Comagena was a fortified

Roman camp In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term. In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...

on the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

, on the site of the modern town of Tulln on the Danube in

Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. Built as a defensive work along the Norican frontier, it originally housed an ''

ala Ala, ALA, Alaa or Alae may refer to: Places * Ala, Hiiu County, Estonia, a village * Ala, Valga County, Estonia, a village * Ala, Alappuzha, Kerala, India, a village * Ala, Iran, a village in Semnan Province * Ala, Gotland, Sweden * Alad, S ...

'' of up to 500 cavalry troops (''ala I Commagenorum''). From its exposed situation, it was able to guard a militarily significant ford over the Danube and control the valley lowlands for a good distance upstream and down. Several phases of rebuilding at the site have been identified: it was established, as an earth-and-timber encampment, in the late 1st century AD, probably under

Domitian Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Fl ...

, and in the early 2nd century stone fortifications were constructed. In its later days the fort served as the base of a naval fleet (the ''classis Comaginensis''), as well as a cavalry regiment (''equites promoti''). Excavations to the west and south of the fort have uncovered evidence of at least two associated '' vici'' (civilian settlements) and three graveyards.

References

{{coord, 48.3328, 16.0569, dim:1000_region:AT, display=title Roman fortified camps in Austria Roman fortifications in Pannonia Superior