Raetia

• Raetia, also spelt Rhaetia, was a Roman Province.
• It was located in the modern areas of central and eastern Switzerland, Bavaria in Germany, the Tyrol in Austria and part of Lombardy in Italy.

1. History

• Pre-Roman history:
  • Inhabited by the Raetians who were a Celtic tribe and who absorbed the later arrival of the Etruscans, Lepontii and Euganei.
• Acquisition by Rome:
  • 15 BCE Tiberius and Drusus invaded Raetia along with Vindelicia, which was merged into Raetia during the first century CE.
• Timeline of this Province:
• Under The Republic:
• After Augustus reconstituted the Republic into an Empire (27 BCE):
  • 259-260 CE The Alemanni invaded Raetia en route to Italia, where they besieged Ravenna, but were repulsed.
  • 260 CE The Agri Decumates, which contained the defensive Limes Germanicus between the Rhine and the Danube, was permanently lost.
  • 260-274 CE, the Imperium Galliarum declared independence from Rome under Postumus. It held part of Raetia, as well as Gaul and Britannia..
• After Diocletian’s Reforms (297 CE):
  • Raetia was divided into Raetia Prima, based at Chur, and Raetia Segunda, based at Augsburg.
• After the death of Theodosius (395 CE) and the final split into Eastern Empire and Western Empire:
• Famous Persons from this Province:
• Chief archeological Finds:
• Historic Battle Sites:
• Main Historical Sources for this Province:

2. Geography

• Capital City:
  • Avenches (Aventicum) until 120 CE.
  • Augsburg (Augusta Vindelicorum) from 120 CE.
• Chief Cities:
  • Chur (Curia Raetorum), Trento (Tridentum), Bregenz (Brigantium in Austria), Regensburg (Castra Regina in Germany)
• Location Today:
  • Switzerland, Upper Rhine, Lake Constance, The Tirol, Lombardy. The northern border was the Danube, later extended 100 miles (160km) north of the River.
• Neighbouring Roman Provinces:
  • Germania Superior (to the west), Noricum (to the east), Italia (to the south)
• Climate and Temperature Today:
• Main Geographical features:
  • Brenner Pass
  • Bodensee-Lake Constance: the area is the Winter home to 250,000 Migratory Birds.
  • Reschen Pass and the Fern Pass.
• Main Rivers:
  • River Rhine
• Mountain Ranges and Passes:
  • The Alps
  • Brenner Pass
• Islands: None

3. Political Organisation

• Province Type
  • Procuratorial Province
• Governor:
  • Procurator
• Tribes and Population:
  • Raeti
• Language:
  • Raetic (now extinct), replaced by Latin

4. Military Organisation

• Legions:
  • ‘Cohortes Raetorum’:
    • Between 30 BCE and 37 CE, Ten cohorts of Auxiliary Infantry Roman Alpine Regiments were raised from Raetia.
  • Augsburg (Augusta Vindelicorum)
    • Legio XIII Gemina (9-15 CE)
  • Regensburg (Castra Regina)
    • Legio III Italica (171-c.400 CE) They commenced building the fort in 171 CE.

• Navy:
  • Lake Constance:
    • 15 CE Naval Fleets were built on Lake Constance to defeat the Vindelici during the Battle of Lake Constance.
    • The lake was then patrolled by a Roman Naval Unit.
  • Lake Neuchatel:
    • Yverdon-les-Bains (Eburodunum in Switzerland)
    • This largest Lake was patrolled by the Classis Barcariorum.

• Defensive Works:
  • Raetian Limes
    • These defenses started at Lorch and ended at Eining. They was part of the defensive works known as the Limes Germanicus which connected the Rhine near Bonn and Mainz to the Danube at Regensburg.
    • The Raetian Limes were similar to Hadrian's Wall, but built of turf and timber, and not stone.
• Main Threats:
  • The Germanic tribes to the North.
  • Raetia was protected by the Raetian Limes.

5. Economy

• Chief Exports:
  • Wine:
    • Augustus preferred Raetian Wine to all other wine.
  • Pitch, Honey, Cheese and Wax.
  • Soldiers (Cohortes Raetorum)
• Agriculture and Fishing:
  • Vines, Cattle, Timber.
  • Fishing on the Danube and the Lakes.
• Manufacturing:
• Mines:
• Mints:

6. Transport

• Roads:
  • Via Claudia Augusta
    • Verona–Reschen Pass–Fern Pass–Augsburg.
  • A second Roman Road to Italy
    • In the 2nd century CE, a second Roman road ran across the Brenner Pass.
• Waterways:
  • Lake Constance, Lake Neuchatel and the Upper Danube.
• Ports:
  • Augsburg (Augusta Vindelicorum on the Upper Danube)
• Ancient Trade Routes:
  • Reschen Pass (between Italy and Austria), Fern Pass, Brenner Pass
• Number of Days taken to travel from this Province to Rome: 21-28 Days.
  • Via Claudia Augusta:
    • A direct road from Augsburg to Verona. The road crossed the Alps via the Reschen Pass and the Fern Pass.
  • Verona to Modena
  • Via Aemilia:
    • Modena to Rimini
  • Via Flaminia:
    • Rimini to Rome

7. Relationship with Rome

• Raetia formed the strategic link between Italy and the Rhine and the Danube via the Brenner Pass and the Reschen Pass and Fern Pass.

8. History of Christianity in this Province

9. Roman Authors describing this Province

Raetia