Limites inter Provincias - Rome´s internal frontiers

Boundaries and the overcoming thereof are a current topic of research in the historical sciences. This also holds true for Provincial-Roman archaeology, however up until now, this field of study was primarily confined to the frontiers of the Roman Empire. Based on the present state of research, an extensive examination of the inner borders of the Roman Empire is still in the beginning phase, though of extreme importance. For example, did a border at that time correspond to todays borders between two provinces/cantons or was it similar to the border between two countries of the EU? Is it a matter of mere administrative borders or can cultural boundaries be assumed? Did a provincial awareness exist among the people? In order to find answers to these and other questions, we are planning a tri-national, border-crossing research project. In a combined interdisciplinary approach with the help of ancient history, archaeology and archaeometry the declared goal is to gain new knowledge on the phenomenon of the Roman provincial border. As a case study the provincial border between Upper Germania and Rhaetia has been chosen, which ran, perpendicular to todays national borders, in the Middle Imperial Era from Swäbisch-Gmünd (GER) to Lake Constance and from there further on to the main Alpine divide. Three approaches have been selected to study these issues: Approach 1 includes the study of written sources (ancient historical approach). Based on the critical analysis of the written records, the significance/organization of provincial borders and their relationship to customs regions of that same time will be studied. Approach 2 includes landscape archaeology. Geographical and topographical methods of settlement study (incl. GIS) should primarily examine if the artificially drawn border can be recognized in settlement patterns. Approach 3 includes the analysis of finds. The study of pottery production and distribution may determine if the economic structures of that time (production installations and the distribution of wares) were influenced by the administrative borders. In the area of the study of dress (esp. fibulae), it should be examined to what extent the politically formed provinces correlate with cultural regions. The project will be carried out at three work places (Zurich University, Freiburg/Brsg. University, Innsbruck University) in the framework of dissertations as well as project papers. The combination of tried and tested methods (study of inscriptions, study of material) with new scientifically sound approaches (GIS and chemical- mineralogical analysis) is essential. The project is structured so that all three work places are closely connected with and therefore complementing one another. Periodic meetings/workshops as well as a larger scale convention with international participation in the second third of the project phase are planned to guarantee the exchange of information within the research environment.

The international DACH-project Limites inter Provincias Romes internal frontiers, which was carried out at the University of Innsbruck (A) in cooperation with Universities of Zurich (CH) and Freiburg im Breisgau (D), deals with investigating the internal borders of the Roman Empire. The central question whether and with which methods the boundaries between Roman provinces can be defined. In addition, the function of these borders, their importance for the economy and their perception in the ancient population were examined. The boundary between the provinces Germania superior and Raetia was selected as an example of study. This border was thoroughly examined using interdisciplinary approaches: An ancient historical approach was undertaken by the project partners in Zurich, who, with the help of epigraphic testimonies and ancient sources, addressed the question of the border. At the Universities of Zurich and Freiburg, the settlement patterns on both sides of the provincial border were investigated and evaluated in a GIS-based model. In a further approach, which besides the University of Zurich was mainly situated at the University of Innsbruck, the material culture was examined. For this purpose, the finds and features found in 1974 during the excavations prior to the construction of the Bundesgymnasium (secondary school) Blumenstraße in Bregenz were scientifically evaluated. This large amount of findings forms the basis for answering project-specific questions. The focus here was on the one hand on the question of whether dress provinces or costume groups reflect political borders, and on the other hand on how provincial borders affect the distribution of ceramics and the associated supra-regional trade. Furthermore, it was examined if and to what extent the circulation of Roman coins was influenced by the respective province affiliation. In order to investigate the costume groups, the complete spectrum of fibulae of Bregenz was recorded and compared with the spectra of concurrent settlements on both sides of the provincial border. As a result, the respective dress provinces tend to follow topography rather than political boundaries and thus spatial factors play a more important role than administrative ones. The Alpine-Rhine-Valley for example, forms such a cross-border cultural unit. The analysis of monetary circulation patterns on both side of the boundary as well as the pottery distribution and the respective trading partners provide a similar result. It appears that small-scale regional links seem to have been of greater importance to the ancient population than political affiliation, as evidenced by a lively exchange between nearby settlements.