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92-573: The Limes used either a natural boundary such as a river or typically an earth bank and ditch with a wooden palisade and watchtowers at intervals. A system of linked forts was built behind the Limes. The term limes (plural: limites ) originally meant "border path" or "swathe" in Latin. In Germany, "Limes" usually refers to the Rhaetian Limes and Upper Germanic Limes, collectively referred to as

184-578: A brisk trade, and the numerous Roman finds in "Free Germania" (as far as Jutland and Scandinavia ). Attempts were occasionally also made to settle Roman legions beyond the limes or, more often, to recruit auxiliaries . As a result, the Romanization of the population extended beyond the limes . Interest in the limes as the remains of a site dating to the Roman period was rekindled in Germany at

276-664: A chain of watchtowers or signal towers, forts and fortified ports (Gaul). Most of the Saxon Shore camps probably served as naval bases. The garrisons of the forts were composed of infantry and several cavalry regiments. Monitoring and surveillance of the Channel were the responsibility of the Classis Britannica and Classis Sambrica , whose headquarters were in Locus Quartensis (Port d'Etaple), guarding

368-448: A circle of European academics, artists, and diplomats. They realised that the new knowledge and artefacts then being discovered at an ever-accelerating rate required international academic collaboration. The early attempt to establish a "Roman- Hyperborean Society" to facilitate that collaboration are commemorated in the logo of the DAI, which depicts a Hyperborean griffin . On 2 January 1829,

460-458: A dense network covering the whole of Europe. They were served by sections in Italy, Germany, France, and England. The Paris section under the leadership of Honoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luynes was particularly active in these early years. The membri were a smaller group who undertook long-term duties and were obliged to produce academic contributions and to review publications. The basic distinction

552-505: A ditch. The width of the Fossatum is generally 3–6 m but in exceptional cases may be as much as 20 m. Wherever possible, it or its highest wall is constructed on the counterscarp . Excavations near Gemellae showed the depth there to be 2–3 m, with a width of 1 m at the bottom widening to 2–3 m at the top. The Fossatum is accompanied by many small watchtowers and numerous forts, often built within sight of one another. The Limes Arabicus

644-401: A general secretary (since 2014, this is Philipp von Rummel  [ de ] ). The secretary represents the president and supports them, particularly in matters of academic organisation and policy. The president is bound by the determinations of the central directorate. The central directorate ( Zentraldirektion ) is the highest monitoring and decision-making body of the DAI. It determines

736-459: A maximum term of ten years. Units and areas within the presidium: A full list of the publications of the Institute (journals, series, monographs) is accessible online. The DAI produces some of the most important German archaeological journals (translated title and standard abbreviations in brackets): The German Archaeological Institute is supported financially by a charitable organisation,

828-570: A place of banishment. However Romans controlled the Nile many miles into Africa up to the modern border between Egypt and Sudan. In Africa Romans controlled the area north of the Sahara, from the Atlantic Ocean to Egypt, with many sections of limes ( Limes Tripolitanus , Limes Numidiae, etc.). The Fossatum Africae ("African ditch") of at least 750 km controlled the southern borders of

920-500: Is a research institute in the field of archaeology (and other related fields). The DAI is a "federal agency" under the Federal Foreign Office of Germany . The Institute comes under the umbrella of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany . It has a legal right to academic self-administration but is also an important component of Germany's cultural, artistic, and foreign policy programmes. The DAI has often laid

1012-655: Is a term used primarily for the Germanic border defence or delimiting system of Ancient Rome marking the borders of the Roman Empire . The term has been extended in modern times to refer to the frontier defences in other parts of the empire , such as in the east and in Africa. The Roman frontier stretched for more than 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi) from the Atlantic coast of northern Britain , through Europe to

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1104-462: Is accordingly a special honour and mark of academic recognition. The DAI maintains research offices in many countries around the world and a number of commissions focussed on specific topics. The DAI carries out archaeological and historical research worldwide and therefore often works with scholars of host countries and other international scholars. Traditionally, the Mediterranean region and

