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Moesia

March 26, 2023

Not to be confused with Moesha.

Moesia (/ˈmiːʃə, -siə, -ʒə/;[1][2] Latin: Moesia; Greek: Μοισία, romanized: Moisía)[3] was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River, which included most of the territory of modern eastern Serbia, Kosovo, north-eastern Albania, northern parts of North Macedonia (Moesia Superior), Northern Bulgaria, Romanian Dobruja and small parts of Southern Ukraine (Moesia Inferior).

Moesia Superior, c. 125 AD
Moesia Inferior, c. 125 AD

Geography

In ancient geographical sources, Moesia was bounded to the south by the Haemus (Balkan Mountains) and Scardus (Šar) mountains, to the west by the Drinus (Drina) river, on the north by the Donaris (Danube) and on the east by the Euxine (Black Sea).[4]

History

The region was inhabited chiefly by Thracians, Dacians (Thraco-Dacian), Illyrian and Thraco-Illyrian peoples. The name of the region comes from Moesi, Thraco-Dacian peoples who lived there before the Roman conquest.

Parts of Moesia belonged to the polity of Burebista, a Getae king who established his rule over a large part of the northern Balkans between 82 BC and 44 BC. He led plunder and conquest raids across Central and Southeastern Europe, subjugating most of the neighbouring tribes. After his assassination in an inside plot, the empire was divided into several smaller states.

In 75 BC, C. Scribonius Curio, proconsul of Macedonia, took an army as far as the Danube and gained a victory over the inhabitants, who were finally subdued by M. Licinius Crassus, grandson of the triumvir and later also proconsul of Macedonia during the reign of Augustus c. 29 BC.[4] The region, however, was not organized as a province until the last years of Augustus' reign; in 6 AD, mention is made of its governor, Caecina Severus.[5] As a province, Moesia was under an imperial consular legate (who probably also had control of Achaea and Macedonia).[4]

In AD 86, the Dacian king Duras ordered his troops to attack Roman Moesia. After this attack, the Roman emperor Domitian personally arrived in Moesia and reorganized it in 87 AD into two provinces, divided by the river Cebrus (Ciabrus):[4] to the west Moesia Superior or Upper Moesia (meaning upriver) and to the east Moesia Inferior or Lower Moesia or Ripa Thracia (from the Danube river's mouth and then upstream). Each was governed by an imperial consular legate and a procurator.[4]

The chief towns of Upper Moesia in the Principate were: Singidunum (Belgrade), Viminacium (sometimes called municipium Aelium; modern Kostolac), Remesiana (Bela Palanka), Bononia (Vidin), Ratiaria (Archar) and Skupi (modern Skopje); of Lower Moesia: Oescus (colonia Ulpia, Gigen), Novae (near Svishtov, the chief seat of Theodoric the Great), Nicopolis ad Istrum (Nikup; really near the river Yantra), Marcianopolis (Devnya), Tyras (Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi), Olvia, Odessus (Varna) and Tomis (Constanţa; to which the poet Ovid was banished). The last two were Greek towns which formed a pentapolis with Istros, Mesembria (Nessebar) and Apollonia (Sozopol).[4]

From Moesia, Domitian began planning future campaigns into Dacia and by 87 he started a strong offensive against Dacia, ordering General Cornelius Fuscus to attack. Therefore, in the summer of 87, Fuscus led five or six legions across the Danube. The campaign against the Dacians ended without a decisive outcome, and Decebalus, the Dacian King, had brazenly flouted the terms of the peace (89 AD) which had been agreed on at the war's end.

Emperor Trajan later arrived in Moesia, and he launched his first military campaign into the Dacian Kingdom[6] c. March–May 101, crossing to the northern bank of the Danube River and defeating the Dacian army near Tapae, a mountain pass in the Carpathians (see Second Battle of Tapae). Trajan's troops were mauled in the encounter, however, and he put off further campaigning for the year to heal troops, reinforce, and regroup.[7] During the following winter, King Decebalus launched a counter-attack across the Danube further downstream, but this was repulsed. Trajan's army advanced further into Dacian territory and forced King Decebalus to submit to him a year later.[citation needed]

Trajan returned to Rome in triumph and was granted the title Dacicus. The victory was celebrated by the Tropaeum Traiani. However, Decebalus in 105 undertook an invasion against Roman territory by attempting to stir up some of the tribes north of the river against the empire.[8] Trajan took to the field again and after building with the design of Apollodorus of Damascus his massive bridge over the Danube, he conquered part of Dacia in 106 (see also Second Dacian War).[citation needed]

Sometime around 272, at the Moesian city of Naissus or Nissa (modern Niš in Serbia), future emperor Constantine I was born.

