Download Frontiers of the Roman Empire - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Frontiers of the Roman Empire
Autriche
Date de soumission : 09/02/2015
Critères: (ii)(iii)(iv)
Catégorie : Culturel
Soumis par :
Federal Ministry for the Arts, Culture Constitution and Media of the Republic of Austria
État, province ou région :
Provinces of Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Vienna
Ref.: 6004
Transnationale
Autres États parties participants
Allemagne
Description
The Roman Empire, in its territorial extent, was one of the greatest empires the world has known. Enclosing the
Mediterranean world and surrounding areas, it was protected by a network of frontiers stretching from the Atlantic
Cost in the west, to the Black Sea in the east, from central Scotland in the north to the northern fringes of the Sahara
Desert in the south. Much of this frontier survives on and in the ground. It was largely constructed in the 2nd century
AD when the Empire reached its greatest extent. This frontier was at times a linear barrier, at other times protected
spaces, or in some cases a whole military zone.
Substantial remains survive (clockwise from the west) in the UK, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovakia,
Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and
Morocco. Starting on the western coast of northern Britain, the frontier in Europe then ran along the rivers Rhine and
Danube, looping round the Carpathian Mountains to the Black Sea. The eastern frontier, stretching from the Black
Sea to the Red Sea and running through mountains, great river valleys and the desert. To the south, Rome’s
protective cordon embraced Egypt and then ran along the northern edge of the Sahara Desert to the Atlantic shore in
Morocco.
The remains include the lines of the linear frontier, natural elements such as the sea, rivers and deserts, and
networks of military installations and ancillary features such as roads on, behind and beyond the frontier. These
encompass both visible and buried archaeology. Together the inscribed remains and those to be nominated in the
future form an extensive relict cultural landscape which displays the unifying character of the Roman Empire, through
its common culture, but also its distinctive responses to local geography and political and economic conditions. Each
component part is a substantial reflection of the way resources were deployed in a particular part of the Empire.
Hadrian’s Wall, Upper German-Raetian Limes, the Antonine Wall, situated in Great Britain and Germany, are already
jointly inscribed on the World Heritage List as Component Parts of Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage
Site (FRE WHS; since 1987, 2005 and 2008 repectively). The Danube Limes in Austria and Bavaria is the
westernmost riverine part of the frontier on the southern bank of the Danube, element of a continuous line of frontier
installations down to the Black Sea. As this part lies in the territories of Germany and Austria, the nomination of the
Danube Limes in Austria and Bavaria as an extension of the FRE WHS will therefore be made jointly be the two
States Parties.
Nom(s) de l’élément/des éléments constitutif(s)
List of single sites located within the future serial nomination "Danube Limes in Austria" (from West to East)
Municipality
Monument
1
Engelhartszell
Structures Coordinates
N LAT
WGS84
Fortlet Oberranna Fortlet
48,47138889
2
St. Agatha and
Haibach
Fort Schlogen (AD Fort, civil
MAUROS'?)
settlement
48,42399167
3
Wilhering
48,30724167
4
Linz
Watch tower
Watch
Hirschleitengraben tower
Fort Linz (LENTIA) Fort, civil
settlement
5
Enns
Legionary fortress Legionary
Enns
fortress,
civil
settlement
(LAURIACUM)
48,21985900
6
St. PantaleonErla
Legionary fortress Legionary
fortress
48,22641000
7
WallseeSindelburg
Albing
Fort Wallsee
(LOCUS
FELICIS?)
8
Ybbs an der
Donau
Fortlet Ybbs (AD
PONTEM ISES?)
9
Pochlarn
Fort Pochlarn
(ARELAPE)
48,30458800
Coordinates Present Situation, State of
E, LONG
Conservation
WGS84
13,77388890 masonry of the base
foundation beneath a
former inn (demolished in
2007), especially at the side
along the road
13,87020833 structure of the western
gate conserved and visible,
partly preserved as
archeological site
14,22478770 base of the tower
conserved and visible
14,27973200 Many parts overbuilt, some
parts preserved as
archeological site beneath
the present level; location of
the earlier fort not assured
through topographical
indicators, late antique fort
and hill fort on Schlossberg
and Romerberg
14,47404400 Many parts overbuilt, some
parts preserved as
archeological site beneath
the present level; the northedge as the only and most
important site monument in
Eons still visible; late
antique basement of St.
