam Stones and the Earliest Irish Christians . Dept. of Old and Middle Irish, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth 1997, ISBN 0-901519-98-7 .
  • Patrick Reinard: "arma ultra litora Iuvernae promovimus" - Romans in Ireland? In: Marburg Contributions to Ancient Trade, Economic and Social History , Volume 31, 2013, pp. 1–36.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Richard B. Warner: Tuathal Techtmar: a myth or ancient literary evidence for a Roman invasion? In: Emania (Journal of the Navan research group) , Volume 13, 1995, pp. 23-32.
  2. ↑ Karl Christ: History of the Roman Empire . 6th edition, Munich 2009, p. 217 f.
  3. ↑ Tacitus, Agricola 22 f.
  4. ^ Tacitus, Agricola 24.
  5. ↑ This point of view takes about Alexander Gaheis : Iulius 49. In: Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswwissenschaft (RE). Volume X, 1, Stuttgart 1918, Col. 125-143.
  6. ↑ Patrick Reinard: "arma ultra litora Iuvernae promovimus" - Romans in Ireland? In: Marburg Contributions to Ancient Trade, Economic and Social History , Volume 31, 2013, pp. 1–36.