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Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Ripa Pannonica in Hungary (RPH) Nomination statement
The border defenses of the Ripa were gradually built up, and consisted of legionary fortresses (castra
legionis), between which forts (auxiliarian castella) were constructed for the auxiliary troops, and the
sections between these forts were made up of watch towers or signal towers. The forts and legionary
fortresses were linked by the limes road running along the right bank of the Danube. The fortified river
ports erected in the late Roman period on both sides of the Danube – usually in pairs – were also a part
of border defense and foreign commerce.
Forts and fortresses
Two legionary fortresses and numerous auxiliary forts from Pannonia fall within the territory of Hungary.
Not all of these castella are fully known without doubt, particularly those short-lived forts that were only
built and used during military operations. In addition to the more than 20 auxiliary forts built from
stone, there was also a stone fortress in Aquincum built to hold a garrison of 6000 soldiers, but there must
have been more auxiliary forts enclosed by earthworks and other smaller forts that are not known. There
have not been excavations on a few known forts’ sites, and on others the results have not been conclusive,
so we do not know for sure in every case which of these were continuously in use, which were established
later and which were abandoned.
The system of fortifications developed in the 1 st and 2 nd centuries along the Ripa resulted in a largely
balanced linear military presence. The encampments of both the legions and the auxiliary troops that
were developed into fortifications over time are close by the Danube, on the border of the province
and at the same time of the Roman Empire. The Ripa Pannonica displays an identical structure to the
neighboring provinces along the Danube, primarily the border defenses of Noricum and the two Moesian
provinces, while in the case of Raetia more fortifications are located further from the actual borderline. In
the case of Dacia both legions and auxiliary troops were stationed inside the province, one cannot speak in
a literal sense of a system of fortifications built only along the line of the limes in the area of Transylvania.
The linear border defense system in the general sense that was true for the entire Empire therefore showed
differences to varying degrees depending on the local conditions and strategic requirements. A river border
represented a stronger impetus for an actual presence at this border. This is characteristic of the defensive
system for Pannonia, as well as for the later two and then three Pannonian border provinces.
The early forts were established at the more important river crossings. The first legionary fortress at
Carnuntum was built during the time of Claudius (41-54 AD), and the earliest auxiliary forts of Arrabona
(Győr), Brigetio (Komárom), Aquincum – III (Budapest–Víziváros), Lussonium (Paks) and Lugio (Dunaszekcső)
can be placed in this same period. The largest proportion of auxiliary troops was sent to the
banks of the Danube during the times of Vespasian (69-79 AD) and Domitian (81-96 AD). This was
when the earliest legionary fortress was built at Aquincum. Troops were detached to Solva (Esztergom),
Cirpi (Dunabogdány), Aquincum and probably Intercisa (Dunaújváros) on the Hungarian section of
the border during the rule of Vespasian. The predecessor to the fort at Campona may possibly have been
established during the time of Domitian. It was also during the rule of Domitian that in the year 89 the
legionary fortress of Aquincum was established.
The full occupation of the border, which henceforth became permanent, occurred during the rule of
Trajan (98-117 AD). This was when the legionary fortress of Brigetio was established at around the year
100. It was during the reign of Hadrian (117-138 AD) at the latest that the border defense system of the
two Pannonian provinces took shape and lasted without significant changes for about two centuries.
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