Late Antiquity and Early Christianity in the Roman Provinces of Moesia Prima and Dacia Ripensis, BAR International Series

Abstract

The beginning and development of early Christianity along the Middle Danube Limes, in the Roman provinces of Moesia Prima and Dacia Ripensis, as well as cities and fortifications in the hinterland of the Limes during the two main stages of Late Antiquity and early Byzantine period are documented in literary sources and archaeological data. Our present knowledge of the spiritual life of the inhabitants of cities and fortifications in the Middle Danube Limes in Late Antiquity shows that, besides the dominance of the official religion of Rome, the importance of Christianity was increasing, as evidenced by the preserved material remains. The new religion and changes that occurred in the cultural life of the autochthonous Romanised population can best be seen in the architecture and its most common forms. By the fourth century, Christianity had become an official Roman religion, and a new architectural form, the basilica, would soon become the standard throughout the Roman world. Aside from monumental basilicas, which dominated in every more or less urbanised centre, smaller church edifices were also erected in areas that were more isolated, geographically, from their political and religious centres. The number and variety of sacral architecture and objects of a religious character devoted to liturgical practice, as well as objects of a profane nature with clear Christian features that are represented both in larger urban structures and in fortifications on the Middle Danube Limes, indicate the existence of a well organised Christian church and an already developed form of Christian life in these areas in the period from the 4th to the beginning of the 7th century.