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85-630: [REDACTED] Look up classe in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Classe may refer to: Classe, ancient port of Ravenna , Italy Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe , a 6th-century church in Ravenna Classé , a Canadian manufacturer of audio equipment Coalition large de l'association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (CLASSE), Canadian student union Topics referred to by

170-451: A viceroy . Theodoric was successful in destroying Odoacer’s kingdom, but he subsequently declared himself king of Italy, and established his capital at Ravenna. The Ostrogothic Kingdom of Theodoric the Great lasted between 490 and 540. The Classe that Theodoric inherited was no longer a first class military port. Part of the harbor was completely dried up; however, Theodoric worked to repair

255-462: A considerable impact on the later development of the empire with a richer, more stable eastern empire surviving the end of Roman rule in the west . While imperial revenues fell, imperial expenses rose sharply. More soldiers, greater proportions of cavalry, and the ruinous expense of walling in cities all added to the toll. Goods and services previously paid for by the government were now demanded in addition to monetary taxes. The empire suffered from

340-405: A crippling labour shortage. The steady exodus of both rich and poor from the cities and now-unprofitable professions forced Diocletian to use compulsion; conscription was made universal, most trades were made hereditary, and workers could not legally leave their jobs or travel elsewhere to seek better-paying ones. This included the unwanted middle-class civil service positions and under Constantine,

425-489: A half-free class of Roman citizen known as coloni . They were tied to the land, and in later Imperial law, their status was made hereditary. This provided an early model for serfdom , the origins of medieval feudal society and of the medieval peasantry. The decline in commerce between the imperial provinces put them on a path toward increased self-sufficiency. Large landowners, who had become more self-sufficient, became less mindful of Rome's central authority, particularly in

510-441: A population returning until the 2nd century. This coincides with the rise of Christianity in Classe. Due to the crisis of the third century , Ravenna and the port began to decline. The city of Ravenna was sacked at least twice in the 250s and 260s, and the harbor was no longer maintained; it started drying out and began filling with silt . Despite this, as early as 306, Roman emperors started staying at Ravenna in order to watch

595-525: A series of tough, energetic barracks emperors were able to reassert central authority. Further victories by Claudius Gothicus drove back the Alamanni and recovered Hispania from the Gallic Empire. He died of the plague in 270 and was succeeded by Aurelian , who had commanded the cavalry at Naissus. Aurelian reigned (270–275) through the worst of the crisis, gradually restoring the empire. He defeated

680-663: A short time. However, Drocdulf , a Sueve who fought for the eastern Empire regained Classe and forced the Lombards to give the cities back to the Eastern Empire. In 717-8 the Lombard duke Faroald captured Classe, but was ordered to withdraw by King Liutprand, who himself captured Classe a few years later and again returned it to the Byzantines. In 751, another king, Aistulf , succeeded in conquering Ravenna. This ended

765-514: A single ruler to effectively counter multiple threats at the same time. These continuing problems were addressed by the radical reforms of Diocletian, who broke the cycle of usurpation. He began by sharing his rule with a colleague, then formally established the Tetrarchy of four co-emperors in 293. However the trend of civil war would continue after the abdication of Diocletian in the Civil wars of

850-465: A supporting faction, distinguished ancestors, or a hereditary claim to the imperial throne. As their rule rested on military might and generalship, they operated as warlords reliant on the army to maintain power. Maximinus continued the campaigns in Germania but struggled to exert his authority over the whole empire. The Senate was displeased at having to accept a peasant as Emperor. This precipitated

935-471: A turning point in the crisis period. Aurelian successfully reunited the empire by defeating the two breakaway states, and carried out a series of reforms which helped restore some measure of stability to the Roman economy. The crisis is said to have ended with Diocletian and his restructuring of the Roman imperial government, economy and military. The last is seen as a pivotal moment in Roman history, signaling

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1020-414: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Classe, ancient port of Ravenna There was a small port and harbor for commercial trade. The city of Ravenna, north of the harbor, was founded in the late 3rd or early 2nd century BC. Sometime between 35 and 12 BC, Octavian (later known as emperor Augustus ) established Ravenna's harbor as one of

1105-560: Is walled with an amphitheatre , basilica and the entrance of the harbor is flanked by two lighthouses . The remains of the lighthouses have never been found. Roman imperial rule came to an end when in 476, Odoacer , a Germanic magister militum , deposed the Western emperor Romulus Augustulus and declared himself king of Italy. By the 480s, the emperor in the east, Zeno , was determined to put an end to Odoacer and his kingdom. Zeno encouraged Theodoric to invade Italy and rule it as

