Pannonia Superior

Province Description

The creation of the province of Pannonia can be dated to the years following 9 BCE, after the Pannonian tribes had been defeated by Tiberius. The province occupied the western half of modern Hungary up to the Danube in the north and east. Its western neighboring province was Noricum; to the south lay the Save river, Dalmatia, and the Adriatic coast. Because of its frontier position on the Danube, Pannonia was heavily garrisoned by the Roman army throughout its history. Probably to meet the needs of the army, large estates and villas were developed in the Pannonian plains, particularly around Lake Balaton (or Palso) and the Neusiedler (or Fertö) Lake. Large-scale vineyards were planted in the late Empire, producing wine probably for regional consumption. Grain and cattle, however, were not just consumed in Pannonia, but also exported to northern Italy in the late 3rd and 4th centuries.

Under Trajan in 106/107 CE, the province was separated into two parts: Pannonia Superior, with the governor's residence in Carnuntum, and Pannonia Inferior with its capital in Aquincum. In the late 3rd and early 4th century under Diocletian and Constantine, the Pannonian provinces were split into four parts: Pannonia Prima, Savia, Pannonia Secunda, and Valeria, with their capitals in Savaria, Siscia, Sopianae, and Sirmium respectively.

Places

• Pannonia Superior (Pleiades:991356)