The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful conquerors of the Balkans.
The Roman army first arrived in the west and later launched attacks from the southeast, which allowed them to take control of the entire peninsula by the 1st century CE.
The Balkans were the most united they had ever been during this time, with a common legal system, a single political power, and military security.
The Via Egnatia, a great east-west land route, was used to conduct trade and commerce.
The northwestern part of the Balkans was designated as the province of Illyricum, which included the Adriatic coast of Dalmatia and the Pannonia region around the Danube and Sava rivers. Eastern Serbia was incorporated into the province of Moesia, which reached from the Balkan Mountains to the Danube and all the way to the Black Sea.
The southeastern part of the Balkans was ruled as Thrace and the southern part was brought into Macedonia.
The Roman Empire regarded the Danube River as their northern frontier, but in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, their authority was extended into Dacia, which is now western Romania.
Dacia was home to the closely related Thracian people, who had been invaded by various peoples, including the Scythians.
By the 1st century CE, a substantial Dacian state had formed, extending as far west as Moravia, and posed a threat to Roman control of the Danube in the Balkans.
In response to Dacian raids into Moesia, the emperor Trajan marched into Dacia in the first decade of the 2nd century and established a Roman colony that lasted until 271, when barbarian incursions forced the empire to withdraw back across the Danube.
The Roman Empire played a significant role in shaping the history and unity of the Balkans during its time of power.
With a common legal system, a single political power, and a thriving trade network, the Roman presence left a lasting impact on the region.
The Roman army first arrived in the west and later launched attacks from the southeast, which allowed them to take control of the entire peninsula by the 1st century CE.
The Balkans were the most united they had ever been during this time, with a common legal system, a single political power, and military security.
The Via Egnatia, a great east-west land route, was used to conduct trade and commerce.
The northwestern part of the Balkans was designated as the province of Illyricum, which included the Adriatic coast of Dalmatia and the Pannonia region around the Danube and Sava rivers. Eastern Serbia was incorporated into the province of Moesia, which reached from the Balkan Mountains to the Danube and all the way to the Black Sea.
The southeastern part of the Balkans was ruled as Thrace and the southern part was brought into Macedonia.
The Roman Empire regarded the Danube River as their northern frontier, but in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, their authority was extended into Dacia, which is now western Romania.
Dacia was home to the closely related Thracian people, who had been invaded by various peoples, including the Scythians.
By the 1st century CE, a substantial Dacian state had formed, extending as far west as Moravia, and posed a threat to Roman control of the Danube in the Balkans.
In response to Dacian raids into Moesia, the emperor Trajan marched into Dacia in the first decade of the 2nd century and established a Roman colony that lasted until 271, when barbarian incursions forced the empire to withdraw back across the Danube.
The Roman Empire played a significant role in shaping the history and unity of the Balkans during its time of power.
With a common legal system, a single political power, and a thriving trade network, the Roman presence left a lasting impact on the region.