1196-771: Is among the internationally recognised Top Research Institutes. To maintain this standard, the DAI receives special research from the Federal government's Genshagener Programme. In 2019, it was decided to create a "KulturGutRetter-Mechanismus" under the leadership of the German Archaeology Institute in partnership with the Technisches Hilfswerk , the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum , and other partners. In crisis situations, it should provide mechanisms for

1288-544: Is considered as evidence that this type of boundary wall had never been used for defensive purposes. The land of Agri Decumates that was guarded by this limes had to be vacated by the Romans in 260–285 AD. They moved their bases back to the banks of the Rhine and Danube, which were much easier to defend militarily. The exact route of the limes along the border between Upper Germania and Raetia has not been fully explored. In

1380-609: Is probable that a second, defensive line was created to the rear ( Castrum Locus Felicis ). The occupying troops, Exercitus Noricus , consisted mostly of auxilia cohorts and a legion stationed in Lauriacum / Enns acted as the strategic reserve. The surveillance and security of the Danube and its tributaries were the responsibility of the Classis Pannonia . Units of the legions, naval and auxiliary forces were commanded by

1472-424: Is retained to this day. The foundation of the institute was a significant milestone for the professionalisation of archaeology. For the first time, efforts were made to gather and publish all archaeological finds, rather than focusing on the significance of individual monuments in isolation. The Bullettino degli Annali dell'Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica was the first archaeological periodical, and created

1564-461: The Classis Britannica , whose headquarters were in Rutupiae (Richborough). Legions, auxilia and the fleet were commanded by the provincial governors. From the 3rd century, units of comitatenses , limitanei and liburnaria (marines) came under the command of two generals: This section of the limes existed from the 3rd to 5th centuries AD and covered the provinces of: This limes of

1656-685: The Limes Germanicus . Both sections of limes are named after the adjacent Roman provinces of Raetia (Rhaetia) and Germania Superior (Upper Germania). In the Roman limites we have, for the first time in European history, clearly defined territorial borders of a sovereign state that were visible on the ground to friend and foe alike. Most of the Upper German-Rhaetian Limes did not follow rivers or mountain ranges, which would have formed natural boundaries for

1748-762: The Black Sea , and from there to the Red Sea and across North Africa to the Atlantic coast. The positions of the borders changed especially during the main periods of Roman expansion and contraction, and first became more stable during the early Empire period under Augustus , but the borders continued to change with time in different provinces. The borders had different constituents depending on local needs; often they consisted of natural boundaries (e.g. rivers) with roads behind for easier movement of troops between linked forts (e.g. Danubian Limes ), or else roads with linked forts (e.g. Stanegate , Fosse Way ). The remains of

1840-877: The Late Antiquity ran through the territory of the present-day United Kingdom and France . In the 3rd century, a separate military district, the Litus Saxonicum , was established on the British side of the English Channel between the estuaries of the Wash and the Solent , to repel Saxon pirates and plunderers. The Gallic side of the English Channel and Atlantic coast were included therein. Monitoring and coastal surveillance were carried out by

1932-481: The Near East are the main areas of activity, but since 1979, the institute's activities have transcended these regions and are carried out worldwide. The institute carries out excavations, expeditions, and other projects. Since 2009, the DAI has established "centres of excellence in research and teaching" in the context of the "Foreign Academic Policy Initiative" ( Initiative Außenwissenschaftspolitik ). The institute

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2024-599: The Neckar-Odenwald Limes . Local limes commissions were established but were confined to small areas, for example, in the Grand Duchy of Hesse or Grand Duchy of Baden , due to the political situation. Johann Alexander Döderlein was the first person to record the course of the limes in the Eichstätt region. In 1723, he was the first to interpret the meaning of the limes correctly and published

2116-786: The Rhine , defended by a chain of camps , that ran from the North Sea (Katwijk-Brittenburg camp) to Vinxtbach (opposite Rheinbrohl fort on the Upper Germanic Limes ), forming the border between the Roman provinces of Germania Inferior and Germania Superior . By contrast with the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes , it was not marked by a solid palisade or wall. Neither can any defensive ditch or rampart be identified. The guards were stationed in nearby castra and watchtowers usually built immediately on

