‘Roman ditches’ in Bačka and the outer limites of Pannonia

Abstract

Among other topics, Eszter Istvánovits, together with Valéria Kulcsár, paid attention to the problem of Csörsz Ditch, or Devil’s Dyke, encircling some 60,000 km2 of the Carpathian Basin. In their article, the authors provided an overview of the field research conducted and of the existing interpretations of this neuralgic issue in Central European archaeology and historiography. Our contribution, honouring the author, aims to offer another approach to the problem; to that end we will analyse the so far under-studied relationship between the ‘Roman Ditches’ and the Roman limes in Bačka, in the very south of the Carpathian Basin. Our survey of the ditches’ route will be based on the already published archaeological results, Google Earth satellite imagery, and spatial analysis of the wider area of the Roman frontier and its fortifications.