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A 6th century German Settlement of foederati

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Gerhard Bersu
Gerhard Bersu*
Affiliation:
Golemano Kale, near Sadowetz, Bulgaria*
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Extract

In the fertile region between the Danube and the Balkans occur numerous Byzantine fortified posts, which are shown by occasional finds of coins to date mostly from the sixth century. All have a common form in that skilful use has been made of natural features of terrain, such as isolated mountain-tops or practically isolated spurs, so that with a minimum cf artificial strengthening they have considerable defensive power. A favourite situation for them is at points where narrow canyon-like valleys of the streams that flow into the Danube have afforded good natural advantages.

From the military standpoint these sites can easily be divided into two groups, A and B, according to their topographical situation. To the first belong those which occur on the great natural trade-routes, and, like a modern Sperrfort, rake the roads with a commanding view over the surrounding district. The second and much more numerous group consists of posts situated off the trade-routes, often so much concealed by the lie of the land as to be invisible from the great roads.

Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 12 , Issue 45 , March 1938 , pp. 31 - 43
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 1938

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References

2 See Germania,1935,19, pp.149ff. for an account, with many illustrations.Google Scholar

3 The name is modern. Kale=castle; Golemanovo comes from the name of the former landowner, Golemanov.

4 The remaining fortifications shown by Welkow (Germania, I.c., fig. I) belong to periods other than the 6th century.

5 For this remarkable new topographical map of the surroundings, as well as the contoured plan of the site itself, I have to thank the Bulgarian Geographical Institute, Sofia.

6 See Ion, Nestor,Der Stand der Vorgeschichtsforschung in Rumänien, 22 Bericht der Römisch–Germanischen Kommission 1932),Frankfurt(Main)1933,57.A detailed description of this culture is given there; its remains occur also in other ancient fortifications near the Vit.Google Scholar

7 More accurate dates can only be obtained from examination of the very rich finds of coins, which has not yet been possible.

8 MrJones, A.H.M.refers to these and similar circumstances prevailing in Thrace in his fine bookThe Cities of the Eastern Roman Provinces,Oxford,1937. [A review will be published shortly.–EDITOR].Google Scholar

9 See also Welkow, I.c., and plate 19, 1; 1–2, 6–7.