2208-694: The Roman Empire to defend and control the southern borders of the Empire in the Roman province of Africa . It is considered to have many similarities of construction to Hadrian's Wall at the northern border of the Empire in Britain. Generally the Fossatum consists of a ditch and earth embankments on either side using the material from the ditch. Sometimes the embankments are supplemented by dry stone walls on one or both sides; rarely, there are stone walls without

2300-751: The Second World War . The Athenian Division was the second foreign research institute to be founded in Athens, after the French School , which was founded in 1846. The foundation of the Romano-Germanic Commission (RGK) in 1902 was due to changing academic frameworks. The influence of historicism led to a shift in interest away from art historical and philological approaches to archaeology towards empirical research of objects derived from archaeological excavations. The goal

2392-517: The limes existed from the 1st to the 5th century AD and guarded part of the Roman province of Noricum . It is on the soil of the present-day Austrian states of Upper and Lower Austria . It ran along the Danube from Passau/ Boiodurum to Zeiselmauer/ Cannabiaca . This is also a ripa (river border), which was guarded by a loose chain of cohort forts. The main road on the Norican Limes

2484-700: The 2nd century, the strategic reserve comprised three legions stationed in Bonna / Bonn, Novaesium / Neuss, Vetera / Xanten and Noviomagus / Nijmegen. The control and surveillance of the waters of the North Sea, the Rhine estuary and the Lower Rhine was the responsibility of the Classis Germanica whose headquarters was in Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium /Cologne. Legions, auxilia and fleet units were commanded by

2576-640: The 2nd century, the strategic reserve was formed from three legions stationed in Mogontiacum / Mainz, Argentorate / Strasbourg and Castra Regina /Regensburg. The monitoring of the Upper Rhine was the responsibility of the Classis Germanica ; that of the Rhaetic Danube came under the Classis Pannonia , whose headquarters was in Aquincum /Budapest. Legions and auxilia cohorts were under

2668-430: The 4th century, redesigned and massively strengthened in order to match new strategic requirements. The gaps between the camps were closed by a chain of watchtowers or signal towers. In late Roman times huge inland camps were built and towns in the hinterland were fortified to create a second line of defence. In addition, at vulnerable points, units of the Danube fleet were stationed. In the time of Emperor Marcus Aurelius

2760-720: The Commission in 1937. The individual reports went under the title of The Upper Rhaetian Limes of the Roman Empire (ORL), which was published in fifteen volumes, of which seven cover the route of the limes and eight cover the various camps and forts. The documents of the Imperial Limes Commission are now in the custody of the Roman-Germanic Commission of the German Archaeological Institute . The RLK numbered

2852-511: The Empire and had many similarities of construction to Hadrian's Wall . There are similar, but shorter, fossatae in other parts of North Africa. Between the Matmata and Tabaga ranges in modern Tunisia there is a fossatum which was duplicated during World War II. There also appears to be a 20 km fossatum at Bou Regreg , in Morocco , although this would not have been within the scope of

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2944-665: The Fosse Way road was a frontier. From the 1st to the 2nd century first the Gask Ridge and then the Stanegate, with their chains of forts and watchtowers, marked the northern boundary of Britannia . Later Hadrian's Wall was built as the frontier and for a short time the Antonine Wall further north. The defence of Hadrian's Wall was achieved through the incorporation of forts and castella . Security and monitoring on

3036-639: The Mediterranean and Near East. When Eduard Gebhard left Rome in 1832, for the Altes Museum in Berlin, the institute's centre of gravity shifted to Berlin too. Simultaneously, nationalist interests increased and the institute lost its international aspect. In 1836, the first modest buildings of the institute were erected in Rome on the land of the Prussian embassy. From 1842, the secretaries received salaries,

3128-585: The Rhaetian Limes, a solid stone wall was erected. In its final stages, the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes was about 550 kilometres long and ran from Rheinbrohl , in the county of Neuwied in northern Rhineland-Palatinate, as far as Hienheim on the Danube. Between the villages of Osterburken and Welzheim , the limes ran for 81 kilometres almost in a straight line southwards. In the scholarly literature, this unusual section

3220-604: The Rhine. The limes was served by a well-developed military road. Each camp had its own river port or landing stage and a storage area, because the Rhine not only formed the border but was also the most important transport and trade route in the region. In the first section, between the camps of Rigomagus (Remagen) and Bonna (Bonn), there were only a few camps. In the second, middle, section between Bonna and Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum (Nijmegen), there were considerably more. Here there were also larger legion camps; with one exception, all were cavalry barracks. The landscape of

