Dacia Ripensis

Dacia Ripensis
Provincia Dacia Ripensis
Δακία Παραποτάμια (Greek)

Province of Roman Empire

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c. 283 – 586

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SPQR: Symbol of the Roman Empire

The northern Balkans, including Dacia Ripensis, in the 6th century

Capital

Ratiaria (now in Vidin Province, Bulgaria)

History

•

Evacuation of Dacia Traiana, creation of Dacia Aureliana

271

•

Dacia Aureliana partitioned

before AD 285 280s

•

Captured by the Huns

•

Devastated by Avar invasion

586

Dacia Ripensis (Greek: Δακία Παραποτάμια,^[1] English translation: "Dacia from the banks of the Danube")^[2] was the name of a Roman province (part of Dacia Aureliana) first established by Aurelian circa AD 283,^[3] south of the Danube, after he withdrew from Dacia Traiana.

History 1
Episcopal sees 2
Famous individuals 3
See also 4
References 5
Sources 6

History

It is unclear whether Aurelian or the Emperor Diocletian replaced Dacia Aureliana with two provinces,^[3] but by 285, there were two – Dacia Mediterranea with its capital at Serdica and Dacia Ripensis, with its capital at Ratiaria. Later, these two "Dacias" along with Dardania, Lower Moesia, and Prevalitana constituted the Diocese of Dacia.

Ratiaria was established as the capital of Dacia Ripensis (it was previously a colony founded by Trajan located within Moesia Superior) and served both as the seat of the military governor (or dux) and as the military base for the Roman legion XIII Gemina.^[4]

According to Priscus, Dacia Ripensis was a flourishing province during the 4th and 5th centuries AD. During the early 440s, however, the Huns captured the province (prior to this, there were conflicts between the Romans and the Huns whereby the latter group captured Castra Martis through treacherous means^[5]). Even though the province recovered briefly from Hunnic rule, it was eventually decimated by the Avars in 586.^[4] On a more specific note, Aurelian developed Dacia Ripensis on a stretch of the Danube specifically between Moesia Superior and Moesia Inferior.^[6]

Episcopal sees

Ancient episcopal sees of the late Roman province of Dacia Ripensis listed in the Annuario Pontificio as titular sees:^[7]

Aquae in Dacia (Vidonac)
Bononia
Castra Martis (Cula)
Oescus
Ratiaria

Famous individuals

Roman Emperor Lucius Domitius Aurelianus, commonly known as Aurelian, was probably born in Dacia Ripensis,^[8] at that time still named Moesia.
Roman Emperor Galerius was born in Dacia Ripensis.^[9]
Palladius of Ratiaria, late 4th century Arian Christian theologian.

References

^ Hierocles, Synecdemus, 655.1. However Procopius in De Aedificiis, 4.5.11 calls it Ῥιπησία.
^ Loring 1890, p. 330.
^ ^a ^b Bury 1923, p. 135: "The date must be A.D. 283, and it is obvious that Aurelian set up the boundary stones, one of which Gaianus restored. There were, then, two Dacias when Diocletian came to the throne and, therefore, Mr. Fillow has inferred that we should read in our List: Dacia , that is presumably Dacia Ripensis and Dacia Mediterranea. Aurelian's Dacia mediterranea might have included Dardania, and Dardania, Mr. Fillow thinks, was split off as a distinct province by Diocletian."
^ ^a ^b Jones 1988, p. 231: "When founded as a colony by Trajan, Ratiaria was within Moesia Superior: when Aurelian withdrew from the old Dacia north of the Danube and established a new province of the same name on the south (Dacia Ripensis), Ratiaria became the capital. As such it was the seat of the military governor (dux), and the base of the legion XIII Gemina. It flourished in the fourth and fifth centuries, and according to the historian Priscus was μεγίστη καί πολυάνθρωπος ("very great and with numerous inhabitants") when it was captured by the Huns in the early 440s. It appears to have recovered from this sack, but was finally destroyed by the Avars in 586, though the name survives in the modern Arcar."
^ Maenchen-Helfen 1955, p. 389: "What the Romans could not anticipate was that the Huns would take Castra Martis in Dacia Ripensis by treachery."
^ Hind 1984, p. 191: "The emperor Aurelian formed two provinces of Moesia Superior and Inferior. In fact, Dacia Ripensis was formed out of a stretch of the Danube between Moesia Superior and Inferior, while Dacia Mediterranea was the old inland Balkan region of Dardania."
^ Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), "Sedi titolari", pp. 819-1013
^ Eutropius (9.13.1) states that Aurelianus was born in Dacia Ripensis; Historia Augusta (Aurelianus 3.1) supports the birth in Sirmium or Dacia Ripensis, but reports also origins of Moesia (Aurelianus 3.2); Aurelius Victor (Epitome de Caesaribus, 35.1) claims he was born between Dacia and Macedonia.
^ Mackay 1999, pp. 207–208: "Lactantius and the Epitome de Caesaribus state that the emperor Maximus was of peasant origin. His birthplace is unknown but his mother's brother, the emperor Galerius, was born in Dacia Ripensis, part of the former province of Moesia Superior (Epit. de Caes. 41.14)."

Sources

Bury, J. B. (1923). "The Provincial List of Verona". The Journal of Roman Studies 13: 127–51.
Hind, J. G. F. (1984). "Whatever Happened to the 'Agri Decumates'?". Britannia 15: 187–92.
Jones, C. P. (1988). "An Epigram from Ratiaria". The American Journal of Philology (The Johns Hopkins University Press) 109 (2): 231–38.
Loring, William (1890). "A New Portion of the Edict of Diocletian from Megalopolis". The Journal of Hellenic Studies 11: 299–342.
Mackay, Christopher S. (1999). "Lactantius and the Succession to Diocletian". Classical Philology 94 (2): 198–209.
Maenchen-Helfen, Otto J. (1955). "The Date of Ammianus Marcellinus' Last Books". The American Journal of Philology 76 (4): 384–99.

