LIMES PONTICUS – ABOUT PONTIC FRONTIER IN THE 1ST - 3RD CC.

Abstract

Before being totally destroyed, Imperial security system actually had shown three gradual phases of development. Beyond the Roman Rhine, Danube and Pontus there were many others favouring to the Roman concept of Pan-European integration. The happy client kings used to be awarded with the Roman citizenship. And for the Julio-Claudians these client kingdoms formed the first defense-line of the Imperial territories. A little behind, the whole perimeter had been dotted by solid legionary concentrations, proving the system to be impregnable. No cardinal changes took place in the era of the Antonines, except of annexation of the client kingdoms and breaking the big concentrations in favour of scattering the legions along the whole frontier. In the both cases, after defeating comparatively weak enemy at the border, the Romans usually attacked their territory. This system of security is called forward defense. Gradually, many things had happened that completely changed the defensive strategy, namely: 1. economic crisis, 2. weakening of the integratory links, 3. socio-economic animation of “Barbaricum’’, 4. financial chaos and some professional regiments converted into limitanei. From now they are to stand the first strike and evacuate the whole frontier folk into citadels, thus wearing down the enemy. And there were large and mobile field armies deployed far behind that self-contained strongholds to cut down any invasion into the depth. This system shaped in the times of Diocletian is called defense-in-depth. But before this new system was finally established, the Romans had been fighting those already easily passing the border wherever they could manage to concentrate large army-units. Name for the defensive system is elastic defense. Security-system had to be changed at least because of emergence of the Germanic seaborne attacks from the 3rd c. everywhere at the seas that prolonged the line of the frontier.Full-time units, legions, alae of cavalry, cohortes of infantry and mixed cohortes equitatae served the forward defense-system. Part-time border force of limitanei had appeared and auxiliary alae and cohorts had disappeared; and regular mobile reserve – comitatenses – substituted legions, fixed at the border. All they served new security system – defense-in-depth. The whole 3rd c. saw these changes, finally shaped in the times of Constantine I. From the great deeds of Emperor M. Aurelius Probus (276-282) the most important is the deliverance of seventy Gaulic cities. He drove back Franks and Alemanns, four hundred thousand of them being killed. Probus passed the Rhine, and returned back with considerable tribute of corn, cattle, and horses. Sixteen thousand Germanic recruits were dispersed among the Roman units. Other captive or fugitive barbarians gained a new status, that of part-time peasant-soldiers (limitanei). Emperor transported a considerable body of Vandals into Cambridgeshire, great number of Franks and Gepidae were settled on the banks of the Danube and the Rhine, Bastarnae – in Thrace. Pontic (The Black Sea) coast was reserved for some more Franks. But which one exactly? This is to be discussed. According to Ed. Gibbon, Franks settled at the sea-coast of Pontus had to check the Alani inroads. A fleet stationed in one of the harbors of the Euxine fell into their hands, and they resolved, through unknown seas, to explore their way from the mouth of Phasis (River Rioni in the West Georgia, Ancient Colchis/Lazica – T. D., L. T.) to that of the Rhine. They easily escaped through the Bosphorus and the Hellespont, and cruising along the Mediterranean, indulged their appetite for revenge and plunder by frequent descents on the shores of Asia, Greece and Africa. City of Syracuse was sacked by the Barbarians. Franks proceeded to the columns of Hercules, coasted round Spain and Gaul, and steering their course through the British channel, at length finished their voyage by landing in safety on the Batavian or Frisian shores. What is this whole story based on? Zosimus and one panegyric to Constantius Chlorus contributed to it. There is no mention of mouth of the river of Phasis as a spring-board for the expedition in the sources. Then, what was in Gibbon’s mind? Perhaps, logics, excluding the possibilities. Indeed, the Northern Black Sea coast is beyond the Roman rule. The Western shores, and the Balkans are already packed with the Barbarians. Southern littoral had been less used for receptio. While Lazica and Pontic Limes can not be argued. Being active since the 2nd half of the 1st c., this Limes was based upon well-manned castellum-system from Pitius to Aphsaros in the Western Georgia. The Roman forts protected the units of the Roman Black Sea fleet in the small harbours, and also controlled the route coming from Meotis to Asia Minor. And something strange had happened to this limes in the 3rd c. Now threat comes not from the front, the Romans have Lazi client king dwelling there, but – from behind, because of the Goths living at the Northern shores of the Black Sea. We can only guess that the Franks were in Lazica as limitanei.