3312-405: The Roman Empire and called himself "Emperor of the Romans". Official edicts were issued in Latin, which affected the naming of the Empire's frontier as well. 54°59′33″N 2°36′04″W  /  54.9926°N 2.6010°W  / 54.9926; -2.6010 German Archaeological Institute The German Archaeological Institute ( German : Deutsches Archäologisches Institut , DAI )

3404-606: The Roman Empire. It includes the longest land border in the European section of the limes , interrupted for only a few kilometres, by a section that follows the River Main between Großkrotzenburg and Miltenberg . By contrast, elsewhere in Europe, the limes is largely defined by the rivers Rhine ( Lower Germanic Limes ) and Danube ( Danube Limes ). The function of the Roman military frontiers has been increasingly discussed for some time. The latest research tends to view at least

3496-402: The Roman province of Rhaetia that lay north of the Danube and guarded the eastern border of that part of Germania Superior that lay east of the Rhine. In Upper Germania the border defences initially consisted only of a post road. From about 162/63 AD, the Romans constructed a defensive barrier with watchtowers and signal towers, palisades , ditches and earthworks. On one short section of

3588-477: The Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes not as a primarily military demarcation line , but rather a monitored economic boundary for the non-Roman lands. The limes , it is argued, was not really suitable for fending off systematic external attacks. Thanks to a skillful economic policy , the Roman Empire extended its influence far to the northeast, beyond the frontier. Evidence of this are the many border crossings which, although guarded by Roman soldiers, would have enabled

3680-433: The ancestor of an entire group of words in many languages related to Latin; for example, English limit or French limite . The Latin noun līmes ( English: / ˈ l aɪ m iː z / ; Latin pl.   līmitēs ) had a number of different meanings: a path or balk delimiting fields ; a boundary line or marker; any road or path; any channel, such as a stream channel; or any distinction or difference. The term

3772-429: The annual budget and academic programme, as well as making decisions about publications. It also chooses the president and the directors of the divisions and commissions. A new statue governing the role of the central directorate came into force on 1 October 2019, which specified in particular that employees of the DAI can no longer be members of the central directorate. As of May 2023, the central directorate consisted of

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3864-600: The archaeologist Eduard Gerhard , the Prussian envoy Christian Charles Josias von Bunsen , the Hannoverian chargé d'affairs in Rome, August Kestner , the commissario della antichità Carlo Fea , and the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen announced the foundation of an Instituto di corrispondenza archeologica ( Italian for "institute of archaeological correspondence"). The founding event took place on 21 April 1829,

3956-464: The border between Rome and Germania ran mostly along the line of the late antique Danube-Iller-Rhine Limes (DIRL) before the Romans advanced further north into the Agri decumates . Because of troop withdrawals and massive barbarian invasions, the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes were abandoned in the late 3rd century and the Roman forces pulled the border back to the banks of the three rivers. Especially around

4048-466: The camps of Favianis and Melk , watchtowers were built only sporadically. Here the narrow valley of the Wachau , with its densely forested escarpments, made access to the riverbank more difficult, providing some defensive function. Every camp had its own river port or landing stage and a storage area because the Danube was not only a border zone, but also the most important transport and trade route in

4140-538: The coasts in the west and southeast were achieved by forts and by chains of watchtowers or signal towers, both along the coastline. The garrisons, Exercitus Britannicus , consisted mostly of cohorts of auxilia . The strategic reserve comprised three legions based in Eburacum (York), Isca Silurum and Deva . The observation and surveillance of the waters around the British Isles was the responsibility of

4232-481: The command of the governor. From the 3rd century the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian border troops ( comitatenses, repenses , and liburnaria ), were commanded by three generals: This limes existed from the 3rd to the 5th centuries AD and guarded the provinces of: It lies on the territory of present-day Germany, Austria , Switzerland and Liechtenstein . As early as the period 15 BC to about 70 AD,