1190-549: The Exarchate of Ravenna . Justinian, understanding the strategic importance of Classe, once again refurbished the harbor. Classe became the second most important port after Constantinople . Classe in the early 6th century became a prosperous cosmopolitan naval and trading center. Because of this, there was an increase in population. New churches and basilicas were built for the new population, including Sant'Apollinare in Classe , mentioned above. Another major church of this time

1275-595: The Palmyrene Empire in 267. The remaining provinces, centered on Italy, stayed under a single ruler but now faced threats on every side. An invasion of Macedonia and Greece by Goths , who had been displaced from their lands on the Black Sea , was defeated by emperor Claudius II Gothicus at the Battle of Naissus in 268 or 269. Historians see this victory as the turning point of the crisis. In its aftermath,

1360-527: The Pax Romana , starting with Augustus , the empire's economy had depended in large part on trade between Mediterranean ports and across the extensive road systems to the Empire's interior. Merchants could travel from one end of the empire to the other in relative safety within a few weeks, moving agricultural goods produced in the provinces to the cities, and manufactured goods produced by the great cities of

1445-536: The Plague of Cyprian devastated the Roman Empire to such a degree that some cities, such as the city of Alexandria , experienced a 62% decline in population. These plagues greatly hindered the Roman Empire's ability to ward off barbarian invasions but also factored into problems such as famine , with many farms becoming abandoned and unproductive. A second and longer-term natural disaster that took place during

1530-700: The Roman Senate as emperor during this period and so became legitimate emperors. By 268, the empire had split into three competing states: the Gallic Empire (including the Roman provinces of Gaul , Britannia and, briefly, Hispania ); the Palmyrene Empire (including the eastern provinces of Syria Palaestina and Aegyptus ); and, between them, the Italian-centered Roman Empire proper. The reign of Aurelian (270–275) marks

1615-553: The 3rd century, Rome was ruled by a series of generals, coming into power through frequent civil wars which devastated the empire. The first and most immediately disastrous of the natural disasters that the Roman Empire faced during the Third Century was the plague. The Antonine Plague that preceded the Crisis of the Third Century sapped manpower from Roman armies and proved disastrous for the Roman economy . From 249 to 262,

1700-645: The Aegean coasts, and – most important of all – grain from the wheat-growing districts of North Africa, Egypt, and the Danube Valley for the needs of the great cities; all these commodities, under the influence of a highly organized system of transport and marketing, moved freely from one corner of the Empire to the other. With the onset of the Crisis of the Third Century, however, this vast internal trade network broke down. The widespread civil unrest made it no longer safe for merchants to travel as they once had, and

1785-644: The Arab   (244–249) Reign of Decius   (249–251) Reign of Trebonianus Gallus   (251–253) Reign of Aemilianus   (253) Reign of Valerian and Gallienus   (253–260) Reign of Gallienus   (260–268) Reign of Claudius Gothicus   (268–270) Reign of Aurelian   (270–275) Reign of Tacitus   (275-276) Reign of Probus   (276-282) Reign of Carus   (282-283) Reign of Carinus   (283-285) The army required larger and larger bribes to remain loyal. Septimius Severus raised

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1870-676: The Danube since the 230s, however, paled in comparison to the threat the empire faced in the East. There, Sassanid Persia represented a far greater danger to Rome than the isolated attacks of Germanic tribes . The Sassanids had in 224 and 226 overthrown the Parthian Arsacids, and the Persian King Ardashir I , who also wanted to prove his legitimacy through military successes, had already penetrated into Roman territory at

1955-520: The East to the more rural provinces. Large estates produced cash crops for export and used the resulting revenues to import food and urban manufactured goods. This resulted in a great deal of economic interdependence among the empire's inhabitants. The historian Henry St. Lawrence Beaufort Moss describes the situation as it stood before the crisis: Along these roads passed an ever-increasing traffic, not only of troops and officials but of traders, merchandise and even tourists. An interchange of goods between

2040-523: The Exarchate of Ravenna. During the Lombard Wars, while Ravenna was spared for the most part, Classe seems to have been completely destroyed. By this time the harbor had completely dried up. Because of the Lombard Wars and the decay of the harbor, the city of Classe dramatically shrank. After this event, Classe was never again an important port militarily or commercially. The Frankish king Pepin