After the abandonment of Roman Dacia to the Goths by Aurelian (270–275) and the transfer of the Roman citizens from the former province to the south of the Danube, the central portion of Moesia took the name of Dacia Aureliana (later divided into Dacia Ripensis[4] and Dacia Mediterranea).

During administrative reforms of Emperor Diocletian (284–305), both of the Moesian provinces were reorganized. Moesia Superior was divided in two, northern part forming the province of Moesia Prima including cities Viminacium and Singidunum, while the southern part was organised as the new province of Dardania with cities Scupi and Ulpiana. At the same time, Moesia Inferior was divided into Moesia Secunda and Scythia Minor. Moesia Secunda's main cities included Marcianopolis (Devnya), Odessus (Varna), Nicopolis (Nikopol), Abrittus (Razgrad), Durostorum (Silistra), Transmarisca (Tutrakan), Sexaginta Prista (Ruse) and Novae (Svishtov), all in Bulgaria today.[citation needed]

 
The Moesian provinces and the northern Balkans in Late Antiquity

As a frontier province, Moesia was strengthened by stations and fortresses erected along the southern bank of the Danube, and a wall was built from Axiopolis to Tomi as a protection against the Scythians and Sarmatians.[4] The garrison of Moesia Secunda included Legio I Italica and Legio XI Claudia, as well as independent infantry units, cavalry units, and river flotillas. The Notitia Dignitatum lists its units and their bases as of the 390s CE. Units in Scythia Minor included Legio I Iovia and Legio II Herculia.[citation needed]

After 238 AD, Moesia was frequently invaded or raided by the Dacian Carpi, and the East Germanic tribe of the Goths, who invaded Moesia in 250. Hard-pressed by the Huns, the Goths again crossed the Danube during the reign of Valens (376) and with his permission settled in Moesia.[4] After they settled, quarrels soon took place, and the Goths under Fritigern defeated Valens in a great battle near Adrianople. These Goths are known as Moeso-Goths, for whom Ulfilas made the Gothic translation of the Bible.[4]

The Slavs allied with the Avars invaded and destroyed much of Moesia in 583–587 in the Avar–Byzantine wars. Moesia was settled by Slavs during the 7th century. Bulgars, arriving from Old Great Bulgaria, conquered Lower Moesia by the end of the 7th century. During the 8th century the Byzantine Empire lost also Upper Moesian territory to the First Bulgarian Empire.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ Lena Olausson; Catherine Sangster, eds. (2006). Oxford BBC Guide to Pronunciation. Oxford University Press.
  2. ^ Daniel Jones (2006). Peter Roach; James Hartman; Jane Setter (eds.). Cambridge Pronouncing Dictionary. Cambridge University Press.
  3. ^ "C. Suetonius Tranquillus, Vitellius Maximilian Ihm, Ed". perseus.tufts.eud.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Freese, John Henry (1911). "Moesia" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 643–644.
  5. ^ Cassius Dio, lv.29
  6. ^ "Assorted Imperial Battle Descriptions: Battle of Sarmizegetusa (Sarmizegetuza), A.D. 105". De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors. Because the Dacians represented an obstacle against Roman expansion in the east, in the year 101 the emperor Trajan decided to begin a new campaign against them. The first war began on 25 March 101 and the Roman troops, consisting of four principal legions (X Gemina, XI Claudia, II Traiana Fortis, and XXX Ulpia Victrix), defeated the Dacians.
  7. ^ "Assorted Imperial Battle Descriptions: Battle of Sarmizegetusa (Sarmizegetuza), A.D. 105". De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors. Although the Dacians had been defeated, the emperor postponed the final siege for the conquering of Sarmizegetuza because his armies needed reorganization. Trajan imposed on the Dacians very hard peace conditions: Decebalus had to renounce claim to some regions of his kingdom, including Banat, Tara Hategului, Oltenia, and Muntenia in the area southwest of Transylvania. He had also to surrender all the Roman deserters and all his war machines. At Rome, Trajan was received as a winner and he took the name of Dacicus, a title that appears on his coinage of this period. At the beginning of the year 103 A.D., there were minted coins with the inscription: IMP NERVA TRAIANVS AVG GER DACICVS.
  8. ^ "Assorted Imperial Battle Descriptions: Battle of Sarmizegetusa (Sarmizegetuza), A.D. 105". De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors. However, during the years 103–105, Decebalus did not respect the peace conditions imposed by Trajan and the emperor then decided to destroy completely the Dacian kingdom and to conquer Sarmizegetuza.