Laurent conserved and
visible (early Christian
episcopal church with
buildings of the civil
settlement from the imperial
epoch); lime kilns;
sanctuary Georgenberg
14,54983000 Almost completely
preserved beneath the
present level
Fort, civil
48,16722222 14,71583333 Many parts overbuilt, some
settlement,
parts preserved as
cemetery
archeological site beneath
the present level, late antike
fortlet (burgus) inside of the
south-east corner visible
Fortlet
48,17779
15,08577
In the eastern part of the
area near the church
remains of a late-antique
fortification, wall as eastern
edge of the burgus with a
height up to 2 meter
Fort, civil
48,21251000 15,21171000 Both horseshoe-shaped
settlement
towers at the southern front
preserved and visible, many
parts overbuilt, some parts
preserved as archeological
site beneath the present
level
10 SchOnbtihelAggsbach
Watch tower
Blashausgraben
W atch
tower
11 RossatzArnsdorf
12 RossatzArnsdorf
Watch tower
Bacharnsdorf
Watch tower St.
Lorenz
Watch
tower
Watch
tower
13 RossatzArnsdorf
Watch tower
Windstallgraben
Watch
tower
14 Mautern an der
Donau
Fort Mautern
(FAVIANIS)
15 Traismauer
Fort Traismauer
(AUGUSTIANIS)
16 Zwentendorf
Fort Zwentendorf
(ASTURIS)
17 Tulin an der
Donau
Fort Tulin
(COMAGENA)
18 Zeisel matter
Fort Zeiselmauer
(CANNABIACA)
19 Klosterneuburg
Fort
Klosterneuburg
48,27621000 15,39593000 Preserved as
archaeological Site beneath
the present level
48,36944444 15,44500000 partly preserved, masonry
conserved
48,39258000 15,47535000 masonry (forms part of the
building north of the church)
partly preserved
48,38324000 15,52170000 masonry of the base
foundation conserved and
visible
Fort, civil
48,39452000 15,57572000 Parts of the antique walls of
settlement
the fort to great extent
preserved at the western
front and with them a lateantique horseshoe-shaped
tower, furthermore a proved
as well as an assumed
array-tower. As part of the
walls of the Nikolai-court at
the eastern front a
horseshoe-shaped tower is
preserved. Niche-shaped
basement in the southern
vicus of the fort
Fort, civil
48,34995000 15,74426000 Roman gate (antique walls
settlement
up to the 2nd floor),
horseshoe-shaped tower at
the northern front, arraytower in the south-western
corner with a height up to 4
meter, Principia and
basement conserved and
visible. Many parts
overbuilt, partly preserved
as archaeological site
beneath the present level
Fort, civil
48,34638890 15,88944400 partly preserved as
settlement,
archeological site
cemetery
Fort
48,33305556 16,05694444 Eastern gate, north-western
tower and south-eastern
array tower conserved and
visible. Many parts
overbuilt, partly as
archeological site beneath
the present level preserved
Fort
48,32907000 16,17718000 Eastern gate, north-eastern
array-tower, remains of the
fort and Principia conserved
and visible. South-western
horseshoe-shaped tower
beneath of the schoolbuilding visible. Partly
overbuilt, partly preserved
as archeological site
beneath the present level
Fort, civil
48,30722222 16,32583333 Many parts overbuilt, partly
settlement
preserved as archeological
site beneath the present
level
20 Wien
Legionary
fortress Wien
Legionary
fortress
(VINDOBONA)
21 PetronellLegionary
Carnuntum, Bad fortress
Deutsch
CARNUNTUM
Altenburg
Legionary
fortress,
auxiliary
fort, civil
settlements,
cemetery,
Limes road
48,21166200 16,37246100 Conserved walls in the 1st
district of Vienna; almost all
parts of the fortress and the
civil settlements overbuilt,
some parts preserved as
archeological site and
visible
48,12365000 16,88979000 Eastern gate-tower, civil
settlement, two
amphitheaters,
"Heidentor" triumphal
monument conserved and
visible. Some parts
overbuilt, some parts
preserved as archeological
site beneath the present
level
Description de l’élément/des éléments constitutif(s)
The nominated section Danube Limes in Austria and Bavaria forms the westernmost part of the vast and complex
Danube Limes and consists of a number of individual sites located along a stretch of about 500 kilometres from the
vicinity of the fort of Eining (Abusina) in Lower Bavaria, where the Upper German-Raetian Limes ends, to Passau at
the border to Austria and further on to the area east of Hainburg / Wolfsthal in Lower Austria close to the Slovak
border.