2125-628: The Po River completely destroyed the port. Because of this, archeologists are forced to use other evidence to reconstruct how the port may have looked. Today Classe is an archaeological site. The main excavation sites are: Podere Chiavichetta, San Severo, Podere Marabina and Saint Probus. The ground under Ravenna and Classe has been sinking for centuries. In fact, it sinks about 16–23 cm (6–9 in) every century. This makes excavating extremely difficult. When archeologists dig they find artifacts at various levels. From 3–6 m (10–20 ft) below

2210-464: The Roman cities began to change in character. The large cities of classical antiquity slowly gave way to the smaller, walled cities that became common in the Middle Ages. These changes were not restricted to the third century, but took place slowly over a long period, and were punctuated with many temporary reversals. In spite of extensive reforms by later emperors, however, the Roman trade network

2295-706: The Senate, popular approval, and acceptance by the army, in particular the Praetorian Guard . A family connection to a previous emperor was beneficial, but it did not determine the issue in the way a formal system of hereditary succession would. From the Julio-Claudian dynasty onwards there was sometimes tension between the Senate's preferred choice and the army. As the Senatorial class declined in political influence and more generals were recruited from

2380-516: The Short drove the Lombards out of Ravenna and Classe in 756; following this, the territory was briefly ruled by the archbishops of Ravenna. Pepin's son Charlemagne 's conquest of the Lombard kingdom in 774 saw the two cities turned over to the Pope and they became part of the newly formed Papal States . In the mid-9th century, Classe was raided and sacked by Muslims . Also, sometime in the Middle Ages,

2465-595: The Tetrarchy (306–324) until the rise of Constantine the Great as sole Emperor. The empire survived until 476 in the West and until 1453 in the East . From the beginning of the Principate there were no clear rules for the imperial succession, largely because the empire maintained the facade of a republic. During the early Principate, the process for becoming an emperor relied on a combination of proclamation by

2550-588: The Vandals, Visigoths , Palmyrene Empire, and finally the remainder of the Gallic Empire. By late 274, the Roman Empire had been reunited into a single entity. However, Aurelian was assassinated in 275, sparking a further series of competing emperors with short reigns. The situation did not stabilize until Diocletian , himself a barracks emperor, took power in 284. More than a century would pass before Rome again lost military ascendancy over its external enemies. However, dozens of formerly thriving cities, especially in

2635-499: The Western Empire, and were downright hostile toward its tax collectors. The measure of wealth at this time began to have less to do with wielding urban civil authority and more to do with controlling large agricultural estates in rural regions since this guaranteed access to the only economic resource of real value – agricultural land and the crops it produced. The common people of the empire lost economic and political status to

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2720-445: The Western Empire, had been ruined. Their populations dead or dispersed, these cities could not be rebuilt, due to the economic breakdown caused by constant warfare. The economy was also crippled by the breakdown in trading networks and the debasement of the currency. Major cities and towns, including Rome itself, had not needed fortifications for many centuries, but now surrounded themselves with thick walls . Fundamental problems with

2805-448: The army's manpower, and drafting replacement soldiers strained the labour force further. Fighting on multiple fronts, increasing size and pay of the army, increasing cost of transport, populist " bread and circuses " political campaigns, inefficient and corrupt tax collection, unorganised budgeting, and paying off foreign nations for peace all contributed to financial crisis. The emperors responded by confiscating assets and supplies to combat

2890-489: The assumption that there were no pirates in the Mediterranean during the early Empire, preferring to credit the fleet at Classe with their suppression. Tombstones from sailors of the fleet have been unearthed there. By 69 the Classe fleet had five thousand ships. By 324 the western “Augustan navy” was gone. This was most likely because the western half of the empire was preoccupied with civil war . Emperor Constantine

2975-545: The beginning of Christianity in Classe. Starting in the 4th century, Classe acquired several magnificent churches, as well as its own baptistery . “The centerpiece of Christian worship in the Classe region both geographically and symbolically, was the church dedicated to the first bishop of Ravenna, Saint Apollinare ”, which was built in the 540s Sant'Apollinare in Classe is the only church from Classe still standing today. Other churches near Sant'Apollinare were dedicated to other early bishops who had been buried there, as this

