Border Communities at the Edge of the Roman Empire

Border Communities at the Edge of the Roman Empire

Processes of Change in the Civitas Cananefatium

In Roman times, the area between the Lower Rhine and the Meuse in the present day province of South Holland in the Netherlands, was known as the administrative district of the community of the Cananefates (the civitas Cananefatium). The formation of this community, as well as the changes that took place within this group, were researched by means of a systematic analysis of the archaeological remains. In order to understand the role of the Roman state in these processes, the urban and military communities were also studied. In this way an overview was created of an administrative region in which aspects such as the interaction between the different groups, the character of the rural community and the differences with other rural groups along the borders of the Roman Empire could be studied.
  • Contents
  • Acknowledgements
  • 1. Introduction
    • 1.1 the cananefates
    • 1.2 theme, aims and main research questions
    • 1.3 rural versus roman
    • 1.4 migration and ethnogenesis
    • 1.5 becoming roman?
    • 1.6 returning auxiliary veterans
    • 1.7 community
    • 1.8 research history and strategy
    • 1.9 structure of the text
  • 2. Landscape and habitation
    • 2.1 brief geological history of the area from the iron age to the beginning of the roman period
    • 2.2 the landscape according to historical sources
    • 2.3 the landscape according to geological and archaeological sources
    • 2.4 the ‘woudgronden’ (‘forest soils’)
    • 2.5 post-roman erosion and disturbances
    • 2.6 perception of the landscape
    • 2.7 the settlements
    • 2.8 administrative division of the area
    • 3. the roman military community
    • 3.1 development of the limes
      • 3.1.1 introduction
      • 3.1.2 military developments in the research area until 70
      • 3.1.3 the period 70-238
      • 3.1.4 the period 238-400
    • 3.2 military structures along the limes
      • 3.2.1 castella
      • 3.2.2 other military fortifications
    • 3.3 secondary military structures along the limes
      • 3.3.1 vici
      • 3.3.2 bathhouses
      • 3.3.3 cult places
      • 3.3.4 cemeteries
      • 3.3.5 synthesis of secondary military structures
    • 3.4 military infrastructure
      • 3.4.1 the corbulo canal
      • 3.4.2 the limes road
      • 3.4.3 quay constructions
      • 3.4.4 boats
      • 3.4.5 synthesis of infrastructure
    • 3.5 rural settlements in the limes zone
    • 3.6 military structures in the coastal area south of the limes
      • 3.6.1 den haag-ockenburgh
      • 3.6.2 den haag-scheveningseweg
      • 3.6.3 voorburg
      • 3.6.4 naaldwijk-hoogwerf and its surroundings
      • 3.6.5 de lier-leehove
      • 3.6.6 a coastal limes?
    • 3.7 the military economy
    • 3.8 the military community: a synthesis
  • 4. The urban community
    • 4.1 roads
      • 4.1.1 milestones
      • 4.1.2 the appearance of the road
      • 4.1.3 other roads
      • 4.1.4 tributary paths of the main road?
      • 4.1.5 roads in the allotment system of the countryside
    • 4.2 the administrative center in voorburg
      • 4.2.1 choice of location
      • 4.2.2 problematic nature of interpreting the archaeological evidence
      • 4.2.3 development of the settlement
      • 4.2.5 the economy of the town
      • 4.2.6 the town in voorburg
    • 4.3 the urban community
  • 5. The rural community
    • 5.1 introduction
    • 5.2 the late iron age (250 bc – 1ad)
    • 5.3 a habitation hiatus?
    • 5.4 new inhabitants in the 1st century
      • 5.4.1 starting date of the habitation
      • 5.4.2 origin of the inhabitants
    • 5.5 the rural settlements between 50 and 275/300
      • 5.5.1 rural settlements in the micro-region schiedam
      • 5.5.2 rural settlements in the micro-region naaldwijk
      • 5.5.3 rural settlements in the hague region
      • 5.5.4 the micro-regions
    • 5.6 burials and cemeteries
      • 5.6.1 the burial ritual
      • 5.6.2 ‘individual’ burials
      • 5.6.3 small clusters of graves
      • 5.6.4 graves along the roman road
      • 5.6.5 inhumations and single skeleton parts in settlements
      • 5.6.6 burial rituals
    • 5.7 religion
      • 5.7.1 rural cult places
      • 5.7.2 depositions
      • 5.7.3 religion in the rural area
    • 5.8 ditch systems, dams, and culverts
      • 5.8.1 ditch systems
      • 5.8.2 dams and culverts
      • 5.8.3 cultivation and water control
    • 5.9 the rural economy
      • 5.9.1. arable farming
      • 5.9.2 horticulture
      • 5.9.3 wood
      • 5.9.4 animal husbandry
      • 5.9.5 fishing
      • 5.9.6 hunting
      • 5.9.7 surplus production
      • 5.9.8 craft activities
      • 5.9.9 salt refining
      • 5.9.10 synthesis rural economy
    • 5.10 the end of the rural habitation
      • 5.10.1 settlements that end around the beginning of the 3rd
      • century
      • 5.10.2 settlements that end after 250
      • 5.10.3 reasons for the abandonment of the sites in the 3rd century
      • 5.10.4 habitation in the 4th century
    • 5.11 continuity into the early middle ages
    • 5.12 the rural community
  • 6. Synthesis
    • 6.1 the first half of the 1st century
    • 6.2 the second half of the 1st century
    • 6.3 the first half of the 2nd century
    • 6.4 the second half of the 2nd century
    • 6.5 the first half of the 3rd century
    • 6.6 the second half of the 3rd century
    • 6.7 the 4th century and later
    • 6.8 synopsis
  • 7. Conclusions
  • Bibliography
  • References
  • Appendix 1. Roman period settlements in the research area
  • Maps

Subjects

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