Further reading

  • András Mócsy, Pannonia and Upper Moesia: A History of the Middle Danube Provinces of the Roman Empire, Routledge Revivals Series, 2014. ISBN 9781317754251
  • Conor Whately, Exercitus Moesiae: The Roman Army in Moesia from Augustus to Severus Alexander. BAR international series, S2825. Oxford: 2016. ISBN 9781407314754

External links

March 26, 2023
moesia, confused, with, moesha, latin, greek, Μοισία, romanized, moisía, ancient, region, later, roman, province, situated, balkans, south, danube, river, which, included, most, territory, modern, eastern, serbia, kosovo, north, eastern, albania, northern, par. Not to be confused with Moesha Moesia ˈ m iː ʃ e s i e ʒ e 1 2 Latin Moesia Greek Moisia romanized Moisia 3 was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River which included most of the territory of modern eastern Serbia Kosovo north eastern Albania northern parts of North Macedonia Moesia Superior Northern Bulgaria Romanian Dobruja and small parts of Southern Ukraine Moesia Inferior Moesia Superior c 125 ADMoesia Inferior c 125 AD Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksGeography EditIn ancient geographical sources Moesia was bounded to the south by the Haemus Balkan Mountains and Scardus Sar mountains to the west by the Drinus Drina river on the north by the Donaris Danube and on the east by the Euxine Black Sea 4 History EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Moesia news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message The region was inhabited chiefly by Thracians Dacians Thraco Dacian Illyrian and Thraco Illyrian peoples The name of the region comes from Moesi Thraco Dacian peoples who lived there before the Roman conquest Parts of Moesia belonged to the polity of Burebista a Getae king who established his rule over a large part of the northern Balkans between 82 BC and 44 BC He led plunder and conquest raids across Central and Southeastern Europe subjugating most of the neighbouring tribes After his assassination in an inside plot the empire was divided into several smaller states In 75 BC C Scribonius Curio proconsul of Macedonia took an army as far as the Danube and gained a victory over the inhabitants who were finally subdued by M Licinius Crassus grandson of the triumvir and later also proconsul of Macedonia during the reign of Augustus c 29 BC 4 The region however was not organized as a province until the last years of Augustus reign in 6 AD mention is made of its governor Caecina Severus 5 As a province Moesia was under an imperial consular legate who probably also had control of Achaea and Macedonia 4 In AD 86 the Dacian king Duras ordered his troops to attack Roman Moesia After this attack the Roman emperor Domitian personally arrived in Moesia and reorganized it in 87 AD into two provinces divided by the river Cebrus Ciabrus 4 to the west Moesia Superior or Upper Moesia meaning upriver and to the east Moesia Inferior or Lower Moesia or Ripa Thracia from the Danube river s mouth and then upstream Each was governed by an imperial consular legate and a procurator 4 The chief towns of Upper Moesia in the Principate were Singidunum Belgrade Viminacium sometimes called municipium Aelium modern Kostolac Remesiana Bela Palanka Bononia Vidin Ratiaria Archar and Skupi modern Skopje of Lower Moesia Oescus colonia Ulpia Gigen Novae near Svishtov the chief seat of Theodoric the Great Nicopolis ad Istrum Nikup really near the river Yantra Marcianopolis Devnya Tyras Bilhorod Dnistrovskyi Olvia Odessus Varna and Tomis Constanţa to which the poet Ovid was banished The last two were Greek towns which formed a pentapolis with Istros Mesembria Nessebar and Apollonia Sozopol 4 From Moesia Domitian began planning future campaigns into Dacia and by 87 he started a strong offensive against Dacia ordering General Cornelius Fuscus to attack Therefore in the summer of 87 Fuscus led five or six legions across the Danube The campaign against the Dacians ended without a decisive outcome and Decebalus the Dacian King had brazenly flouted the terms of the peace 89 AD which had been agreed on at the war s end Emperor Trajan later arrived in Moesia and he launched his first military campaign into the Dacian Kingdom 6 c March May 101 crossing to the northern bank of the Danube River and defeating the Dacian army near Tapae a mountain pass in the Carpathians see Second Battle of Tapae Trajan s troops were mauled in the encounter however and he put off further campaigning for the year to heal troops reinforce and regroup 7 During the following winter King Decebalus launched a counter attack across the Danube further downstream but this was repulsed Trajan s army advanced further into Dacian territory and forced King Decebalus to submit to him a year later citation needed Trajan returned to Rome in triumph and was granted the title Dacicus The victory was celebrated by the Tropaeum Traiani However Decebalus in 105 undertook an invasion against Roman territory by attempting to stir up some of the tribes north of the river against the empire 8 Trajan took to the field again and after building with the design of Apollodorus of Damascus his massive bridge over the Danube he conquered part of Dacia in 106 see also Second Dacian War citation needed Sometime around 272 at the Moesian city of Naissus or Nissa modern Nis in Serbia future emperor Constantine I was born After the abandonment of Roman Dacia to the Goths by