3060-529: The beginning of the Dominate . The crisis resulted in such profound changes in the empire's institutions, society, economic life, and religion that it is increasingly seen by most historians as defining the transition between the historical periods of classical antiquity and late antiquity . Year of the Six Emperors   (238) Reign of Gordian III   (238–244) Reign of Philip

3145-545: The chaotic Year of the Six Emperors during which all of the original claimants were killed: in 238 a revolt broke out in Africa led by Gordian I and Gordian II , which was soon supported by the Roman Senate , but this was quickly defeated with Gordian II killed and Gordian I committing suicide. The Senate, fearing Imperial wrath, raised two of their own as co-Emperors, Pupienus and Balbinus , with Gordian I's grandson Gordian III as Caesar . Maximinus marched on Rome but

3230-504: The conflict in their co-rule. But with the major influence of their mother, Julia Domna , this division of the empire was not possible. Instead of warring in foreign lands, the Roman empire was increasingly put on the defensive by marauding enemies and civil wars. This cut off the essential source of income gained from plundering enemy countries, while opening up the Roman countryside to economic devastation from looters both foreign and domestic. Frequent civil wars contributed to depletion of

3315-632: The deficit. The situation of the Roman Empire became dire in 235. Many Roman legions had been defeated during a previous campaign against Germanic peoples raiding across the borders, while the emperor Severus Alexander had been focused primarily on the dangers from the Sassanid Empire . Leading his troops personally, the emperor resorted to diplomacy and accepting tribute to pacify the Germanic chieftains quickly, rather than military conquest. According to Herodian this cost Severus Alexander

3400-469: The east. Climate changes and a sea level rise disrupted the agriculture of what is now the Low Countries , forcing tribes residing in the region to migrate into Roman lands. Further disruption arose in 251, when the Plague of Cyprian (possibly smallpox ) broke out. This plague caused large-scale death, severely weakening the empire. The situation was worsened in 260 when the emperor Valerian

3485-428: The emperors of the third century needed above all military successes. The centre of decision-making shifted away from Rome and to wherever the emperor was with his armies, typically, in the east. This led to the transfer of the capital to the four cities Milan, Trier, Nicomedia, and Sirmium, and then to Constantinople. The Senate ceased to be the main governing organ and instead members of the equestrian class who filled

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3570-401: The empire saw barbarian invasions and migrations into Roman territory, civil wars, peasant rebellions and political instability , with multiple usurpers competing for power. This led to the debasement of currency and a breakdown in both trade networks and economic productivity , with the Plague of Cyprian contributing to the disorder. Roman armies became more reliant over time on

3655-399: The empire still remained. The right of imperial succession had never been clearly defined, which was a factor in the continuous civil wars as competing factions in the military, Senate, and other parties put forward their favored candidate for emperor. The sheer size of the empire, which had been an issue since the late Roman Republic three centuries earlier, continued to make it difficult for

3740-650: The empire's great urban areas, they began to manufacture many goods locally, often on their own estates, thus beginning the self-sufficient "house economy" that would become commonplace in later centuries, reaching its final form in the manorialism of the Middle Ages. The common, free people of the Roman cities, meanwhile, began to move out into the countryside in search of food and better protection. Made desperate by economic necessity, many of these former city dwellers, as well as many small farmers, were forced to give up hard-earned basic civil rights in order to receive protection from large land-holders. In doing so, they became

3825-413: The financial crisis that struck made exchange very difficult with the debased currency. This produced profound changes that, in many ways, foreshadowed the very decentralized economic character of the coming Middle Ages . Large landowners, no longer able to successfully export their crops over long distances, began producing food for subsistence and local barter. Rather than import manufactured goods from

3910-524: The fleet had two hundred and fifty ships. This is the only account that survived to this day and it is only because it was quoted by Jordanes , a 6th-century historian. Before Augustus' establishment of the fleet, there is no evidence of any habitation in the area that became Classe. As of today, archeologists have only found remains of cemeteries from this time period. It is unknown if these cemeteries were pagan or Christian . However, they were most likely pagan because archeologists do not find evidence of

3995-667: The fleet in some way. The fleet was used primarily to keep the peace in the Mediterranean . The fleet's main focuses were the Adriatic Sea and Aegean Sea , though it patrolled the waters of the Mediterranean as far away as Spain . In 24 the fleet was used to put down a slave revolt in Brundisium . When the fleet was not being used for military purposes, it was used to protect merchant ships from pirates . Although little evidence exists, recent scholarly consensus rejects

