Economic role of the Roman army in the province of Lower Moesia (Moesia Inferior) INSTITUTE OF EUROPEAN CULTURE ADAM MICKIEWICZ UNIVERSITY IN POZNAŃ ACTA HUMANISTICA GNESNENSIA VOL. XVI ECONOMIC ROLE OF THE ROMAN ARMY IN THE PROVINCE OF LOWER MOESIA (MOESIA INFERIOR) Michał Duch This books takes a comprehensive look at the Roman army as a factor which prompted substantial changes and economic transformations in the province of Lower Moesia, discussing its impact on the development of particular branches of the economy. The volume comprises five chapters. Chapter One, entitled “Before Lower Moesia: A Political and Economic Outline” consti- tutes an introduction which presents the economic circumstances in the region prior to Roman conquest. In Chapter Two, entitled “Garrison of the Lower Moesia and the Scale of Militarization”, the author estimates the size of the garrison in the province and analyzes the influence that the military presence had on the demography of Lower Moesia. The following chapter – “Monetization” – is concerned with the financial standing of the Roman soldiery and their contri- bution to the monetization of the province. Chapter Four, “Construction”, addresses construction undertakings on which the army embarked and the outcomes it produced, such as urbanization of the province, sustained security and order (as envisaged by the Romans), expansion of the economic market and exploitation of the province’s natural resources. In the final chapter, entitled “Military Logistics and the Local Market”, the narrative focuses on selected aspects of agriculture, crafts and, to a slightly lesser extent, on trade and services. The book demonstrates how the Roman army, seeking to meet its provisioning needs, participated in and contributed to the functioning of these industries. INSTITUTE OF EUROPEAN CULTURE ADAM MICKIEWICZ UNIVERSITY IN POZNAŃ ACTA HUMANISTICA GNESNENSIA Tom XVI Michał Duch ECONOMIC ROLE OF THE ROMAN ARMY IN THE PROVINCE OF LOWER MOESIA (MOESIA INFERIOR) Series editor Leszek Mrozewicz Translated by Szymon Nowak Gniezno 2017 Institute of European Culture Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań Instytut Kultury Europejskiej Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu Acta Humanistica Gnesnensia / Gnieźnieńskie Prace Humanistyczne vol. XVI / tom XVI Redaktor serii / Series editor Leszek Mrozewicz Projekt okładki / Cover design Władysław Kondej Na okładce / Cover picture Road-building in the mountains (Conrad Cichorius: "Die Reliefs der Traianssäule", Zweiter Tafelband: "Die Reliefs des Zweiten Dakischen Krieges", Tafeln 58-113, Berlin 1900) Graphs by Sława Gucia Przekład / Translated by Szymon Nowak The project was financed by the National Science Center in Kraków granted based on the decision number DEC-2011/03/N/HS3/00873 Copyright © by Michał Duch & IKE UAM ISBN 978-83-65287-58-8 Adres redakcji / Editorial office ul. Kostrzewskiego 5-7, 62-200 Gniezno tel. 61 829 4800 faks 61 829 4802 Skład, druk i oprawa / Typeset, printed and bound by Wydawnictwo Naukowe CONTACT / ABC ul. Marcelińska 18, 60-801 Poznań, Poland Publikacja sfinansowana ze środków Urzędu Miejskiego w Gnieźnie Publication funded by the City Hall of Gniezno LIST OF CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................................................ 7 Chapter I Before Lower Moesia – a political and economic outline .............................. 17 1. Ethnic composition ..................................................................................... 17 2. Political and economic circumstances ...................................................... 19 3. Roman conquest of the Lower Danube – the aftermath.......................... 29 4. Lower Moesia – an outline of political history ......................................... 32 Chapter II The garrison of Lower Moesia and the scale of militarization ...................... 37 1. Strengths of the Roman military units....................................................... 37 2. The garrison of Lower Moesia ................................................................... 49 3. Impact of the army on demography........................................................... 64 Chapter III Monetization ........................................................................................................... 75 1. Remuneration in the Roman military ....................................................... 77 2. Expenditure on the Roman army in Lower Moesia and monetization 87 3. Monetary circulation in Lower Moesia ..................................................... 94 Chapter IV Construction undertakings .................................................................................. 115 1. Fortifications ................................................................................................ 116 2. Urbanization ................................................................................................. 131 3. Infrastructure ............................................................................................... 141 4. Infrastructure and the economy ................................................................ 148 5. Water supply systems .................................................................................. 159 6. Exploitation of deposits .............................................................................. 163 Chapter V Military logistics and the local market .............................................................. 169 1. Agriculture .................................................................................................... 170 2. Animal husbandry ....................................................................................... 181 3. Imports (olive oil, salsamenta) ................................................................... 183 4. Wine importation and viniculture ............................................................ 186 5. Pottery manufacture (vessels, lamps) ........................................................ 189 6. Building ceramics ......................................................................................... 196 7. Stone-masonry ............................................................................................. 216 8. Other crafts ................................................................................................... 219 9. Trade and services in the vicinity of encampments ................................ 224 Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 227 Maps ......................................................................................................................... 235 Illustrations ............................................................................................................. 239 Transliteration of Cyryllic ................................................................................... 241 List of abbreviations .............................................................................................. 243 BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................................................... 247 Sources ..................................................................................................................... 247 Literature.................................................................................................................. 252 INTRODUCTION Roman army was not only a splendidly trained military machine, defending the frontiers of the Empire and pushing them further. Above all, it was a tremendous institution which exerted pivotal influence on the functioning of the border provinces. When the occupation of Lower Moesia began, Roman army had unquestionable technological advantage over the conquered peoples, evinced not only in the skill of warfare, but also in production technologies and organization of logistics. The army also had scores of highly competent architects and craftsmen at its disposal. Consequently, Lower Moesia underwent inevitable economic transformation when the Roman model of economy had been introduced. Hence this work aims to present the Roman army as the leading factor in the changes and transformations that took place in the province of Lower Moesia, and discuss its impact on the development of individual sectors of economy1. The adopted chronological frame of the work spans the entire period in which the province existed (from 86 to 275), although when such need arises, I frequently refer to earlier and later events. As far as the territorial extent is concerned, I discuss Lower Moesia within the boundaries it had under Septimius Severus. The incentive to address the issue outlined above stemmed from that fact that no publication to date has explored the economic role of the Roman army in Lower Moesia. My intention was to rectify that evident gap, especially that the body of sources, in particular relics of material culture, is now quite substantial. This study is also very much in line with the tradition of Polish archaeological investigations in Lower Moesia, which have been conducted since 1960, i.e. the year of commencement of research in Novae (Bulgaria). The body of material I had access to is tremendous, yet it is considerably dispersed in numerous, mostly local journals (though still insufficient in many areas, e.g. logistics). Consequently, I was compelled to focus on selected issues, such as the influence of army on demography, monetization,