The volume contains 29 papers presented at the 3rd International Conference on the Roman Danubian Provinces (Vienna, 11th–14th November 2015), which was organized by Fritz Mitthof as part of the FWF research project P 28112 “Scythica Vindobonensia”.
The main topic of the volume is the presence of Rome in the Balkans and along the Danube, the establishment of its power structure, the development of the social and economic system as well as the cultural processes, which can be observed from the 1st to the 3rd century AD. The contributions deal with these issues from the perspectives of Ancient History, Greek and Latin Epigraphy as well as Archaeology.
The book is organised into six main sections, each of them focusing on a different aspect of social, economic, and cultural history of South-Eastern Europe in Roman times (society, Roman army, trade and socio-economic conditions, religion, ethnicity and language, and epigraphic research). The analysis of inscribed monuments runs like a golden thread through the volume. Epigraphic evidence is used to interpret social dynamics, to provide insights into military life, and to prove the use of language for the construction of identities. In combination with the material culture, inscriptions offer insights into the wider framework of trade and economy, and document the permanent interaction of local traditions with the Empire’s koiné in all spheres of religious life.
The closing chapter is a detailed and exhaustive overview of the epigraphic research on the Danube provinces by Attilio Mastino.
The volume is accompanied by 80 plates with more than 200 pictures, maps and graphs that complete and enrich the interdisciplinary contributions.
