Main Limes

The Main Limes (german: Mainlimes), also called the ''Nasser Limes'', was built around 90 AD and, as part of the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes, formed the frontier of the Roman Empire in the area between the present day villages of Großkrotzenburg and Bürgstadt.Map of the Main Limes
/ref> In this section the ''limes'' adjoined the River Main ''(Moenus)'', which forms a natural boundary for about 50 kilometres here, so "Main" refers to the river.

Development

In order to secure the riverbank, it was sufficient to erect free-standing towers backed up by the forts of the units stationed nearby; there was never a continuous barrier of palisades and ditches here. However, of the many watchtowers that probably stood along the Main, to date only one south of Obernburg am Main has been identified. On the other bank of the Main was the largely uninhabited Spessart, a wooded hill range which, like the Odenwald which borders it to the south-west, was particularly interesting for the Romans, especially because of its timber. In inscriptions, there are reports of the logging ''vexillationes'' of the 22nd Legion, which were stationed in Obernburg, Stockstadt and Trennfurt.

In the majority of forts, settlement activity continued after the fall of the limes, which is why, as in Obernburg Niedernberg, Seligenstadt and Großkrotzenburg, they are now located below the medieval village centres. In Grosskrotzenburg, Hainstadt, Stockstadt and Obernburg, Alamannic artefacts were also discovered.

Route

North of the Main the ''limes'' initially runs through the marshy terrain of the Schifflache and Bulau before linking up with the Wetterau Limes. At the crossing of the Main at Großkrotzenburg a Roman bridge has been identified from post sockets (''Pfahlschuhe''). In the south it extended in its early period to Obernburg or Wörth. The exact start point of the Odenwald Limes (Obernburg or Wörth) has still not been clearly identified. When the Odenwald Limes was abandoned in the 2nd century AD by Antoninus Pius and the establishment of the newer ''limes'' in the Bauland, the Main Limes was also extended, because the forts in Trennfurt and Miltenberg were added (newer Main Limes).

Forts

Records

Because little remains of the forts, Roman artefacts are displayed especially in local museums such as Obernburg Romand Museum, Miltenberg Municipal Museum, Aschaffenburg Diocesan Museum and Großkrotzenburg Museum.Home page of the museums on the Main Limes
/ref> Several fort sites such as Obernburg and Stockstadt have a rich collection of stone monuments.

Gallery

File:Kastell Obernburg Bauinschrift.jpg, Dedicatory inscription from the cross hall of the ''Principia'' at Obernburg Roman Camp, today in the Obernburg Roman Museum; Hermann Finke: ''Neue Inschriften.'' In: ''Bericht der Römisch-Germanischen Kommission'' 17, 1927, pp. 1–107 No. 201; Helmut Castritius, Manfred Clauss, Leo Hefner: ''Die Römischen Steininschriften des Odenwaldes (RSO).'' (= ''Beiträge zur Erforschung des Odenwaldes'' 2, 1977). pp. 237–308 Nr. 69; Marion Mattern: ''Römische Steindenkmäler aus Hessen südlich des Mains sowie vom bayerischen Teil des Mainlimes.'' (= Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani. Deutschland Vol. 2, 13) Verlag des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums, Mainz, in Kommission bei Habelt, Bonn, 2005, , No. 201.
File:Holzfaeller Inschrift Obernburg.jpg, Inscription, in which a logging troop of the ''Legio XXII Primigenia'' is mentioned (Obernburg Museum)
File:ORL23 Grosskrotzenburg Brueckenpfahle.jpg, Post sockets of the Main bridge in Großkrotzenburg ( Saalburg Museum)
File:Roemermuseum Obernburg Aussenansicht.jpg, Obernburg Roman Museum

References

Literature

* Dietwulf Baatz, Fritz-Rudolf Herrmann (eds.): ''Die Römer in Hessen''. Lizenzausgabe der 3rd edition, 1989, Nikol, Hamburg, 2002, .
* Bernhard Beckmann: ''Neuere Untersuchungen zum römischen Limeskastell Miltenberg-Altstadt''. Verlag Michael Lassleben. Kallmünz, 2004, .
* Bernd Steidl: ''Welterbe Limes – Roms Grenze am Main''. Begleitband zur Ausstellung in der Archäologischen Staatssammlung Munich, 2008. Logo, Obernburg, 2008, .
* Kurt Stade: ''Die Mainlinie von Seligenstadt bis Miltenberg mit einem Nachtrage zur Abt. B Nr. 33 Kastell Stockstadt.'' In: Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner, Oscar von Sarwey (eds.): ''Der obergermanisch-raetische Limes des Roemerreiches.'' (ORL) Abt. A, Strecke 6 (1933), pp. 3–70.
*Britta Rabold, Egon Schallmayer, Andreas Thiel: ''Der Limes. Die Deutsche Limes-Straße vom Rhein bis zur Donau.'' Verein Deutsche Limes-Straße, K. Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart, 2000, .

{{coord missing, Hesse

Germania Superior
Roman fortifications in Germania Superior
Roman frontiers
Heritage sites in Hesse
Roman fortifications in Germany