Late Roman provinces (4th–7th centuries AD)

History

As found in the Notitia Dignitatum. Provincial administration reformed and dioceses established by Diocletian, c. 293. Permanent praetorian prefectures established after the death of Constantine I. Empire permanently partitioned after 395. Exarchates of Ravenna and Africa established after 584. After massive territorial losses in the 7th century, the remaining provinces were superseded by the theme system in c. 640–660, although in Asia Minor and parts of Greece they survived under the themes until the early 9th century.

Western Empire (395–476)

Praetorian Prefecture
of Gaul

Diocese of Gaul	Alpes Poeninae et Graiae Belgica I Belgica II Germania I Germania II Lugdunensis I Lugdunensis II Lugdunensis III Lugdunensis IV Maxima Sequanorum

Diocese of Vienne¹	Alpes Maritimae Aquitanica I Aquitanica II Narbonensis I Narbonensis II Novempopulania Viennensis

Diocese of Spain	Baetica Balearica Carthaginensis Gallaecia Lusitania Mauretania Tingitana Tarraconensis

Diocese of the Britains	Britannia I Britannia II Flavia Caesariensis Maxima Caesariensis Valentia (?)

Praetorian Prefecture
of Italy

Diocese of Suburbicarian Italy	Apulia et Calabria Campania Corsica Lucania et Bruttii Picenum Suburbicarium Samnium Sardinia Sicilia Tuscia et Umbria Valeria

Diocese of Annonarian Italy	Alpes Cottiae Flaminia et Picenum Annonarium Liguria et Aemilia Raetia I Raetia II Venetia et Istria

Diocese of Africa²	Africa proconsularis (Zeugitana) Byzacena Mauretania Caesariensis Mauretania Sitifensis Numidia Cirtensis Numidia Militiana Tripolitania

Diocese of Pannonia³	Dalmatia Noricum mediterraneum Noricum ripense Pannonia I Pannonia II Savia Valeria ripensis

Eastern Empire (395–c. 640)

Praetorian Prefecture
of Illyricum

Diocese of Dacia	Dacia Mediterranea Dacia Ripensis Dardania Moesia I Praevalitana

Diocese of Macedonia	Achaea Creta Epirus nova Epirus vetus Macedonia I Macedonia II Salutaris Thessalia

Praetorian Prefecture
of the East

Diocese of Thrace⁵	Europa Haemimontus Moesia II⁴ Rhodope Scythia⁴ Thracia

Diocese of Asia⁵	Asia Caria⁴ Hellespontus Insulae⁴ Lycaonia (370) Lycia Lydia Pamphylia Pisidia Phrygia Pacatiana Phrygia Salutaris

Diocese of Pontus⁵	Armenia I⁵ Armenia II⁵ Armenia Maior⁵ Armenian Satrapies⁵ Armenia III (536) Armenia IV (536) Bithynia Cappadocia I⁵ Cappadocia II⁵ Galatia I⁵ Galatia II Salutaris⁵ Helenopontus⁵ Honorias⁵ Paphlagonia⁵ Pontus Polemoniacus⁵

Diocese of the East⁵	Arabia Cilicia I Cilicia II Cyprus⁴ Euphratensis Isauria Mesopotamia Osroene Palaestina I Palaestina II Palaestina III Salutaris Phoenice I Phoenice II Libanensis Syria I Syria II Salutaris Theodorias (528)

Diocese of Egypt⁵	Aegyptus I Aegyptus II Arcadia Augustamnica I Augustamnica II Libya Superior Libya Inferior Thebais Superior Thebais Inferior

Other territories

Taurica Quaestura exercitus (536) Spania (552)

¹ Later the Septem Provinciae
² Re-established after reconquest by the Eastern Empire in 534 as the separate Prefecture of Africa
³ Later the Diocese of Illyricum
⁴ Placed under the Quaestura exercitus in 536
⁵ Affected (i.e. boundaries modified, abolished or renamed) by Justinian I's administrative reorganization in 534–536

Dacia topics

Tribes

Kings

Culture and
civilisation

Artifacts

Language

Religion

Deities	Bendis Deceneus Derzelas Dionysus Gebeleizis Kotys Pleistoros Sabazios Semele Seirenes Silenus Zalmoxis

Dacian Draco Kogaionon

Towns and
fortresses

Foreign
relations

Warfare

Wars with the
Roman Empire

Domitian	First Battle of Tapae

Trajan	First War Second Battle of Tapae Battle of Adamclisi Second War Battle of Sarmisegetusa

Roman Dacia

Dacia Traiana Moesia Scythia Minor Dacia Aureliana Diocese of Dacia Dacia Mediterranea Dacia Ripensis Trajan Bridge Column Towns and cities Castra

Limes	Alutanus Moesiae Porolissensis Sarmatiae (Devil's Dykes) Transalutanus Trajan's Wall Brazda lui Novac

Culture	Daco-Roman Thraco-Roman Eastern Romance substratum

Research

Dacia Ripensis

Dacia Ripensis

Contents

History

Episcopal sees

Famous individuals

See also

References

Sources

Categories

Dacia

Encyclopedia Article

Greek language

Encyclopedia Article

Roman Empire

Encyclopedia Article

Roman Dacia

Encyclopedia Article

Suggestions

Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum

Encyclopedia Article

Diocese of Dacia

Encyclopedia Article

Africa (Roman province)

Encyclopedia Article

Lydia

Encyclopedia Article

Roman Dacia

Encyclopedia Article