The Austrian Limes section is about 357.5 km long and runs along the river Danube from the border of Germany
(Bavaria) close to Passau through Upper and Lower Austria and Vienna to the area east of Hainburg/Wolfsthal
besides the Slovak border and the city of Bratislava. In a wider context this stretch of the frontier is part of the Danube
Limes which starts close to the fort of Eining in Bavaria and leads for more than 2800 kilometres all the way down to
the Black Sea.
The first demarcation line in this area came into existence when the frontier territory was turned into the official
Roman provinces Raetia (today in Bavaria), Noricum (today in Austria) and Pannonia (today in Austria and Hungary)
around AD 40. For over 400 years this fortification system was the outer borderline of the Roman Empire, protecting it
from the tribes to the North. The frontier in Noricum was given up by Rome in 487/88 AD. On its abandonment quite
some fortification elements were reused during the Middle Ages and survived well preserved into present days.
The frontier system consisted of a chain of fortifications along the southern bank of the river Danube using the river
as an additional obstacle and as a communication, supply and trade route. Along the course of the river line lay four
legionary fortresses (Upper Austria: Enns; Lower Austria: Albing, Carnuntum, Vienna: Wien), 12 forts and fortlets
(Upper Austria: Overranna, Schlogen, Linz; Lower Austria: Wallsee, Ybbs, Pochlarn, maurern, Traismauer,
Zwentendorf, Tulln, Zeiselmauer, Klosterneuburg) and 5 watch-towers (Upper Austria: Hirschleitengraben; Lower
Austria: Blashausgraben, Bacharnsdorf, St. Lorenz, Windstallgraben). The individual military installations and other
ancillary features were linked by a supra-regional road, the Limes road, identified and preserved in some parts.
Besides the fortresses, forts and fortlets existed civil settlements and cemeteries.
The settings of the Roman frontier installations have been influenced by the landscape of both sides of the Danube
as a geographical feature as well as by the wish to control the main ancient trade routes across and east of the Alps
(so called ‘Norican highway into Bohemia’, Amber route to the Baltic Sea area).The landscape, the Roman army had
to face, was dominated by narrow gorges like the ‘Schlogener Schlinge’ in Upper Austria or the ‘Wachau’ to the east
on Lower Austria and by wide plains like the ’Linzer Becken’, the ‘Tullner Feld’ and the Pannonian plains between
Vienna and Carnuntum. Those geographical conditions determined the location of the frontier installations as well the
deployment of specific types of troops. One can recognize a major difference in the general set up pf the frontier:
while the forts in the flat countryside at the eastern part in Lower Austria remained nearly unfortified till the middle of
the 2nd century AD. This was due to the inaccessible, led populated countryside north of Danube with dense
woodland and rough landscapes.
The proposed site would encompass almost all known, still existing and scheduled fortresses, forts and watch-towers
between Oberranna and Carnuntum, along the Danube mentioned and the additional features according to the
Koblenz Declaration of the Bratislava Group including civil towns and settlements and cemeteries adjacent to the
military fortifications. The river itself and the temporary fortifications beyond the borderline will not be part of the World
Heritage proposal. Over the last 2000 years the river bed often changed over longer distances. Because of these
changes and floods some sites on the lower grounds were partly or completely destroyed by the water. In the 19at
century the river Danube underwent extensive regulatory measures, which did not help to preserve the monuments.
