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[German version] (the Frisians). A fairly ancient Germanic people (etymology not clear), first mentioned in Plin. HN 4,101, who, according to Tac. Germ. 34,1 comprised the Frisii maiores and minores; they could hardly have been the Frisiavones in Plin. (HN 4,101; 106) in the north of Belgica [1]. They lived to the north of the  Bructeri and to the west of the  Chauci, mainly between Oude Rijn and Ems. There were an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 settlements in the marshes and border regions of the moors of the provinces of Friesland and…

[German version] Modern Worms. As an ancient traffic junction at the crossing point of the road along the Rhine valley (CIL XVII 2,675), B. was occupied by various Roman troops (fort inside the town area) from the Augustan era to the end of the 1st cent. After that the vicus, which at times had been walled (CIL XIII 6244), flourished as a suburb of the civitas Vongionum. It was protected by milites II Flaviae (Not. Dign. occ. 41,8;20), but after a siege sometime before 409 (Jer. Ep. 123,15,3), it fell to the  Burgundiones,  Huns,  Alamanni, and (from 496)  Francs. Dietz, Karlheinz (Würzburg) Bib…

[German version] Forested area on the right bank of the Rhine in Germania (Tac. Ann. 1,50), marched through by Germanicus [2] after the mutiny in 14 AD, probably from Novaesium. Presumably identical to the Silva Heissi, mentioned in 796 AD, to the north of the Ruhr between Essen-Werden and Essen-Altstadt. Dietz, Karlheinz (Würzburg) Bibliography G. Neumann u. a., s. v. Caesia silva, RGA 4, 321 f.  J. Kunow, Das Limesvorland der südlichen Germania inferior, in: BJ 187, 1987, 63-77.

[German version] The modern Main, the largest, right-hand tributary of the Rhine (evidence in [1. 606]). It was of limited value for river navigation because of its meandering course, having to penetrate the wooded mountains of the Odenwald, Spessart and Rhön. Since further use required rule over the Main-Frankish bank region and the Main valley opened up no further important tribal region, it was logical for the Romans to push no farther east towards Lower and Upper Franconia from the important legionary camp of Mogontiacum (Mainz) a…

[German version] The Germanic ‘great people’ (μέγα ἔθνος; méga éthnos, Str. 7,1,3), the L. ( Lugiorum nomen), comprised many tribes, the most powerful being the Harii, the Helvecones, the Manimi, the Helisii and the Naha(na)rvali. Among the last, the cult community had its sacred grove (Tac. Germ. 43,2). Ptolemy differentiates L. Oma(n)noí, Didoûnoi and Boûroi (Λ. Ὀμαννοί/Ὀμανοί;, Διδοῦνοι, Βοῦροι, Ptol. 2,11,18; 20). As neighbours of the Suebi and the Goti, the L. settled in Silesia on the Oder and in the bordering regions along the Amber Road ( A…

[German version] (the Franks). Initially a loose league of smaller Germanic tribes on the right-hand side of the Rhine that slowly arose from economic and cultic common ground as well as through relationship by marriage of the princes ─ e.g. the  Am(p)sivarii,  Bructeri,  Chamavi,  Chattuarii, possibly  Chatti, whose ethnicities as well as the general name used since the 3rd cent. AD (Pan. Lat. 11,5,4; 7,2; etymology ‘those eager for battle’, ‘the daring’) lived on (see Tab. Peut. 2,1-3). Since the start of the 4th cent. there is also evidence of Francia. From c. AD 260 the F. repeate…

[German version] A Germanic ‘tribe’, made up of fighting and nomadic groups of various origins, formed after AD 180 in the course of the south-west wanderings of the Elbe-Germanic  Suebi, in particular by Semnones (Cass. Dio 71,20,2; Suda s. v. Κελτοί; Keltoí), which despite disputes with Rome was continuously self-renewing. Their name, first mentioned as A. (‘all men’) in the Byzantine exc. of Cass. Dio for AD 213 likely points to the openness of the battle group that broke apart old tribal formations. Therefore, the independent  Iuth…

[German version] [1] M. Vinxt modern Vinxt. Town at the place (near Sinzig) where the road between Bonn and Remagen reaches the border between Germania inferior and superior ( Obrinkas Ptol. 29,2; 8f.; cf. Abrinkas Marcianus 2,28, < Celt. * aber ‘mouth’). Altars to the (Nymphae) Fines have been found there and, on both sides, inscriptions by beneficiarii and soldiers (CIL XIII 7713; 7724; 7731f.). Dietz, Karlheinz (Würzburg) Bibliography C. B. Rüger, Germania Inferior, 1968, 47-49. [German version] [2] M. Pfyn near Frauenfeld modern Pfyn near Frauenfeld (Switzerland), vicus of the…

[German version] Germanic tribe that Str. 7,1,3 counts among the weaker tribes, together with the Cherusci, Chatti and Chattuari. A version of the Mannus-genealogy ( Herminones) ranked the G., together with the Marsi, Suebi and Vandili, among the original Germanic tribes (Tac. Germ. 2,2). A connection with the Sugambri seems to be linguistically indicated, but the fact that Str. loc. cit. mentions both names in the same context argues against their being identical. Dietz, Karlheinz (Würzburg) Bibliography G. Neumann, D. Timpe, s.v. G., RGA 10, 406-409.

