Frontiers of the Roman Empire
The ‘Roman Limes’ represents the border line of the
Roman Empire at its greatest extent in the 2nd century AD. It stretched
over 5,000 km from the Atlantic coast of northern Britain, through
Europe to the Black Sea, and from there to the Red Sea and across North
Africa to the Atlantic coast. The remains of the Limes today consist of
vestiges of built walls, ditches, forts, fortresses, watchtowers and
civilian settlements. Certain elements of the line have been excavated,
some reconstructed and a few destroyed. The two sections of the Limes in
Germany cover a length of 550 km from the north-west of the country to
the Danube in the south-east. The 118-km-long Hadrian’s Wall (UK) was
built on the orders of the Emperor Hadrian c. AD 122 at the northernmost
limits of the Roman province of Britannia. It is a striking example of
the organization of a military zone and illustrates the defensive
techniques and geopolitical strategies of ancient Rome. The Antonine
Wall, a 60-km long fortification in Scotland was started by Emperor
Antonius Pius in 142 AD as a defense against the “barbarians” of the
north. It constitutes the northwestern-most portion of the Roman Limes.