4324-404: The direction of the ancient historian, Theodor Mommsen . The work of this commission is considered pioneering for reworking of Roman provincial history. Especially productive were the first ten years of research, which worked out the course of the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes and named the camps along the border. The research reports on the excavations were published from 1894 to the dissolution of

4416-502: The east on this section of the limes intensified. The tributaries emptying into the Danube offered cheap transport routes, but also made good approach routes for invaders and raiders. The military camps were therefore built by the most important fords or confluences and road termini. The legion- and auxilia camps were mainly located in the immediate vicinity of the riverbank. The initial wood and earth structures, were systematically converted under Emperor Hadrian into stone barracks and, in

4508-598: The first mention is made in Pannonia of stone watchtowers ( burgi , panelled towers and fortlets ( praesidia ). In late antiquity, the Pannonian military district was divided into two parts ( pars inferior and pars superior ). Advance defences were provided by bridgehead camps (e.g. Castra Contra Aquincum or Celemantia ) and military stations on main transport routes in the Barbaricum (e.g. near Musov). At

4600-450: The first scholarly treatise about it in 1731. Only after the foundation of the German Empire could archaeologists begin to study more precisely the route of the limes , about which there had previously only been a rudimentary knowledge. As a result, they were able to make the first systematic excavations in the second half of the 19th century. In 1892, the Imperial Limes Commission (RLK) was established for this purpose in Berlin , under

4692-485: The following divisions based outside Germany. The German Protestant Institute of Archaeology of the Holy Land in Jerusalem is simultaneously an office of the German Archaeological Institute. It is led by Dieter Vieweger , the current director for Jerusalem and Amman , who is also director of the Jerusalem section. The Amman section Brita Jansen. The commissions have academic advisory boards, whose members previously served for an unlimited period of time, but now have

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4784-452: The following members: The president, general secretary, and speaker of the directors of the DAI participate in meetings of the central directorate in an advisory capacity. Until the introduction of a new statute on 1 January 2005, classical archaeology had even more representation in the directorate, since they supplied ten of the subject representatives on the directorate, with only one seat for representatives of other subjects. Until 2005,

4876-435: The frontiers today consist of vestiges of roads, forts, fortresses, walls and ditches, and associated civilian settlements. The soldiers at a border were referred to as limitanei . They were not expected to win large-scale wars, but rather to deter small-to-medium-sized raiding parties. Notable examples of Roman frontiers include: The stem of limes , limit -, which can be seen in the genitive case, limitis , marks it as

4968-577: The general secretary of the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum was an ex officio member of the directorate. The central directorate is responsible for the award of scholarships, except for those awarded by the commissions. The most important of these is the travel stipend of the DAI ( Reisestipendium ), which has been awarded annually since 1859. The members of the scholarship committee are Friederike Fless (chairwoman), Katja Sporn , Ruth Bielfeldt, Ulrike Fauerbach, Kaja Harter-Uibopuu, Lutz Käppel, Carola Metzner-Nebelsick und Monika Trümper. The members of

5060-406: The greatest extent of the Roman Empire, the southern border lay along the deserts of Arabia in the Middle East (see History of the Romans in Arabia ) and the Sahara in North Africa , which represented a natural barrier against expansion. The Empire controlled the Mediterranean shores and the mountain ranges further inland. The Romans attempted twice to occupy the Siwa Oasis and finally used Siwa as

5152-404: The ground and fastened together in the manner of a palisade). Some experts suggested that the Germanic limes may have been called Munimentum Traiani (Trajan's Bulwark) by contemporaries, referring to a passage by Ammianus Marcellinus , according to which emperor Julian had reoccupied this fortification in 360 AD. The frontier in Britain existed from the 1st to the 5th century AD. Initially

5244-413: The groundwork for the establishment of interstate relationships. It maintains relationships with many academic organisations around the world. Its members include German archaeologists, German representatives of affiliated disciplines, and several important foreign researchers. It is not possible to apply for membership; it can only be received by co-option . Selection as a corresponding or ordinary member

5336-508: The heritage building committee are Ulrike Fauerbach (chairwoman), Friederike Fless, Philipp von Rummel, Katja Piesker , Steffen Laue, Klaus Nohlen , Andreas Schwarting , Axel Seemann and Josef Steiner. The board of directors ( Directorium ) consists of the president, general secretary, and the directors of the divisions and commissions of the DAI. It is responsible for working out comprehensive academic plans, strategic objectives, and comprehensive organisational rules. The institute contains

