The Saracens and the Limes
Roman fortified positions (limes) on the eastern frontier and Saracen phylarchs serving as Roman allies have been under recent investigation. The question of whether the limes comprised a coordinated system of border garrisons is reviewed in terms of evidence from the western sector of Palaestina Te...
| Published in: | Bulletin of ASOR |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
The University of Chicago Press
1986
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| In: |
Bulletin of ASOR
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | Roman fortified positions (limes) on the eastern frontier and Saracen phylarchs serving as Roman allies have been under recent investigation. The question of whether the limes comprised a coordinated system of border garrisons is reviewed in terms of evidence from the western sector of Palaestina Tertia; the conclusions are applied to the eastern sector. Saracens both within and beyond the line of fortified positions, were a constant threat, and Roman strategy was designed to protect not borders, but the thinly settled populations and their lines of communication. The word "frontier" is a more meaningful term than "border" for defining the function of the limes and limitanei in the provinces of Palestine, Arabia, and possibly Syria. "A sufficient force" would be gathered from one or more garrisons to defend against large numbers of attacking Saracens, and the castra and castella on the frontier also served as a refuge for the settled population in the event of attack. Saracen phylarchs, on the other hand, when not allied with the Romans against their enemies, were employed, or bought off, to keep the peace in the uninhabited fringe regions. Understanding the limes as "frontier" and recognizing the meaning of the "inner desert" clarifies the meaning of "inner limes," uninhabited desert reaches controlled by Saracen phylarchs, and, in times of difficulty, their traditional haven of safety. |
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| ISSN: | 2161-8062 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American Schools of Oriental Research, Bulletin of ASOR
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/1356978 |