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Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Ripa Pannonica in Hungary (RPH) Nomination statement
The final remodeling of the fortifications of the Ripa Pannonica was the elimination of forts and the
construction of small scale tower-like fortifications, usually in one of the corners of an abandoned fort,
which became necessary due to the drastic decrease in the numbers of border defense units following the
death of Theodosius (379-395 AD).
At the beginning of the 5 th century, after the mercenary soldiers were no longer paid, the local residents
took over the border defense. With the handover of the province of Pannonia Valeria by a alleged treaty
to the Huns in 433, the purpose of the Ripa Pannonica as a border defense system ended.
The surviving remains of the Ripa Pannonica in Hungary are evidence of the system’s development in
sections, which shows the Roman Empire’s ability to react interactively over a long period of time to
the changes in human values and relationships, as well as the impact this had on the development of
architecture and the shaping of the land.
(iii) bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilisation which is living or
which has disappeared
The Summary Nomination Statement for the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site states:
“the Frontiers of the Roman Empire are the largest monument of the Roman Empire, one of the greatest of
the world’s pre-industrial empires. The physical remains of the frontier line, of the forts and fortresses along
it, as well as of the cities, towns and settlements associated with it and development upon it demonstrate the
complexities of Roman culture across Europe and the Mediterranean world. Unlike the great monuments
from urban centers around the Mediterranean already inscribed as World Heritage Sites, the frontiers
show a more mundane aspect of the Roman culture, both military and civilian. As such they are evidence
of the spread of Roman culture and its adoption by the Empire’s subject peoples. Inscriptions and other
evidence demonstrate the extent to which the frontier led to an interchange of peoples across Empire.
To a large extent, this was the result of the movement of military units (e.g. British units in Romania, or
Iraqi boatmen in northern Britain) but there is also strong evidence of civilian movement (e.g. merchants
from the Middle East who settled in Britain, Germany and Hungary). The frontiers also acted as base for
movement of Roman goods (and presumably ideas) to pass well beyond the Empire.”
The Ripa Pannonica represents one of the most important parts of the Roman Empire’s frontiers, and
so it is an exceptional testimony to Roman civilization in Hungary. The armies and governors of the
Pannonian provinces (Pannonia Superior and Inferior in the 2 nd -3 rd centuries and further split into four
provinces in the 4 th and 5 th centuries) together with other Danube provinces provided the Roman Empire
with its emperor in both 69 and 193 AD, and on many other occasions up to 378 AD This means
that the interactions between soldiers and civilians, as well as between them and other peoples such
as the Sarmatian and German tribes were a main factor in determining the policies and history of the
Roman Empire. Pannonia was a melting pot of different people and nations, and Romanized chieftains
of Sarmatian, German, Dacian or other origins were able to settle in Pannonia and in other Roman
territories, sometimes later becoming generals or emperors.
The Ripa Pannonica, as the eastern border of the Roman Empire for many years, was exposed to the effects
of the continuous east-west migrations of peoples in ancient times. The movements of people and nations
is demonstrated by the fact that the Romanized inhabitants of Pannonia included Sarmatians, Alans,
Iazyges, Marcomanni, Quadi and Dacians in the 1 st -4 th centuries and Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Heruli,
Scirii, Gepids, Huns and Vandals in the 5 th .
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