Consequences of Hunnic raids and the newly-established border: An archaeological panorama of the Central Balkans (ca. 450–500)

Abstract

According to Priscus, in 447 the Roman Empire and the Huns agreed to move their border away from the Danube, to a distance of five days’ journey from this river to the vicinity of Naissus. Yet, already in the next year Attila himself suggested that the border should be shifted back to the Danube. The death of this legendary Hunnic leader in 453 was soon followed by the collapse of their empire, but at least the northern parts of the Central Balkans remained out of Roman reach. Unlike those of earlier or later dates, Germanic finds from the second half of the 5th century belonged to the ruling people and not to foederati. Together with them, this paper will bring together the Roman finds from the second half of the 5th century, mostly numismatic, to investigate their spatial distribution. These finds provide a glimpse into the Eastern Gothic strategy in these parts and an overview of the Roman strongholds upon which the 6th-century reconquista could have rested.