Rome’s forgotten border in Carinthia
The collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the deposition of its last emperor, Romulus Augustulus, in 476 triggered what seemed to be an unstable phase in Central Europe. In Italy, the warlord Odoacer ruled and decided in 488 to withdraw all Romans from Ufernoricum to the Italian heartland. This meant abandoning the fortifications along the Danube, relinquishing the Danube limes. However, Italy was not to be left defenseless, and so a new border line was established in the Eastern Alps, which is still clearly visible today in Carinthia. The team at KIAGK focuses primarily on visual contacts and sight field analyses between the individual posts and documents the remains that are still visible in the terrain today.
Fig. 01: View from Kathreinkogel towards Velden on Lake Wörthersee.
Fig. 02: In the terrain, distinct traces of walls from long past times can still be recognized.
