thumb|Plan of legionary fortress

Carnuntum ( according to Ptolemy) was a Roman legionary fortress () and headquarters of the Pannonian fleet from 50 AD. After the 1st century, it was capital of the Pannonia Superior province. It also became a large city of approximately 50,000 inhabitants.

Its impressive remains are situated on the Danube in Lower Austria halfway between Vienna and Bratislava in the Carnuntum Archaeological Park extending over an area of near today's villages of Petronell-Carnuntum and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg.

History

Military history

Carnuntum first occurs in history during the reign of Augustus (6 AD), when Tiberius made it his base of operations as a Roman fort () in the campaigns against Maroboduus (Marbod).

Legio XV

Significant Romanisation happened when the town was selected as the garrison of the Legio XV before 14 AD. A few years later, it became the centre of the Roman fortifications along the Danube from Vindobona (now Vienna) to Brigetio (Ó-Szőny). the emperor Claudius ordered the governor of Pannonia "to have a legion with an auxiliary on the bank of the Danube" to protect the losers of a dispute between Germanic tribes (the Quadi and Marcomanni) and deter the victors from the temptation to invade Pannonia. To this period (about 50 AD) belongs the auxiliary of a cavalry Ala (Roman cavalry unit)| south-west of the legionary fortress.

In 71 AD, after several campaigns, the Legio XV Apollinaris returned to Carnuntum and rebuilt its fortress. While some of the legion fought in Trajan's Dacian Wars, the main body of the legion remained in Pannonia.

Legio X

Legio X was sent to Carnuntum for a few years from about 63 AD. During the brief reign of Galba (68–69), it was transferred back to Hispania.

Legio VII

Legio VII , newly founded by Galba in 68 AD, was allocated to Carnuntum until about 71 AD after his defeat by Vespasian.

Legio XIV

In 117–118 AD, Carnuntum became the permanent quarters of Legio XIV where it stayed for three centuries until the frontier collapsed in 430.

History of the city

In Roman times, Carnuntum had a history as a major trading centre for amber, brought from the north to traders who sold it in Italy; the main arm of the Amber Road crossed the Danube at Carnuntum.

As , the capital of Pannonia Superior, it was made a by Hadrian. Its importance is indicated by the fact that Marcus Aurelius resided there for three years (172–175) during the war against the Marcomanni, and wrote part of his Meditations there. Also Septimius Severus, at the time governor of Pannonia, was proclaimed emperor there by his soldiers (193), During the reign of Gallienus, the Pannonians rebelled by electing the usurper Regalianus, who established a mint with coins depicted him and his wife Sulpicia Dryantilla. He was killed shortly afterwards by his own soldiers, probably at Carnuntum.

In 308, during the Civil wars of the Tetrarchy, the Emperor emeritus Diocletian chaired a historic meeting there, the Conference of Carnuntum, with his co-emperors Maximian and Galerius, to solve the rising tensions within the tetrarchy.

Around 350 Carnuntum suffered severe earthquake damage.

In 374, it was destroyed by Germanic invaders, the Quadi and Iazyges. Although partly restored by Valentinian I, it never regained its former importance, and Vindobona became the chief military centre. who died suddenly in March 2021. Since 2021 Constantina Bordin is the new artistic director. Collaborators from Greece include Irini Pappas, Michalis Kakogianis, and Theodoros Terzopoulus, and the popular festival has become known as an international centre for ancient drama as well as European classical and modern music.

Gladiator school

In September 2011 aerial photographs and ground-penetrating radar led to the discovery of the typical contours of an ancient Roman gladiator school to the south of the Roman settlement, a rivaling the Ludus Magnus school and covering an area of some . This approach of aerial photography and modern remote sensing has allowed for a detailed virtual recreation of the gladiator school. The aerial photographs used in the recreation were acquired with a radio-controlled Microdrone md4-1000 quadrocopter, which captured a sufficient number of photographs to create an overlap among them. Then, using a technique called structure from motion (SfM), a 3D model of the school was calculated using the sharpest images.

The school, along with the amphitheater, was located outside of the town's walls. The school had training grounds, bathing facilities, an assembly hall and dormitories for the gladiators. The school also had a courtyard which housed a training area for gladiators. The school was attached to an open campus which was most likely used for chariot races.

Museum Carnuntinum

thumb|180px|Museum Carnuntinum

The archaeological museum Carnuntinum, which is situated in the village of Bad Deutsch-Altenburg on the river Danube, exhibits important archeological finds from the ancient city.

In fiction

Völkisch author Guido von List was so impressed with the ruins that he based his first novel, Carnuntum, on the subject. Another novel, Household Gods, by Harry Turtledove and Judith Tarr, is set in Carnuntum during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, from the point of view of a modern American time traveler.

In Frank Tallis's crime novel Vienna Blood, both Guido von List and his novel Carnuntum appear, together with an eponymous opera based on the novel.

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File:Carnuntum Palace Ruins.jpg|The palace ruins near Petronell

File:Petronell - Heidentor (3).JPG|Heidentor (so-called Heathens' Gate)

File:Modell Carnuntum 8 Zivilstadt.jpg|Scale Model of Carnuntum in Roman times

File:Modell Carnuntum 5 Amphitheater.jpg|Scale Model of Carnuntum in Roman times (amphitheatre and region outside city walls)

File:Grabstein Titus Calidius Carnuntum.jpg|Tombstone of Titus Calidius Severus, centurion of the Fifteenth Legion, depicting a horse, centurion's helmet and armour, found in Carnuntum

File:Jupiter dolichenus 3rd century Carnuntum.jpg|Statue of the god Jupiter Dolichenus

File:Carnuntum_thermae_2011a.jpg|Reconstructed Thermae

</gallery>

References

  • Archaeological Park Carnuntum