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392
alignment behind the median structure. The lack of rural settlements, dating toward
the end of the 2
nd
century A.D. leads to this idea. Acceptance of local communities
establishment was recorded in the mentality of that period as an important event
since Cassius Dio mentions it in connection with the legatus during Severianus,
between 180–182. The fetching of those 12,000 Dacians can be stated in relation
with their settlement in the space they knew between the defense structures and
Tisza River.
Although barbarian military incidents near the new province are reported in
107–108, to culminate in 117/118 when the whole of Dacia was affected by
Yazyges attacks, Roxolana and Free Dacians, the province was pacified with great
difficulty by Q. Marcius Turbo.
During the reign of
Antoninus Pius
(138–161) the first signs of massive
barbarian movements at the borders of the European Empire appear. The two free
Dacian incursions over the provinces Moesia Superior and Moesia Inferior (in
143–144) and then in Dacia (155–156) required the withdrawal of an important
number of auxiliary troops from Dacia south of the Danube in Moesia Superior and
even Lower Moesia. On the other hand, in this ancient part of Banat a structural
reorganisation occurred whereby three major military fortifications on the western
border Porolissum, Micia and Tibiscum (the last two on the territory of south-west)
became major military centers with three or more regular and irregular auxiliaries
units. They relied mostly on cavalry troops that could intervene quickly against
Sarmatian and free Dacians. At the same time, as it appears along the Tibiscum
Lederata alignment at a distance of 18–25 km to the West a new defence structure
was built adapted to the terrain, exceeding Mureş line towards north somewhere in
the corner of the north western Dacia. In south western Dacia several custom points
were installed mentioned partly in the time of Antoninus Pius. N. Gudea rightly
supposes the presence of several custom points along the Danube, epigraphically
attested, namely: Moldova Noua, along
Dierna
, and towards the interior of the
province at
Pons Augusti
. Two other customs points follow the Mureş River: Micia
and Partiscum (Szeged) at the confluence of the Tisza with Mureş. Recently, another
custom point has been epigraphically identified at Tibiscum by
vilicus Hermes
.
In this context, analysis of archaeological sources of information alongside
the numismatic ones lead to the assumption that in the first half of the 2
nd
century
and up to the Marcomanic wars in the plains of the Banat Romans
have not
allowed
the establishment of rural barbaric settlements, whether Dacian or Sarmathian.
The impact of Marcomanic wars (167–180) on the south western Dacia affected
the Roman forts from Micia and Tibiscum and civil settlements in the area.
The military situation of the Tisza and Danube space does not appear too
clearly evidentiated in the time of Marcomanic wars in terms of population
movements. We can observe the advancement towards South of the Iazyges tribes
under pressure probably due to other tribes or other military situations. This situation
could have been determined by another event, the threat to include the territory
inhabitated by the Sarmats into
Sarmatia
province as part of
barbaricum
, alongside
Marcomania
as Marcus Aurelius planned.