4080-402: The fleet). As for the government of Classe, it was overruled by the imperial prefect of the imperial fleet. However, once Ravenna became the imperial capital in 402, it appears Classe fell under its jurisdiction. Archeological remains show Christianity was an important part of life in Classe. “It became a focus of the earliest Christian community.” Cemeteries from the late 2nd century show

4165-467: The frontiers were stabilized by the Illyrian Emperors . However, barbarian migrations into the empire continued in greater and greater numbers. Though these migrants were initially closely monitored and assimilated, later tribes eventually entered the Roman Empire en masse with their weapons, giving only token recognition of Roman authority. The defensive battles that Rome had to endure on

4250-421: The growing influence of the barbarian mercenaries known as foederati . Roman commanders in the field, although nominally loyal to the state, became increasingly independent of Rome's central authority. During the crisis, there were at least 26 claimants to the title of emperor, mostly prominent Roman generals , who assumed imperial power over all or part of the empire. The same number of men became accepted by

4335-414: The harbor and port. Despite this renovation, the port was no longer an important military naval outpost. In fact Classe was taken off of the formal army register. Instead, the port became an important commercial port for all of northern Italy. The eastern half of the empire had been connected to Classe since 324 through the navy. By the first half of the 6th century, the empire had its sights on claiming

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4420-445: The harbor to see if any enemies were close. When Ravenna was chosen as an official western imperial capital in 402, Classe became more prosperous than ever, and the residential area to the south of the harbor was surrounded by a wall in the late 4th century A vital part of the royal administration was its grain warehouse and distribution. Even after 476, when Ravenna was no longer a Roman imperial capital, it and its port survived, and

4505-450: The home ports for his new Roman navy. South of the harbor, the area was occupied mainly by cemeteries, but by the 2nd century AD a town, known in Latin as Classis , had grown up. Augustus may have chosen this site because of its strategic position. The area in which Augustus wanted to construct Classe was in a lagoon . It was impregnable from land and surrounded by marshes . The base

4590-466: The land-holding nobility, and the commercial middle classes waned along with their trade-derived livelihoods. The Crisis of the Third Century thus marked the beginning of a long gradual process that would transform the ancient world of classical antiquity into the medieval one of the Early Middle Ages . However, although the burdens on the population increased, especially the lower strata of

4675-722: The latest information on Ravenna and Classe can be found in Italian academic journals. and the Gildonic War" In The Classical Journal Volume 100, Number 3 (February/March, 2005) Pages 275-299, published by: The Classical Association of the Middle West and South. Crisis of the third century The Crisis of the Third Century , also known as the Military Anarchy or the Imperial Crisis (235–284),

4760-407: The military officer corps became increasingly prominent. Several emperors who rose to power through acclamation of their troops attempted to create stability by giving their descendants the title of Augustus and so making them co-emperors who later succeeded to the throne after their death or on some occasions their relatives managed to become an emperor immediately after their death. This led to

4845-475: The military's "accession bonus" and the easiest way to do so was by inflating the coinage severely, a process made possible by debasing the coinage with bronze and copper. This resulted in runaway rises in prices, and by the time Diocletian came to power, the old coinage of the Roman Empire had nearly collapsed. Some taxes were collected in kind and values often were notional, in bullion or bronze coinage. Real values continued to be figured in gold coinage, but

4930-537: The military. Constantine also tried to provide social programs for the poor to reduce the labour shortage. All the barracks emperors based their power on the military and on the soldiers of the field armies, not on the Praetorians in Rome. Thus, Rome lost its role as the political center of the empire during the third century, although it remained ideologically important. In order to legitimize and secure their rule,

5015-596: The ocean. On 16 July 2015 the archeological site became a museum which is open for visitors. Classe could hold a fleet of two hundred and fifty ships and could accommodate arsenals , magazines and barracks . The fleet consisted of triremes , quadriremes and liburnians (light vessels). These ships were named after gods, goddesses and rivers. The fleet employed ax makers, carpenters, doctors, flag bearers, horn players, officers, oarsmen, pilots, repair personnel, rhythm keepers for oarsmen, scribes, sailors, and weapons masters. There were as many as ten thousand men connected to

5100-427: The pay of legionaries, and gave substantial donativum to the troops. The large and ongoing increase in military expenditure caused problems for all of his successors. His son Caracalla raised the annual pay and lavished many benefits on the army in accordance with the advice of his father to keep their loyalty, and considered dividing the empire into eastern and western sectors with his brother Geta to reduce

