- Classis Flavia Moesica
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Two-banked liburnians of the Danube fleet of "Classis Moesica" during Trajan's Dacian Wars. Casts of reliefs from Trajan's Column, Rome.
Classis Flavia Moesica was the Roman navy on the Danube river near the Black sea.
Contents
Characteristics
This navy (called "classis" in Latin) of the Roman Empire was stationed in eastern Europe, controlling the limes in Dacia (together with the "Classis Pannonica"). After Domitianus (in 85 AD) the classis was headquartered in Sexaginta Prista; and later in Noviodunum after Trajan's conquest of Dacia.
It was located even in secundary ports, like Novae, Oescus and Tomi (actual Constanta). From 41 AD was stationed even in Crimea and Tyras.
In a series of Roman provinces a river forms the border of the Empire. In Europe this is the case for the provinces on the Rhine and the Danube. We know of three provincial fleets here, the classis Germanica, the classis Pannonica and the classis Moesica. Although one could conclude from their names that their areas of operations stretched over both provinces bearing their corresponding name, this was not the case. Thus, so-called military diplomas clearly show for the classis Pannonica and the classis Moesica that they belonged to the army of Pannonia inferior and Moesia inferior respectively[1]Classis Moesica provided naval and logistical support to Trajan's conquest of Dacia (AD 101–106). Under Hadrian (AD 117–138) Classis Moesica controlled the mouth of the Danube and the area north of the Black sea, while "Classis Pontica" was responsible for the south and the Hellespont. The Fleet was usually collocated with legion camps and provided logistical support to the Army, transported troops and patrolled the rivers and coast with complements of "marines". The Navy remained subordinate to the Army throughout the imperial period. Naval personnel did not think of themselves as sailors but as soldiers, even choosing to memorialize themselves as legionnaires on their tombstones. Naval crews were organized into centuries just like the Army, and each ship had a centurion aboard with an assistant who fulfilled the role of first sergeant. The centurion was responsible for teaching infantry tactics, training his men to repel boarders or act as an assault party.The Fleet was organized into squadrons of about 10 ships. Commanding officers were drawn from the equestrian class of Roman nobles, and fleet commanders carried the rank of "Prefectus classis". The sailors were free men dawn from the lower ranks of society: not all were Romans, however; most were drawn from seafaring peoples of the eastern Mediterranean or the provinces (Service was for 26 years, and citizenship was awarded on discharge).[2]
History
The Classis Moesica was established sometime between 20 BC and 10 AD. It was based in Noviodunum and controlled the Lower Danube from the Iron Gates to the northwestern Black Sea as far as the Crimea.[3]
The honorific Flavia, awarded to it and to the Classis Pannonica, may indicate its reorganization by Vespasian around 75 AD.[4]
It lasted until the beginning of the fifth century, being later assimilated within the Bizantine Empire.[5]
Ships
The ships of the classis were mainly of 2 kinds:
- Liburna: "Armata" & "Sagita".
- Mercurius.
In Scythia Minor there were minor ships called marines (muscularii)[6] of legio II Herculia at "Inplateypegiis" and sailors (nauclarii) at Flaviana.[7]
Notes
- ^ Roman Fleets
- ^ Richard Gabriel. "The Roman Navy: Masters of the Mediterranean". Section 4
- ^ Webster & Elton (1998), pp. 162-165
- ^ Webster & Elton (1998), p. 163
- ^ Map showing the "Classis Moesica" area
- ^ musculus (meaning "small mouse") was a kind of small ship
- ^ Notitia Dignitatum, Pars Orient., XXXIX.
Bibliography
- Starr, Chester G. (1960) The Roman Imperial Navy: 31 B.C.-A.D. 324 (2nd Edition), Cornell University Press
- Webster, Graham; Elton, Hugh. The Roman Imperial Army of the First and Second Centuries A.D. University of Oklahoma Press. Oklahoma, 1998 ISBN 0806130002
See also
Categories:
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