07-04-2016, 11:12 AM
Hi guys,
My main interest is in (late) Roman frontiers, and one question which keeps coming up is how they were named. We're used to Hadrian's Wall being the modern name of the most northerly Roman frontier (apart from the short-lived Antonine version). However, it's interesting that the recently discovered pateras from northern Britain seem to list not only some of the forts along the wall, but imply the name of the frontier itself, e.g. the Staffordshire Moorland's pan has: 'Valli Aeli' (Aelius being Hadrian's family name). So it may actually have been known as 'Hadrian's Wall(um)' in Roman times...
Then of course, there's the question of frontiers being named after the enemy who they were built to defend against. We know about the Saxon Shore forts,
listed in the Notitia Dignitatum, but it's often claimed that's a unique case. However, I did recently hear mention about the Danube river frontier apparently being named: 'The Gothic Bank' (or Ripa Gothica) though I'm having trouble finding any Roman source for that. There was a hint that the original source was quoted in Gibbon's tome on the Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire (maybe during the reign of Valerian) but I cannot find it in my version. So does anyone know which ancient source might list the Ripa Gothica? Thanks in advance.
My main interest is in (late) Roman frontiers, and one question which keeps coming up is how they were named. We're used to Hadrian's Wall being the modern name of the most northerly Roman frontier (apart from the short-lived Antonine version). However, it's interesting that the recently discovered pateras from northern Britain seem to list not only some of the forts along the wall, but imply the name of the frontier itself, e.g. the Staffordshire Moorland's pan has: 'Valli Aeli' (Aelius being Hadrian's family name). So it may actually have been known as 'Hadrian's Wall(um)' in Roman times...
Then of course, there's the question of frontiers being named after the enemy who they were built to defend against. We know about the Saxon Shore forts,
listed in the Notitia Dignitatum, but it's often claimed that's a unique case. However, I did recently hear mention about the Danube river frontier apparently being named: 'The Gothic Bank' (or Ripa Gothica) though I'm having trouble finding any Roman source for that. There was a hint that the original source was quoted in Gibbon's tome on the Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire (maybe during the reign of Valerian) but I cannot find it in my version. So does anyone know which ancient source might list the Ripa Gothica? Thanks in advance.