5185-480: The population, this cannot be generalized to the whole empire, especially since living conditions were not uniform. Although the structural integrity of the economy suffered from the military conflicts of that time and the inflationary episode of the 270s, it did not collapse, especially because of the complex regional differences. Recent research has shown that there were regions that prospered even further, such as Egypt, Africa and Hispania. But even for Asia Minor, which

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5270-576: The port city for its own. Emperor Justinian I opposed the Ostrogothic rule of Italy on the grounds that the Arian sect constituted a heresy. He sent his general Belisarius to recapture Italy, including Ravenna and Classe, for the eastern half of the empire. In 540 Classe was reconquered by Belisarius in the Gothic Wars (535-554) . It stayed under eastern control until 751. This time is known as

5355-571: The provinces, this tension increased. Whenever the succession appeared uncertain, there was an incentive for any general with support of a sizable army to attempt to seize power, sparking civil war. The most recent example of this prior to the Crisis was the Year of the Five Emperors which resulted in the victory of Septimius Severus . After the overthrow of the Severan dynasty, for the rest of

5440-414: The respect of his troops, who may have felt that more severe punishment was required for the tribes that had intruded on Rome's territory. The troops assassinated Severus Alexander and proclaimed the new emperor to be Maximinus Thrax , commander of one of the legions present. Maximinus was the first of the barracks emperors – rulers who were elevated by the troops without having any political experience,

5525-408: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Classe . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Classe&oldid=689640453 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

5610-408: The silver coin, the denarius, used for 300 years, was gone (1 pound of gold = 40 gold aurei = 1,000 denarii = 4,000 sestertii ). This currency had almost no value by the end of the third century, and trade was carried out without retail coinage. One of the most profound and lasting effects of the Crisis of the Third Century was the disruption of Rome's extensive internal trade network. Ever since

5695-529: The surface there is material dating from Imperial rule; from 2–4 m (6 ft 7 in – 13 ft 1 in), material from the Ostrogothic Kingdom; and from 4–8 m (13–26 ft), material from the Republic. Due to the accumulation of silt, the coastline has moved 9 km (5.6 mi) to the east. If visiting Classe, one has to climb to the top of the last watch tower to see

5780-452: The third century was the increased variability of weather. Drier summers meant less agricultural productivity and more extreme weather events led to agricultural instability. This could also have contributed to the increased barbarian pressure on Roman borders, as they too would have experienced the detrimental effects of climate change and sought to push inward to more productive areas of the Mediterranean region. Barbarian invasions came in

5865-498: The time of Severus Alexander , probably taking the strategically important cities of Nisibis and Carrhae in 235/236. Internally, the empire faced hyperinflation caused by years of coinage devaluation . This had started earlier under the Severan emperors who enlarged the army by one quarter, and doubled the base pay of legionaries. As each of the short-lived emperors took power, they needed ways to raise money quickly to pay

5950-509: The town of Classe was restored under the Ostrogothic king Theodoric . While Ravenna was an imperial capital some sailors and their families lived there. However, the majority of the sailors and their families lived in the vast barracks of the imperial fleet. Because there were no other large cities in the area, families stayed, putting down roots in Ravenna and Classe. (note that sailors were not legally allowed to be married while enlisted in

6035-489: The transition between the western focused navy and the eastern focused navy took place; estimates are between 324 and 383. This new eastern navy was a permanent fleet in Classe. The fleet was used to control the Aegean Sea and the eastern part of the Mediterranean. Later it was used to help reclaim the lost Roman territory in the west, such as Italy. However, between 383 and 450 the standing fleet disappeared. Because of

6120-404: The tumultuous times, few firsthand accounts survive to this day. There are two main sources: Appian , the historian who in 39 BCE stated that: Augustus ordered new buildings at Classe. There is also Cassius Dio who is referenced by Jordanes . This means that archeologists are forced to rely on epigraphic evidence such as wall carvings, mosaics and tombstones when trying to reconstruct what life

6205-507: The various provinces rapidly developed, which soon reached a scale unprecedented in the previous history and not repeated until a few centuries ago. Metals mined in the uplands of Western Europe, hides, fleeces, and livestock from the pastoral districts of Britain, Spain, and the shores of the Black Sea, wine and oil from Provence and Aquitaine, timber, pitch and wax from South Russia and northern Anatolia, dried fruits from Syria, marble from