5428-423: The house. Some scholars have viewed the frontier as a threshold . The Merriam–Webster dictionaries take this view, as does J. B. Hofmann in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Griechischen under leimon . The White Latin Dictionary denies any connection, deriving limen from * ligmen , as in lien from *leig- , "tie". In this sense, the threshold ties together the doorway. W. Gebert also wrote an article discussing

5520-417: The hundredth anniversary of the DAI's establishment in 1929, it expanded further and took over existing structures elsewhere. In Egypt, the Cairo Division was established in this year, amalgamating several German predecessor organisations. In Turkey, the Istanbul Division was established, taking over projects and structures of the Berlin museums, which had been active in Asia Minor since the late 19th century. It

5612-509: The initial campaigning success was achieved by Quintus Anicius Faustus , the legate of Legio III Augusta . Following his African conquests, the Roman Empire may have reached its greatest extent during the reign of Septimius Severus , under whom the empire encompassed an area of 2 million square miles (5.18 million square kilometers ). Fossatum Africae ("African ditch") is a linear defensive structure ( limes ) that extended over 750 km or more in northern Africa constructed during

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5704-590: The late 4th and early 5th centuries, the Rhaetian Limes was reorganized and divided into three sections. The northern border of Rhaetia formed the pars superior (upper part), the western border was the pars media (central part) with the fortified town of Cambodunum and bases from Vemania ( Isny im Allgäu ) to Cassilacum ( Memmingen ); the pars inferior (lower part) was the section between Castra Regina ( Regensburg ) and Batavis ( Passau ). The defending troops, Exercitus Germaniae superioris and Exercitus Raeticus , consisted mostly of auxilia cohorts. From

5796-446: The local topography. This meant that they could not be built in the classical 'pack of cards' shape. Between them a dense chain of watchtowers and signal towers were constructed to provide an additional security measure ( burgi ). Flotillas of patrol boats were stationed on the large lakes in this region. Comitatenses , ripenses , and liburnaria in this section of the limes were under the command of four generals: This section of

5888-402: The mouth of the River Somme . The units of comitatenses , limitanei and liburnaria in this area came under the command of three generals: This section of limes existed from the 1st to the 5th century AD and ran through the province of Lower Germania ( Germania Inferior ). It lies on the territory of today's Netherlands and Germany . This limes was a river border ( limes ripa ) on

5980-441: The mythical foundation date of Rome. The Prussian crown prince Frederick William agreed to be the society's patron. The first president was the French ambassador to Naples , Pierre Louis Jean Casimir de Blacas . Administration was entrusted to a board of secretaries, led by a General Secretary. Among the founding members were Otto Magnus von Stackelberg and Theodor Panofka . After de Blacas' death in 1839, Klemens von Metternich

6072-445: The new division in 1996. The Damascus, Sana'a, and Baghdad Offices were placed under the control of a new Eastern Division, based at the DAI's headquarters in Berlin in 1996. The Ulaanbaatar research centre was founded in Mongolia in 2007 under the umbrella of KAAK. The Beijing Office was established in 2009. The Baghdad office resumed archaeological excavations in Iraqi Kurdistan resumed in 2011, and in southern Iraq in 2015. Following

6164-413: The outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, the Damascus Office shifted its base to Amman in Jordan , where it formed a close partnership with the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology of the Holy Land (GPIA). Parts of the Damascus library were relocated to Berlin. The DAI and GPIA jointly established a new research centre in Amman in 2019, which has effectively subsumed the Damascus office. With

6256-407: The outbreak of the Yemeni Civil War in 2014, the Sana'a office's buildings in Sana'a were closed and its main focus has shifted to Northeast Africa , where it had been active since 2009. The Budapest research centre was set up in June 2016. The German Archaeological Institute is headed by a president (since 2011, this is Friederike Fless , the first woman to hold the position), who is supported by

6348-435: The possibility for new discoveries to be continually published. The creation of a large reading library, open to all researchers, was another new development. Along with this a continuously active research centre with public lectures and discussions was created for the first time. All of these innovations made the Roman institute a centre of archaeological research in Europe and a model for the later national institutes created in