Aurelian 270 275 and the transfer of the Roman citizens from the former province to the south of the Danube the central portion of Moesia took the name of Dacia Aureliana later divided into Dacia Ripensis 4 and Dacia Mediterranea During administrative reforms of Emperor Diocletian 284 305 both of the Moesian provinces were reorganized Moesia Superior was divided in two northern part forming the province of Moesia Prima including cities Viminacium and Singidunum while the southern part was organised as the new province of Dardania with cities Scupi and Ulpiana At the same time Moesia Inferior was divided into Moesia Secunda and Scythia Minor Moesia Secunda s main cities included Marcianopolis Devnya Odessus Varna Nicopolis Nikopol Abrittus Razgrad Durostorum Silistra Transmarisca Tutrakan Sexaginta Prista Ruse and Novae Svishtov all in Bulgaria today citation needed The Moesian provinces and the northern Balkans in Late Antiquity As a frontier province Moesia was strengthened by stations and fortresses erected along the southern bank of the Danube and a wall was built from Axiopolis to Tomi as a protection against the Scythians and Sarmatians 4 The garrison of Moesia Secunda included Legio I Italica and Legio XI Claudia as well as independent infantry units cavalry units and river flotillas The Notitia Dignitatum lists its units and their bases as of the 390s CE Units in Scythia Minor included Legio I Iovia and Legio II Herculia citation needed After 238 AD Moesia was frequently invaded or raided by the Dacian Carpi and the East Germanic tribe of the Goths who invaded Moesia in 250 Hard pressed by the Huns the Goths again crossed the Danube during the reign of Valens 376 and with his permission settled in Moesia 4 After they settled quarrels soon took place and the Goths under Fritigern defeated Valens in a great battle near Adrianople These Goths are known as Moeso Goths for whom Ulfilas made the Gothic translation of the Bible 4 The Slavs allied with the Avars invaded and destroyed much of Moesia in 583 587 in the Avar Byzantine wars Moesia was settled by Slavs during the 7th century Bulgars arriving from Old Great Bulgaria conquered Lower Moesia by the end of the 7th century During the 8th century the Byzantine Empire lost also Upper Moesian territory to the First Bulgarian Empire citation needed See also EditDiocese of Moesia Dacia Aureliana List of ancient cities in Thrace and Dacia List of Roman governors of Moesia List of Roman governors of Lower Moesia List of Roman governors of Upper Moesia Inscriptions of Upper Moesia Moesogoths Margus city References Edit Lena Olausson Catherine Sangster eds 2006 Oxford BBC Guide to Pronunciation Oxford University Press Daniel Jones 2006 Peter Roach James Hartman Jane Setter eds Cambridge Pronouncing Dictionary Cambridge University Press C Suetonius Tranquillus Vitellius Maximilian Ihm Ed perseus tufts eud a b c d e f g h i j Freese John Henry 1911 Moesia In Chisholm Hugh ed Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 18 11th ed Cambridge University Press pp 643 644 Cassius Dio lv 29 Assorted Imperial Battle Descriptions Battle of Sarmizegetusa Sarmizegetuza A D 105 De Imperatoribus Romanis An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors Because the Dacians represented an obstacle against Roman expansion in the east in the year 101 the emperor Trajan decided to begin a new campaign against them The first war began on 25 March 101 and the Roman troops consisting of four principal legions X Gemina XI Claudia II Traiana Fortis and XXX Ulpia Victrix defeated the Dacians Assorted Imperial Battle Descriptions Battle of Sarmizegetusa Sarmizegetuza A D 105 De Imperatoribus Romanis An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors Although the Dacians had been defeated the emperor postponed the final siege for the conquering of Sarmizegetuza because his armies needed reorganization Trajan imposed on the Dacians very hard peace conditions Decebalus had to renounce claim to some regions of his kingdom including Banat Tara Hategului Oltenia and Muntenia in the area southwest of Transylvania He had also to surrender all the Roman deserters and all his war machines At Rome Trajan was received as a winner and he took the name of Dacicus a title that appears on his coinage of this period At the beginning of the year 103 A D there were minted coins with the inscription IMP NERVA TRAIANVS AVG GER DACICVS Assorted Imperial Battle Descriptions Battle of Sarmizegetusa Sarmizegetuza A D 105 De Imperatoribus Romanis An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors However during the years 103 105 Decebalus did not respect the peace conditions imposed by Trajan and the emperor then decided to destroy completely the Dacian kingdom and to conquer Sarmizegetuza Further reading EditAndras Mocsy Pannonia and Upper Moesia A History of the Middle Danube Provinces of the Roman Empire Routledge Revivals Series 2014 ISBN 9781317754251 Conor Whately Exercitus Moesiae The Roman Army in Moesia from Augustus to Severus Alexander BAR international series S2825 Oxford 2016 ISBN 9781407314754External links EditInscriptions of Moesia Superior University of Belgrade in French Cities in the Provinces Moesia Superior and Moesia Inferior Timacum Maius Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Moesia amp oldid 1142300331, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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