The Roman fort ( cz, římská pevnost or cz, Hradisko, german: Burgstall) is an archaeological site located in Mušov,

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

, of a Roman army camp on the Dyje- Svratka-

Jihlava Jihlava (; german: Iglau) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 50,000 inhabitants. Jihlava is the capital of the Vysočina Region, situated on the Jihlava River on the historical border between Moravia and Bohemia. Historically, Jihlava i ...

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river ( main stem); ...

. It was intended to become the capital of the proposed Marcomannia province (

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. Th ...

Geography

The site is located on the Dyje- Svratka-

. It is situated 18 km from Brno and 86 km from

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

History

The '' castra'' in Mušov originated as a

Roman army The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval contin ...

camp. Its original name is unknown (possibly, but uncertainly, it was ''Eburon'', from

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of import ...

's Eβυρον). Romans made it his base of operations in the campaigns against

Maroboduus Maroboduus (d. AD 37) was a king of the Marcomanni, who were a Germanic Suebian people. He spent part of his youth in Rome, and returning, found his people under pressure from invasions by the Roman empire between the Rhine and Elbe. He le ...

(Marbod). So far its importance in the European context remains the site and its accompanying evidence of the period of the

Marcomannic Wars The Marcomannic Wars (Latin: ''bellum Germanicum et Sarmaticum'', "German and Sarmatian War") were a series of wars lasting from about 166 until 180 AD. These wars pitted the Roman Empire against, principally, the Germanic Marcomanni and Quadi ...

(166–180 AD) – the central military base on the hill Hradisko (

Hillfort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post- Rom ...

) at Mušov (now

cadastral A cadastre or cadaster is a comprehensive recording of the real estate or real property's metes and bounds, metes-and-bounds of a country.Jo Henssen, ''Basic Principles of the Main Cadastral Systems in the World,'/ref> Often it is represented gra ...

area of Pasohlávky). It was built by

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin: áːɾkus̠ auɾέːli.us̠ antɔ́ːni.us̠ English: ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good ...

' soldiers deep inside enemy territory, roughly 86 km to the north of the antique

Vindobona Vindobona (from Gaulish ''windo-'' "white" and ''bona'' "base/bottom") was a Roman military camp on the site of the modern city of Vienna in Austria. The settlement area took on a new name in the 13th century, being changed to Berghof, or now si ...

(today

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

). The base covers a flat minor hilltop, elevated 50 m above the surrounding terrain and its southern mild slopes, on the banks of the river Dyje (Thaya). From this strategic location crossings of the river (fort) and overland routes at the confluence of the rivers Svratka, Svitava and Dyje (Thaya) as well as surrounding areas along the rivers could be controlled. The area was densely populated by the

Germanic tribes The Germanic peoples were historical groups of people that once occupied Central Europe and Scandinavia during antiquity and into the early Middle Ages. Since the 19th century, they have traditionally been defined by the use of ancient and ear ...

of Marcomanii. In Roman times it had a history as a trading center for

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In M ...

('' in analogy'' as in

Carnuntum Carnuntum ( according to Ptolemy) was a Roman legionary fortress ( la, castra legionis) and headquarters of the Pannonian fleet from 50 AD. After the 1st century, it was capital of the Pannonia Superior province. It also became a large ...

), brought from the north to traders who sold it in Italy; the main arm of the

Amber Road The Amber Road was an ancient trade route for the transfer of amber from coastal areas of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. Prehistoric trade routes between Northern and Southern Europe were defined by the amber trade. ...

crossed the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , ...

at Carnuntum and continue on the right bank of the Dyje.

resided there for a short time, shortly before his death in 180 AD, during the Second Marcomannic War. During the

Barbarian Invasions The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...

(reoccupation of the territory) "Eburon" was eventually abandoned and used as a cemetery and source of

building material Building material is material used for construction. Many naturally occurring substances, such as clay, rocks, sand, wood, and even twigs and leaves, have been used to construct buildings. Apart from naturally occurring materials, many man-mad ...

for projects elsewhere. Eventually, its remains were covered by decaying plant material.

Civilian city

The remains of the civilian city surrounded the fortress above. Housing around the upper Roman fort measured more than 11 square kilometres, and was a lightly fortified area densely populated by the Germanic tribes of

Marcomanni The Marcomanni were a Germanic people * * * that established a powerful kingdom north of the Danube, somewhere near modern Bohemia, during the peak of power of the nearby Roman Empire. According to Tacitus and Strabo, they were Suebian. Origi ...

(or

Quadi The Quadi were a Germanic * * * people who lived approximately in the area of modern Moravia in the time of the Roman Empire. The only surviving contemporary reports about the Germanic tribe are those of the Romans, whose empire had its bord ...

) (those who traded and collaborated with the Romans and enjoyed luxury Roman goods. They had a partly civilised life. The area was bounded by left (northern) bank of Dyje river in the south, right (western) bank of Jihlava River in the east and in the north by rectangular plan enclosed V-shaped ditch. This area is probably older than the real Roman fort atop the hill.

Balneum

A limited part of the developed area of the Roman fortress was uncovered. Between 1926 and 1928 unique evidence of

ancient Roman architecture Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often considered one ...

was uncovered in the north parts of the fortified area. An enclosure, consisting of a residential building with four rooms and baths could be interpreted as a luxurious residential complex, as an ''ad hoc'' residence for the highest military authorities. Smaller scale baths implies private use, but all necessary rooms appeared to have cold and hot water.

Military camps

In the surrounding was discovered more than twelve temporary Roman military camps (marching camps).Anonymus, ''Marching or temporary camps of Roman troops north to the Middle Danube''. Culture 2000
/ref> In seasonal operations ( 179 AD) more than 50,000

legionaries The Roman legionary (in Latin ''legionarius'', plural ''legionarii'') was a professional heavy infantryman of the Roman army after the Marian reforms. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the late Repu ...

settled there, mostly from

Legio X Gemina Legio X ''Gemina'' ("The Twins' Tenth Legion"), was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. It was one of the four legions used by Julius Caesar in 58 BC, for his invasion of Gaul. There are still records of the X ''Gemina'' in Vienna in the b ...

Workshop

In the open area among the buildings simple round kilns and one sizable waste pit were uncovered. This installation served as a workshop district, specialized among others for repair and perhaps production of Roman military equipment and weaponry. This evidence supports the hypothesis that inside the fortified area civilian personnel operated under protection of the

. Their sustenance depended on contracts with the Roman army and for that they followed them even in time of war into hostile territory

References

External links

Archaeological report by Czech Academy of Science
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roman fortress in Moravia (Musov) Archaeological sites in the Czech Republic Brno-Country District Forts in the Czech Republic Populated places in Pannonia History of Moravia Roman fortified camps in the Czech Republic