Carnuntum

Carnuntum was the Capitale of the Roman Province of Pannonia. Built on the road of Amber, it was located at the edge of the Danube, close to Petronell and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in Low-Austria, between current the Vienna and Bratislava.

The Roman colony

Carnuntum was in Antiquity a big step of the Route of amber. The city owes its name with the known indigenous population of the Romans. In the year 6 of our era, Tibère, then ordering army of Germanic, its camp during a campaign against the Marcomans establishes there. Carnuntum is evoked for the first time under the feather of the Roman historian Velleius Paterculus. Towards 40, the legio XV Apollinaris built there a strong first, which was rebuilt out of stone under Vespasien. In addition to an auxiliary fort, this fort had its clean Amphithéâtre as well as a colony of settlement managed by the army ( Canabæ ). The city extended a little more to the west, with its thermal baths, its Forum and its ''' large amphitheater ''' (nearly 8.000 places).

The city became capital of Pannonia Supérieure under the emperor Trajan, and residence of the governor of province. Hadrian granted to him, undoubtedly in 124, the statute of Municipe ( Municipium Ælium Carnuntum ). Marc-Aurèle held to with it his general headquarter in alternation with Vienna during its war against the Marcomans.

Severe Septime, governor of Higher Pannonia, was proclaimed emperor by his troops with Carnuntum in 193. A little later the city was renamed Colonie (“ Colonia Septimia Aurelia Antoniniana Carnuntum ”), which redynamisa the expansion of the area and placed Carnuntum within the empire on a foot comparable with that of other big cities of the files like Cologne (alias Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium ), Trier ( Augusta Treverorum ) or even Éphèse.

In 260, impostor Regalianus was proclaimed emperor with Carnuntum, but its authority did not extend beyond the city. In 308, the imperial Conférence of Carnuntum joins together Dioclétien, Maximien and Galère. An earthquake which has occurred in 350 amorça decline of this city of the steps of the empire; ten years later, Carnuntum was on the frontline in the war which opposed the Romans to the Quades and with the Sarmates.

The archaeological park of Carnuntum

Until the end of the XVIIIe century, one got rid of the ancient ruins which encumbered the passage and obstructed the development of agriculture. The Marbre was used to produce lime. It is not that towards 1850 qu ' one undertook the first excavations, but the participants were especially collectors. From 1877 took place of the more interesting opened excavations; a quarter of the surface of the fort was released. The Parliament of the province of Low-Austria voted the acquisition of part of the commune, where one suspected that the basement concealed important vestiges, and clearing continued then at an intensive pace. The researchers thus reflect in obviousness seven successive layers of occupation, going up until the time of the Great invasions. The two world wars stopped archaeological research, which showed in 1955. But as the methods of conservations then were improved, several vestiges underwent degradations, than one endeavors to repair today.

Carnuntum became a archaeological park. The most outstanding monument of the site is the “ Heidentor ”, fragment still intact of a triumphal arch in ruins. One can also see the two amphitheaters, the thermal baths, as well as part of the ancient city. Pagan places of worship and paléo-Christians moreover were put at the day. The archaeological museum of Carnuntum is in the city close to Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, inaugurated in 1904 by the emperor François-Joseph.

A nearby park, the Nationalpark Donau-Auen increases the attraction of the area. Cultural events commemorated into 2006 the 2.000 years of the Roman colony of Carnuntum.

References

Werner Jobst: Provinzhauptstadt Carnuntum. 1983
Mr. Kandler; Hermann Vetters (Hrsg.): DER römische Files in Österreich. 1986
K. Genser: DER österreichische Donaulimes in der Römerzeit. 1986
Werner Jobst (ED.): Carnuntum. Das Erbe Roms year der Donau. 1992

Source

External bonds

archaeological Park of Carnuntum
Association for the promotion of the vineyard of Carnuntum
cartoon film and DVD on Carnuntum
Carnuntum (University of Klagenfurt)

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