6440-437: The proclamation of the Codex Theodosianus because at that time the province was not in Africa, administratively speaking. In the south of Mauritania Tingitana the frontier in the third century lay just north of Casablanca near Sala and stretched to Volubilis . Septimius Severus expanded the "Limes Tripolitanus" dramatically, even briefly holding a military presence in the Garamantian capital Garama in 203 AD. Much of

6532-430: The protection, maintenance, and salvage of artefacts and buildings. It is a goal of the DAI to support deeper mutual understanding between cultures. It seeks to make a contribution to intercultural dialogue. Additionally, through altruistic research of other cultures and academic interaction with other nations, it is meant to contribute positively to Germany's reputation in the world. The German Archaeological Institute

6624-472: The region. Over time civilian settlements or vici were established immediately next to the camps. In the immediate hinterland of the limes , walled towns or municipia were founded – for example, Aelium Cetium or Ovilava (Wels). They were the administrative or commercial centres of the region. In late antiquity, the Norican area was divided into two parts ( pars inferior and pars superior ). It

6716-457: The respective governors. In late antiquity – according to Notitia Dignitatum – four newly established flotillas undertook this task. From the 3rd century, the Norian comitatenses , ripenses and liburnari were under the command of two generals: This stretch of limes was in use from the 1st to the 5th centuries AD and helped to guard the provinces of: The Pannonian Limes is situated on

6808-493: The respective provincial governor. From the 3rd century the ripenses (river guards), comitatenses , and liburnaria were under the command of the Dux Belgicae secundae . This limes existed from the 1st to 5th centuries AD and guarded the provinces of: It lay on the territory of the present German states of Rhineland-Palatinate , Hesse , Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria . To the north, it bordered those parts of

6900-469: The sections of the route, the forts and the watchtowers (Wp) on the individual sections. In the course of this work the 550-kilometre-long route of the limes was surveyed, divided into sections and described. This division followed the administrative boundaries in 19th-century Germany and not that of ancient Rome: Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes in general Sections Limes (Roman Empire) Limes ( Latin ; sg. , pl. : limites )

6992-556: The term. The first use of the term limes as meaning "land border" appears for the first time in 98 AD by Tacitus : ...nec iam de limite imperii et ripa, sed de hibernis legionum et de possessione dubitatum (...not only were the frontier of the empire and the banks [of the Danube] in danger but also the winter-quarters of the legions and the provinces). Its definitive use for the Danubian border seems to date from about 122 in

7084-487: The territory of present-day Austria, Slovakia and Hungary . Although this section of the frontier was relatively well protected by the Danube river border or Ripa , the Roman military presence here was always exceptionally strong (three military camps in Pannonia, but only one in Lower Pannonia) because especially after the abandonment of Roman Dacia in the late 3rd century, the pressure of migrant peoples from

7176-462: The third section between Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum and Mare Germanicum (the North Sea) was characterised by numerous small streams and boggy marshland. Consequently, in this area there was only one cavalry camp. Border security here consisted mainly of tightly packed, relatively small cohort forts. The occupying troops, Exercitus Germaniae Inferioris , consisted mostly of auxilia cohorts. From

7268-429: The time of Hadrian: Per ea tempora et alia frequenter in plurimis locis, in quibus barbari non fluminibus sed limitibus dividuntur, stipitibus magnis in modum muralis saepis funditus iactis atque conexis barbaros separavit (During this period and on many other occasions also, in many regions where the barbarians are held back not by rivers but artificial barriers, [Hadrian] shut them out by tall stakes planted deep in

7360-570: The time of the Renaissance and Renaissance humanism . This was bolstered by the rediscovery of the Germania and Annales of Tacitus in monastic libraries in the 15th and early 16th centuries. Scholars like Simon Studion (1543-1605) researched inscriptions and discovered forts. Studion led archaeological excavations of the Roman camp of Benningen am Neckar on the Neckar section of

7452-486: The whole cost of which was taken over by the Prussian ministry of culture. The highest administrative organ, the central directorate, had several international members, until the Revolutions of 1848-1849 , after which only German members were allowed. In 1871, the "Institute for Archaeological Correspondence" – as it was known at the time – formally became an organ of the Prussian state government. Three years later, it

