Carnuntum

Petronell-Carnuntum, Austria

Carnuntum was a Roman Legionary Fortress and also headquarters of the Pannonian fleet from 50 AD. After the 1st century it was capital of the Pannonia Superior province. It also became a large city of 50,000 inhabitants. In Roman times Carnuntum had a history as a major trading centre for amber, brought from the north to traders who sold it in Italy; the main arm of the Amber Road crossed the Danube at Carnuntum. Its impressive remains are situated on the Danube in Lower Austria in the Carnuntum Archaeological Park extending over an area of 10 km² near today's villages of Petronell-Carnuntum and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg.

The remains of the civilian city extend around the village Petronell-Carnuntum. There are several places to see in the city: Roman city quarter in the open-air museum, palace ruins, amphitheatre, and Heidentor.

Some way outside the city was a large amphitheatre, which had room for about 15,000 spectators. A plate with an inscription found at the site claims that this building was the 4th largest amphitheatre in the whole Roman Empire.

Between 354 AD and 361 AD, Heidentor, a huge triumphal monument was erected next to the camp and city. Contemporary reports suggest that Emperor Constantius II had it built to commemorate his victories. When the remains of Carnuntum disappeared after the Migration Period the monument remained as an isolated building in a natural landscape and led Medieval people to believe it was the tomb of a pagan giant. Hence, they called it Heidentor (pagan gate).

References:

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Hauptstraße 3, Petronell-Carnuntum, Austria
See all sites in Petronell-Carnuntum

Details

Founded: 50 AD
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Austria

More Information

www.carnuntum.at
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Eckartsau Palace (5,9 km)


St. Stephen's Cathedral (37,8 km)
Hofburg Palace (38,2 km)
Kunsthistorisches Museum (38,4 km)
Augustinian Church (38 km)
Albertina (38 km)
St. Peter's Church (38 km)
Bratislava Old Town (18,6 km)
Bratislava City Museum (18,7 km)
Minoritenkirche (38,4 km)

User Reviews

Katharina Biber (2 years ago)
Roman Town in Carnuntum It is the most important and most extensively researched ancient excavation site in Austria. Three completely reconstructed, fully furnished buildings with Roman underfloor heating, magnificent murals and functional kitchens bring ancient living worlds into the present. In the Museum Carnuntinum, selected treasures of the collection of more than two million finds document the culture of the former inhabitants. Opening Hours: 18 March to 18 November: daily from 9 am - 5 pm
Alan (2 years ago)
OMG. 40,000 residents in 311. Marcus Aurelius. Diocletian. The division of the Roman empire. Reconstructed with ancient techniques. Beautiful.
Kevin Franklin (2 years ago)
Loved it. Very very interesting and well done with both the museums and living history part. Not to mention the ongoing archaeological digs that you can view. Bus times were really spread out so highly recommend you have a bike or car to be able to view everything. It is huge. Some roads connecting the sites don’t have sidewalks so car may be best.
Mino Bathory (2 years ago)
Great museum where you can see how Romans lived in this area. You can visit old recreated houses and there is a lot of things to do. Also old Roman amphitheatre is close. During the summer time there are som Roman festivals and you can see how it was in Romans age. It's close to Vienna or Bratislava.
Carolyn Shannon (2 years ago)
Having seen the typical roman ruins over Europe this is the place that puts all those ruins into perspective. They have built, using roman methods and materials, replicas of what once stood on this spot. It is incredible to see and really put other ruins into perspective. It looks like the roman residents just stepped out somewhere leaving their things behind.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania
Photo from Flickr, copyright Makser

Historic Site of the week

Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2020 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.