But quite a lot of them were detected and investigated through those activities.
Justification de la Valeur Universelle Exceptionelle
The Roman Frontier as a whole has an extraordinarily high cultural value. It was the border of one of the most
extensive civilizations in human history, which influenced the western world and its peoples for many centuries. It had
an important effect on urbanisation and on the spread of cultures among remote regions. The scope and extent of the
frontier reflects the unifying impact of the Roman Empire on the wider Mediterranean world, an impact that persisted
long after the empire had collapsed. The Frontier is the largest single monument of Roman civilization.
The Frontier illustrates and reflects the complex technological and organisational abilities of the Roman Empire which
allowed them to plan, create and protect a frontier of some 5000 km in length, with a garrison of tens of thousands of
men, and to manage the social, economic and military implications of this frontier. The frontier demonstrates the
variety and sophistication of the Roman response to topography and political, military and social circumstances which
include walls, banks, rivers, and sea.
The nominated segment, the Danube Limes in Austria and Bavaria, will significantly contribute to the Outstanding
Universal Value of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site. The multiform remains of the military
infrastructure at the southern edge of the Danube valley reflect the many centuries of Rome’s involvement, during
which the border area functioned as:




heavily patrolled frontier;
base for protecting the Roman Empire with the potential to launch campaigns against its
enemies;
zone connecting two key areas of the Empire – the northern fringes of the Alpes with the access
towards Italy and the Danubian provinces;
crossroads for trade, cultures and ideas.
The many functions fulfilled by the border zone – some concurrent, others successive – are what make the Danube
Limes in Bavaria an indispensable contribution to the Danube Limes as part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire.
Criterion (ii): The Austrian section of the Danube Limes represents an excellent example for the influence of the
Roman rule on the economic and social development of ta relatively small community and territory between the Alps
and the river Danube. Besides the already existing interchange in north-south direction along the ancient trade routes
with the population and territories north of the river Danube the Roman army established and supported an intense
cultural exchange between the western and eastern parts of Europe by the building of a secure corridor and an
international transport rout north of the Alps with additional infrastructure to control this territory. Therefore the
fortifications and the civil settlements structures developed around the forts often represent a two-folded character
combining characteristic elements from western and eastern Roman provinces. The complexity and extent of this
network is also significantly witnessed by the numerous archaeological findings that have been unearthed at the
nominated properties and elsewhere. The linear defence system developed fully in the later 2nd century AD, when
the gaps in the western defence were closed by establishing a new fortlet in Schlogen (around 130 AD) and a
legionary base in Enns/Lauracum (around 190 AD). In Late Antiquity the borderline in Austria shared a similar military
history with the neighbouring Danube Limes provinces to the West (modern Bavaria) and East (modern Slovakia and
Hungary) with the building of a more elaborate defence system.
Criterion (iii): the Roman frontier is the largest monument of the Roman Empire, one of the world’s greatest
preindustrial empires. The physical remains of Limes, Forts, watch-towers, settlements and the hinterland dependent
upon the frontier reflect the complexities of Roman culture but also its unifying factors across Europe and the
Mediterranean world.
Unlike the Roman monuments already inscribed, the RE’s constructions are evednce from the edges of the Empires
and reflect the adoption of Roman culture by its subject peoples. The frontier wad not an impregnable barrier: rather it
controlled and allowed the movement of peoples within the military units, amongst civilians and merchants, thus
allowing Roman culture to be transmitted around the region and for it to absorb influences from outside its borders.
The most important characteristics is the successful control of two of the most important transnational
communications routes of the Roman Empire in Europe the transnational West-East running Limes road and the
North-South leading Amber route. The amber route crossed the Danube in the Carnuntum region and acted as one of
the most important springboard for diplomatic and political interventions as well as for people, culture and technology
transfer between the roman Empire and the tribal territories in the North (Barbaricum).