[German version] Today Lago di Garda. Largest Alpine lake in the area of Verona (Plin. HN 9,75), with a length of 500 stadia (along the eastern shore road; cf. Str. 4,6,12; Plin. HN 2,224; 3,131); the river Mincius flows through it. It was navigable despite severe storms (Verg. G. 2,160). The Benacenses (TIR L 32,33) lived on the western shore. Dietz, Karlheinz (Würzburg) Bibliography TIR L 32,80 A. Mosca, Caratteri della navigazione nell'area benacense in età romana, in: Latomus 50, 1991, 269-284.

[German version] Capital of the  Licates, a ‘polis rising up like a fortress’ (Str. 4,6,8). Tentatively identified with the early Imperial, fortified mountain settlement on the Auerberg (1055 m) near Bernbeuren (in modern Bavaria; finds of metal workshops and potters' ovens) that was settled by Rome in the 2nd decade AD and abandoned as early as c. AD 40. Dietz, Karlheinz (Würzburg) Bibliography G. Ulbert, Auerberg, in: W. Czsyz, K. Dietz, Th. Fischer, H.-J. Kellner (ed.), Die Römer in Bayern, 1995, 417-419.

[German version] According to Tac. Germ. 34,1 (a conjecture after Ptol. 2,11,9 = ‘the war-ready’) a German tribe, neighbours of the Chasuarii, Chamavi, Angrivarii and Langobardi, presumably situated east of the Weser on the middle Aller and middle Elbe and in the Südheide. Probably not politically autonomous [1]. Dietz, Karlheinz (Würzburg) Bibliography 1 G. Neumann et al., s.v. D., RGA 4, 431 2 Id., et al., s.v. D., RGA 6, 274-276.

[German version] Largest auxiliary fort (6.07 hectares) on the upper German/Raetian   limes , a forward post for the ala II Flavia milliaria from  Aquileia [2].  Principia excavated in modern times. Oldest inscription from AD 163/4, extensive alterations AD 208. Large   vicus . Dietz, Karlheinz (Würzburg) Bibliography K. Dietz, Die Erneuerung des Limeskastells A. vom J. 208 n. Chr., in: Acta praehistorica et archaeologica 25, 1993, 243-252 M. Luik, Der Kastellvicus von A., in: Fundber. Baden-Württemberg 19, 1994, 265-355 D. Planck, A., Ostalbkreis: Arch. Plan des röm. Kas…

[German version] (Gutones, ‘Goths’). Germanic people whose very small traditional core of people supposedly left Scandinavia (Iord. Get. 25f.; [1]; archaeological evidence for a migration overseas are lacking) under ‘King’ Berig (important: not one of the  Amali!). At the beginning of the common era the G. settled in the Oder area (cf. Str. 7,1,3); their ethnogenesis obviously took place in the area of the Wielbark culture, next to (Ulmi)rugic-Lemovian neighbours, north of the Lugic-Vandal Przewor…

[German version] Fort defended after the battle of Varus in AD 9, and then abandoned in an orderly retreat to the  Rhenus (today Rhine) (Vell. Pat. 2,120,4), likely identical with the φρούριον ( phroúrion; Cass. Dio 54,33,4) built by  Drusus in 11 BC at the confluence of the Elison into the Lupia (today Lippe). The location is as yet uncertain since Oberaden and Holsterhausen are ruled out, Haltern was considered but is 41 km too far from the Rhine and was abandoned in AD 9 [1], while A. was occupied either still or again in AD 15-16 (Tac. Ann. 2,7,3).  P. Quinctilius Varus Dietz, Karlheinz (Würz…

[German version] This item can be found on the following maps: Caesar | Wine | Commerce | Limes | Raeti, Raetia (now Bregenz). In Celtic * brigant -- ‘high’. Important locality of the Brigantii (Str. 4,6,8) in  Rhaetia, situated on the north-eastern bay of Lake Constance at an intersection of important east-west and north-south traffic routes, which become narrower in that area. As well as a putative pre-Roman oppidum in the upper part of town, late La Tène finds (level D 2) have been found on the Ölrain, a plateau of c. 50 ha. (34 m above Lake Constance). Archaeologically there may w…

[German version] Germanic people; ‘people of the Hase’ (easterly tributary of the Ems); neighbours of the Chamavi (Tac. Germ. 34,1), living south of the Suebi and west of the Chatti (Ptol. 2,11,11), they left their home country (possibly as early as c. AD 98) and under Gallienus took possession of Roman territory east of Mainz (Laterculus Veronensis 15,6). Dietz, Karlheinz (Würzburg) Bibliography G. Neumann et al., s.v. Chasuarier, RGA 4, 375f.

[German version] The Germanic combat unit that was probably based on fealty, together with Suebi and Semnones in the mythical original tribe of the  Herminones (Plin. HN 4,100), pinpointed in the Augustan period as being located at the Elbe (Str. 7,1,3; Vell. 2,106,2), had possibly already lost its political and organizational connection at that time. H., searching for land, were settled by  Domitius [II 2]in 6/1 BC in the former Marcomannis (Cass. Dio 55,10a,2), possibly as a strategic help again…

[German version] Mythological ancient tribe of the Germani (Plin. HN 4,100; Tac. Germ. 2,2) with no concrete historical base. According to Plin. l.c. they lived proximi Rheno (near the Rhine).  Herminones Dietz, Karlheinz (Würzburg)

[German version] Mountain range, intrinsically linked with Cetium, bordering Noricum in the east (Ptol. 2,13,1) and Pannonia in the west (Ptol. 2,14,1) reaching the Danube to the north between Vindobona and Cetium. Essentially the Vienna Woods and the contiguous Styrian Alps to the south, the modern Karawanken and the Carnic Alps. Dietz, Karlheinz (Würzburg) Bibliography TIR M 33,61  G. Winkler, s.v. Cetium, RE Suppl. 14, 91.