Garam Éva szerk.: Between East and West - History of the peoples living in hungarian lands (Guide to the Archaeological Exhibition of the Hungarian National Museum; Budapest, 2005)

HALL 6 - The Roman Age (6 A.D.-420 A.D.) (László Kocsis, Endre Tóth)

HALL 6 The Roman Age (6A.D.-420A.D.) THE CONQUEST OF PANNÓNIA "The tribes of the Pannonians, to which no army of the Roman people had ever penetrated before my principate, having been subdued by Tiberius Nero who was then my stepson and my legate, I brought under the sovereignty of the Roman people, and I pushed forward the frontier of Illyricum as far as the bank of the Danube" - boasted the Emperor Augustus (30 B.C.14 A.D.) in his official autobiography, originally engraved on two bronze pillars in Rome, but better known as the Monumentum Ancyranum after a copy of the text found in the temple of Augustus in Ankara. Pannónia was conquered from two directions: between 12—9 B.C., the Roman troops occupied the Drava-Sava Interfluve up to the Danube (Augustus' words refer to this conquest). In the first decades of the 1st century A.D., they advanced northwards from western Transdanubia, occupying all of Transdanubia by the mid-century and making the Danube the frontier of the new province. The Roman occupation was motivated by strategic considerations: Rome feared the Germanic peoples and the Dacians, who could organise devastating attacks against the empire under an able leader. Hostile troops could quickly reach Italy because - unlike the natural barrier of the Alps in the west there were no natural obstacles to block their advance. Fear of potential attacks by the rebellious Pannonian tribes and of possible incursions by the Dacians living east of the Danube led to the occupation of the DravaSava Interfluve, while western Transdanubia was annexed to the empire in order to create a defence line against the Marcomanns and the Quads north of the Danube. Roads enabling the rapid advance of the army and the necessary supplies were built to ensure successful campaigns against these peoples. The freshly occupied territories were named Illyricum and Pannónia after the tribes living there. The military district was granted the rank of province around 50 A.D., under the Emperor Claudius. The new province's proximity to Italy was the main reason for the new province's military importance throughout its existence: sizeable forces, whose main task was the protection of the empire's heartland, were constantly stationed in Pannónia. The Roman conquest and the organisation of the province brought many changes in the life of the local population. A uniform administration was introduced to the region populated by different tribes. The army, and especially the soldiers' families and tradesmen arriving in its wake, had an immense impact on the life-style of the native population. After completing the conquest, the Romans organised the province's military defence, founded the first towns, and built a road network ensuring the efficiency of trade and communications. An added bonus was the spread of the Latin language and literacy and the introduction of currency. The Danube acted as the northern and eastem border of the province between Vienna and the Sava mouth. In the south, the border was marked by the Sava valley, while in the west the border ran southwards from Vienna through the hills of the Alpine foreland. The province was protected by the army troops garrisoning the forts of the defence line (known as the ripa or limes) built along the Danube. In line with the principles of Roman foreign policy, an alliance was forged with the Marcomanns, the Quads and the Sarmatians on the other side of the frontier in order to prevent attacks against the empire. The commander of the provincial army, the legátus Augusti pro praetore, also acted as the province's governor. His jurisdiction extended over both the military and the civilian population. His seat was established in Carnuntum (Deutschaltenburg, Austria) in the province's northwestern part, near the most dangerous limes section, in the area where the Amber Road - a major, pre-Roman trade route leading to northern Italy - crossed the Danube. In 106, the Emperor Trajan divided the province along a roughly north-south line. One of the reasons for this re-organisation was the separation