Para bellum – Carnuntum as a military center on the Danube Limes

Nowadays, reports of war in Europe and other parts of the world are almost an everyday occurrence. Even in ancient times, the military played a central role in everyday life, especially in the border regions of the Roman Empire. Carnuntum is an outstanding example of the close connection between military presence and flourishing civilian life. The history of the Roman settlement began with a military campaign: in 6 AD, Emperor Augustus sent his adopted son Tiberius, the future emperor, to the region to expand the Roman Empire beyond the Rhine and Danube.

Parade through the Roman quarter at the Roman Festival 2023 - © Maisblau

Tiberius probably arrived at the Danube with six legions to defeat the Marcomanni tribe and set up a winter camp in the area between present-day Bad Deutsch-Altenburg and Devin. After the defeat in the Teutoburg Forest against Varus in 9 AD, Carnuntum developed into a border base on the Danube Limes. Under Emperor Claudius (41–54 AD), the 15th Legion (Legio XV Apollinaris) was transferred here from southern Pannonia to secure both the Danube crossing and the Amber Road. The first building inscription of the legionary camp also dates from this period, but is now considered lost:

Roman legionaries at the Roman Festival 2023 - © T. Mauerhofer

n addition to the 15th Legion, the 10th Legion (Legio X Gemina Pia Fidelis) and the 22nd Legion (Legio XXII Primigenia) were also stationed in Carnuntum. At the beginning of the 2nd century AD, the 14th Legion (Gemina Martia Victrix) was permanently stationed in Carnuntum, where it remained until the end of the Roman period. A legion comprised around 5,500 to 6,000 soldiers, who were organized into 10 subunits (cohorts). Each cohort was assigned auxiliary troops (Auxilia), which were recruited from non-citizens of the Roman Empire. After 25 years of service, these soldiers were granted Roman citizenship, which brought them and their descendants significant privileges.

Virtual reconstruction of the ancient settlement area of Carnuntum (west—civilian town, east—military town with legionary camp, auxiliary fort, and canabae legionis) - © 7reasons

The Roman military buildings in Carnuntum extended over several sites, which today stretch from Bad Deutsch-Altenburg to the eastern municipal border of Petronell-Carnuntum. The legionary camp, strategically located on the high banks of the then still unregulated Danube, formed the military center. The first camp was built in the middle of the 1st century AD as a wood and earth construction and included important facilities such as the administrative center, the legion commander's quarters, a large military hospital (valetudinarium), and the administrative and sacred center (principia). From the second half of the 1st century onwards, these wooden buildings were replaced by stone. At the beginning of the 3rd century and again at the turn of the 4th century, the barracks were completely rebuilt. 

Around the middle of the 4th century, the camp was possibly destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt under Emperor Valentinian I (364–375 AD). Further renovations took place at the end of the 4th or beginning of the 5th century AD. The camp covered an area of about 18 hectares, was surrounded by an irregular wall and a system of ditches, and could accommodate around 5,000 to 6,000 soldiers.

Virtual reconstruction of the ancient legionary camp with amphitheater of the military town, view from the east - © 7reasons

To the east of the camp was an amphitheater (today's amphitheater of the military town), and to the west was the palace of the provincial governor with the recently discovered barracks of the governor's guard. Today, no visible remains of the walls can be seen, as the area is used for agriculture. Nevertheless, the site was extensively researched before World War I, with about 70% of it being excavated. Surrounding the camp, directly on military land, was the Canabae Legionis, the camp suburb where families of soldiers, merchants, and craftsmen settled to live under the protection of the army.

In the immediate vicinity of the legionary camp was the auxiliary fort, a camp for a cavalry unit of about 500 men who served as auxiliary troops. Originally built as a wood and earth construction in the Flavian period (69–96 AD), the camp was rebuilt in stone in the early 2nd century. The fort, which measured 178 x 205 meters, was the location of the Ala I Thracum Victrix, which was previously stationed in Augustianis/Traismauer, as evidenced by finds of horse and mule skeletons. It underwent four construction phases and served as a supply and replenishment camp from the late 2nd century onwards. The fort, which was discovered in the 1970s, remained in use until the middle of the 3rd century. Parts of the fort's baths still existed in the 4th century and were probably destroyed by an earthquake.

Geophysical measurements in the ancient settlement area of Carnuntum - © 7reasons 

Geomagnetic measurements have revealed a further 20 temporary Roman military camps, which were probably used during military campaigns. The excavations in Carnuntum, especially in the military camps, offer valuable insights into the lives of the legionaries and the infrastructure required to station and supply thousands of soldiers on the border of the Roman Empire. The finds from these military camps, including numerous valuable artifacts, are impressive testimonies to Roman military power and its presence in the province of Pannonia as a strategic center. Many of them can be seen in the current exhibition, “Weltstadt am Donaulimes” (Cosmopolitan City on the Danube Limes) at the Carnuntinum Museum.

Carnuntum is one of the most important military sites on the northern border of the Roman Empire. Over a period of around 400 years, legions, auxiliary troops, naval units, and the governor's guard shaped the military, political, and economic life of this Roman metropolis on the middle Danube. Its strategically favorable location—in close proximity to the Amber Road, the Danube, and at the intersection between the Pannonian interior and the Germanic tribal areas—made Carnuntum a central pillar of border security in the eastern part of the empire.

Event tip:

On September 6 and 7, Austria's largest Roman festival will take place here in Carnuntum. After last year's cancellation due to weather conditions, the Roman Festival 2025 is back bigger and more impressive than ever before!

Over 300 reenactors, representing all eras of Roman antiquity for the first time, will transform the Roman quarter and the surrounding park into the center of the Roman world. Emperors, legionnaires, gladiators, merchants—they all contribute to immersing you directly in the past.