6290-581: The wake of civil war, plague, and famine. Distress caused in part by the changing climate led various barbarian tribes to push into Roman territory. Other tribes coalesced into more formidable entities (notably the Alamanni and Franks ), or were pushed out of their former territories by more dangerous peoples such as the Sarmatians (the Huns did not appear west of the Volga for another century). Eventually,

6375-477: Was a period in Roman history during which the Roman Empire had nearly collapsed under the combined pressure of repeated foreign invasions , civil wars and economic disintegration . At the height of the crisis, the Roman state had split into three distinct and competing polities. The crisis began in 235 with the assassination of Emperor Severus Alexander by his own troops. During the following years,

6460-490: Was artificially constructed in this lagoon. Unlike the ports of Portus or Ostia , Classe did not feature a hexagonal basin. Instead the base installations were built on stilts. Once those were in place the port was made of large oak beams. By the 1st century CE the builders had incorporated ceramic fragments. By the 2nd century, it was redone with bricks. Augustus designed the port for military purposes only. The town had only one weakness, access to fresh water. This obstacle

6545-562: Was assassinated by his Legio II Parthica , and subsequently Pupienus and Balbinus were murdered by the Praetorian Guard . In the following years, numerous Roman generals fought each other for control of the empire and neglected their duties of defending it from invasion. There were frequent raids across the Rhine and Danube frontier by foreign tribes, including the Carpians , Goths , Vandals , and Alamanni , and attacks from Sassanids in

6630-486: Was captured in battle by the Sassanids (he later died in captivity). Throughout the period, numerous usurpers claimed the imperial throne. In the absence of a strong central authority, the empire broke into three competing states. The Roman provinces of Gaul , Britain , and Hispania broke off to form the Gallic Empire in 260. The eastern provinces of Syria , Palestine , and Aegyptus also became independent as

6715-421: Was directly affected by attacks, no general decline can be observed. While commerce and the overall economy flourished in several regions, with several provinces not affected by hostilities, other provinces experienced some serious problems, as evidenced by personal hoards in the northwestern provinces of the empire. However, there can be no talk of a general economic crisis throughout the whole of Empire. Even

6800-403: Was engaged in fighting civil wars with his fellow tetrarch emperors Maxentius and Licinius for sole control of the empire. The empire did not have the means or resources to have a navy at Classe. For further information, there is a detailed article on the Roman navy . The eastern part of the Roman Empire understood how important Classe was as a military port. Scholars are unclear as to when

6885-533: Was like in Classe. Finding scholarly information on Classe in English is extremely challenging. The most comprehensive book is Ravenna in Late Antiquity by Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis. In it, she discusses the various stages of the port and also gives the most up to date archeological information as of January 2010. Another book in English is Edward Hutton’s The Story of Ravenna, published in 1926. Most of

6970-601: Was never able to fully recover to what it had been during the Pax Romana (27 BC – AD 180). This economic decline was far more noticeable and important in the western part of the empire, which was also invaded by barbarian tribes several times during the century. Hence, the balance of power clearly shifted eastward during this period, as evidenced by the choice of Diocletian to rule from Nicomedia in Asia Minor , putting his second in command, Maximian , in Milan . This would have

7055-511: Was overcome by the Emperor Trajan who built a 35 km (22 mi) long aqueduct to Ravenna, that might also have supplied Classe. After the fleet was built, the population of the soldiers and their families living there grew slowly but steadily. For the next three hundred years, Classe would be one of Rome’s most important naval bases, the home of the eastern Mediterranean fleet The 3rd-century historian Cassius Dio states that

7140-569: Was the San Severo. Construction on it began in 570 by Archbishop Peter III and was completed Archbishop John II in 582. Upon completion it was dedicated to Ravenna’s 4th-century bishop, Saint Severus . During the late 6th century, the barbarian group known as the Lombards invaded Ravenna and plundered Classe in 579. The raid was led by Faroald, the Duke of Spoleto, who controlled the cities for

7225-406: Was the region in which cemeteries were located in the Roman period. There is no evidence of Classe ever having its own bishop. This was probably because Classe was so much smaller than Ravenna, there was no need for Classe to have its own bishop. Finally, the church of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in the city of Ravenna features a mosaics depicting the harbor of Classe in the 520s. The city of Classe

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