7544-802: The year 300, the Emperor Diocletian had new fortifications built directly on the river banks or on major roads in the hinterland here. Around 370 AD, the line of fortifications was considerably strengthened under the Emperor Valentinian I to counter the Alemanni , who were steadily advancing southwards. By contrast with the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes, the DIRL primarily fulfilled defensive purposes; its camps had much stronger and higher walls than their High Imperial predecessors. Furthermore, they had in most cases been built to conform to

7636-522: Was also commonly used after the 3rd century AD to denote a military district under the command of a dux limitis . An etymology by Julius Pokorny in Indogermanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch says that limes comes from Indo-European el- , elei- , lei- , "to bow", "to bend", "elbow". According to Pokorny, Latin limen , "threshold", is related to limes , being the stone over which one enters or leaves

7728-534: Was also planned to open a branch office in Madrid in 1929, but this did not actually take place until 1943. The Baghdad division was founded in 1955 and the Tehran division in 1961. In 1967, the Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy , which had been established in 1955, was brought under the DAI's umbrella to facilitate the study of textual material recovered from archaeological excavations. The Lisbon division

7820-593: Was appointed as president in 1841. After Metternich's death in 1859, political and social representation ceased to play an important role in the organisation. Initially, the Institute's goal was to gather and publish all archaeological discoveries relating to Classical Antiquity . The focus was on Greek and Roman antiquities, but finds from Egypt and the Near East were not excluded. There were two types of membership: corresponding members ( socii ) and ordinary members ( membri ). The socii ("fellows") were intended to form

7912-675: Was established in 1980. With the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980, the Baghdad division's library and offices were largely relocated to Berlin and it ceased excavations, shifting its focus to heritage protection. The Eurasian Division was established in 1995, to pursue research in Eastern Europe and Central Asia , which had become possible following the dissolution of the Soviet Union . The Tehran Office became part of

8004-629: Was established in the early days of archaeology as a scholarly discipline. Even before its establishment, there were learned societies, like the Accademia Etrusca  [ de ] , focused on the material remains of ancient peoples, but they were antiquarian in approach. The first moves toward an archaeological organisation took place in Rome in the 1820s, with the establishment of the Roman Hyperboreans  [ de ] ,

8096-595: Was founded in 1971 and subsequently closed in 1999, with its library passing under the control of the Portuguese Directorate General for Cultural Heritage . The Sana'a Office in Yemen was opened in 1978. The Commission for General and Comparative Archaeology (KAVA) was established in Bonn in 1979; it was later redubbed the Commission for Archaeology of Non-European Cultures (KAAK). The Damascus Office

8188-753: Was renamed as the Kaiserlich Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (Imperial German Archaeological Institute). After becoming an Imperial Institute ( Reichsanstalt ), the DAI opened a second foreign base, the Athens Division , in 1874. Like the Roman division, the Athenian Division was tasked with recording and publishing artefacts. However, from the beginning, its focus was carrying out archaeological excavations and topographical surveys. The Roman Division did not undertake this kind of research until after

8280-489: Was the via iuxta amnem Danuvium . The initially simple wood and earth structures were systematically converted under Emperor Hadrian into stone encampments. During the 4th century, they were brought once more up to date and massively reinforced. Between the camps, in strategic places or good points of observation, were watchtowers or signal towers and, in the Late Antiquity, burgi . In the middle section, between

8372-653: Was the frontier of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea , facing the desert. It runs from the Gulf of Aqaba to northern Syria, for about 1,500 kilometers (930 mi) at its greatest extent The Limes Saxoniae in Holstein was established in 810 AD, long after the fall of the Western Roman Empire . Charlemagne considered his empire (later called the Carolingian Empire ) as the true successor to

8464-579: Was to create an organisation, which would provide a home for the newer archaeological sub-disciplines of prehistory and Roman provincial archaeology. The RGK was intended to be the central hub of archaeological research in Germany, which had hitherto been undertaken by a range of local heritage associations, antiquarian societies, and the Imperial Limes Commission . As in Italy, it did not initially undertake its own excavations, busying itself with investigations at Aliso and Trier . On

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