The nominated site of the Danube Limes in Austria and Bavaria comprises tangible elements testifying to the function
of the river Danube as a frontier of the Roman Empire over a considerable span of time (from the mid-1st century AD
until the second half of the 5th century AD). The consequences of the establishment of a permanent frontier are
reflected today by the various monuments, whether civil of military. The army and the fortification system played a
crucial role for the history and political development of the Northern Roman provinces and are connected with major
historical events such as the Marcomannic Wars (166-182 AD) and the activities of Saint Severin in the 5th century
AD.
Criterion (iv): The Frontier reflects the power and might of the Roman Empire and the spread of classical culture and
Romanisation which shaped much of the subsequent development of Europe.
The establishment and structure of the military installations in today’s Austria clearly demonstrate the ability of the
Roman army to adjust its demarcations/control/defence system to the individual geographical and demographical preconditions. This can be clearly demonstrated by the different system of frontier installations in the western and
eastern part of the Austrian Limes section and the deployment of troops (cavalry, infantry and mixed units). The still
existing fortifications along the Austrian section of the Danube Limes are among the best and highest preserved
examples of late Roman military architecture throughout the empire. The towers and gates, which often survived up
to the second storey, represent outstanding examples of the technological development of the Roman military
architecture and frontier defence.
Déclarations d’authenticité et/ou d’intégrité
Authenticity: The sites within the nominated property in Austria have a high level of authenticity that has been proven
by scientific investigation. Most fortifications (approximately 85%) are partly or completely covered by medieval of
modern settlements with the exception of the fortresses in Albing and Carnuntu, the watch-towers
(Hirschleitengraben, Aggsbach, Bacharnsdorf, Windstallgraben) and partly the forts of Oberranna, Zwentendorf and
Carnuntum. Fieldworks carried out for more than 150 years, and more so research and rescue
excavations especially during the last 40 years have disturbed and even partly destroyed Roman remains un nearly
all of the proposed component prats. The Limes road is partly identified by aerial survey and geophysical
prospections on the east end between Vienna and Wolfsthal. Many excavations have demonstrated the remains of
the Limes monuments have survived remarkably well below ground even in settled or urban areas. There are still
many invisible, undisturbed and uncovered elements of the property in nearly all the Limes sites. The visible parts are
kept in good condition, cared for by the local or regional governments and are scheduled under the Federal
Monument Protection Act.
Integrity: The level of integrity of the nominated segment of the Danube Limes in Austria is high. The Austrian section
of the Danube Limes survives as a chain of fortified sites (fortresses, forts and fortlets, watch-towers, Limes road)
with various ancillary features in the landscape along the Danube. Especially the architectural monuments of the late
Roman defense system are still a very visible testimony to the power and might of the Roman state and the extent of
the Roman Empire. The main outline of the planning concept still survives in the street grid of several places, such as
Mautern, Traismauer and Vienna.
Justification de la sélection de l’élément/des éléments constitutif(s) en relation avec la future
proposition d’inscription dans son ensemble
The selection of the component parts of the Danube Limes in Austria and Bavaria takes the following aspects into
consideration:
- a representation of all elements of the Roman Frontier, to illustrate the great diversity
- the Time depth, to illustrate the long period of use, and
- diversity of elements to illustrate the functioning of the Roman frontier in this particular part.
The Danube Limes in Austria and Bavaria as part of the FRE WHS consists of the line of the frontier at the height of
the empire from Trajan to Septimius Severus, and military installations of different periods which are on that line. The
installations include e.g. legionary camps, fortresses, forts, towers, burgi, and immediately associated civil structures.
Comparaison avec d’autres biens similaires
The Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site is a serial nomination for which the participating States
Parties have agreed that all component parts should have OUV. This means that the overall Frontier will eventually
be represented by a series of components that will each display particular and significant characteristics of the
Frontier, and together the components as a series will show how the Frontier reflected substantial and distinctive
responses to local topographical and political conditions as well as the unifying forces of the Empire.
The Austrian section of the Danube Limes is unique in Europe for its extremely well preserved, high standing
monuments of late Roman frontier architecture. The preserved monuments enable us to understand details of
construction as well as the redesign of the fortifications during the late Roman times.