Singidunum was an ancient Roman city, first settled by the Scordisci the Celtic tribe in the 3rd century BC, and later garrisoned and fortified by the Romans who romanized the name. Scordisci were in ancient geography a war-like tribe inhabiting the southern part of lower Pannonia, comprising parts of the present-day countries Austria, Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Known today as Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia, birthplace to the Roman Emperor Jovian. Belgrade (Београд Beograd is the Capital and largest city of Serbia. Serbia (Србија Srbija) officially the Republic of Serbia (Република Србија Republika Srbija) is a Landlocked Country For other meanings see Jovian (disambiguation. Flavius Iovianus, Anglicized to Jovian, ( 331 - 17 February It has arisen (according to legend and verified history) from its ashes 38 times.
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Prehistoric
The area near the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers has been continuously inhabited since the mid to late Paleolithic period. The Sava ( Bosnian, Croatian, Slovene: Sava; Serbian: Сава, Sava) is a river in The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj The term Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) (from Greek παλαιός palaios, " Old " and λίθος Lithos, "stone" Skulls of Neanderthals and human remains dating back to the Stone Age have been found in the area. The Neanderthal (neɪˈændərtɑːl also with /niː-/ and /-θɔːl/ or Neandertal, is an extinct member of the Homo genus that is known from The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric time period during which Humans widely used stone for toolmaking The remains of the Vinča culture, a Neolithic culture that flourished along the Danube River between 6000 to 3000 BC, were discovered in and named after Vinča, a suburb of Belgrade. The Vinča culture was an early culture of Europe (between the 6th and the 3rd millennium BC stretching around the course of Danube in what today is Serbia The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos During the 6th millennium BC, Agriculture spreads from the Balkans to Italy and Eastern Europe and from Mesopotamia to Egypt. The 30th century BC is a Century which lasted from the year 3000 BC to 2901 BC Vinča ( Serbian Cyrillic: Винча is a suburban settlement of Belgrade, the capital
Pre-Roman influence
From c. 600 BC to the 4th century BC major tribal movement by the Thracian-Cimmerian tribes, followed by the Scythian tribes, began across the Balkan region, though they never established a permanent residence there. The 7th century BC started the first day of 700 BC and ended the last day of 601 BC. The 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 301 BC. The first evidence of primitive fortification came later in the 3rd century BC, with the settlement of the Celtic or Thraco-Celtic tribe, the Scordisci, who picked the strategic hilltop at the meeting of the two rivers as the basis for their habitation. The 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts "Thracians" also refers to modern inhabitants of Thrace, regardless of ethnicity Scordisci were in ancient geography a war-like tribe inhabiting the southern part of lower Pannonia, comprising parts of the present-day countries Austria, It was 279 BC when the name Singidun was mentioned for the first time. Events By place Greece An army of Gauls under Brennus invade Greece. The second part of the word is Celtic, dūn(on) meaning "lodgement, enclosure, or fortress", which is preserved, among other, as "-don" in the name of London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. For singi- there are several theories, the two most widely circulated being that it is a Celtic word for circle, hence "round fort", or it could be named after the Sings, a Thracian tribe that occupied the area prior to the arrival of the Scordisci. [1]
There is little trace left of this era of the city's history, except for burial sites, a few of which are the tribe's warriors that contain valuable artifacts. A residual artifact leftover from the tribes that secured the area is the Celtic spiritual influence that was taken up and woven into the Roman classical culture of the city.
The Roman era
The Romans first began to conquer lands surrounding Singidun during the first century BC In 75 BC, Gaius "Quintus" Scribonius Curio, the proconsul of Macedonia, invaded the Balkan interior as far as the Danube, in an effort to drive out the Scordisci, Dardanians, Dacians and other tribes. For other meanings see Jovian (disambiguation. Flavius Iovianus, Anglicized to Jovian, ( 331 - 17 February The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC The 1st century BC started the first day of 100 BC and ended the last day of 1 BC. Year 75 BC was a year of the pre-Julian calendar. Events By place Rome In Rome, the tribune Quintus Opimius Gaius Scribonius Curio was the name of a father and son who lived in the late Roman Republic. The Roman province of Macedonia was officially established in 146 BC, after the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus defeated Andriscus of Macedon The Dardani ( Ancient Greek Δαρδάνιοι were a Thraco-Illyrian tribe The Dacian language was spoken by the ancient inhabitants of Dacia. The Romans had victories during these campaigns, but only stayed briefly, leaving the area outside of Roman control. Thus, very little is known about these operations or when the area was organized into the province of Moesia. Moesia (Μοισία Moisía; Мизия Miziya; Moesia Мезија Mezija) was an ancient region and Roman province situated in the It wasn't until the rule of Octavian, when Marcus Licinius Crassus, the grandson of the Caesarian Triumvir and then proconsul of Macedonia, finally stabilized the region with a campaign beginning in 29 BC Moesia was formally organized into a province some time before AD 6, when the first mention of its governor, Caecina Severus, is made. Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was Marcus Licinius Crassus ( Latin: M·LICINIVS·P·F·P·N·CRASSVS (ca Marcus Licinius Crassus ( Latin: M·LICINIVS·P·F·P·N·CRASSVS (ca Year 29 BC was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Year 6 ( VI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Singidun was Romanized to Singidunum. It became one of the primary settlements of Moesia, situated between Sirmium (modern Sremska Mitrovica) and Viminacium (modern Kostolac), both of which overshadowed Singidunum in significance, and just across the Sava River from Taurunum (modern Zemun) in Pannonia. Sirmium in Pannonia should not be confused with Sirmio on Lake Garda Sirmium (today Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia) was an ancient Sremska Mitrovica ( Serbian Cyrillic: Сремска Митровица is a city and municipality located Viminacium was a major city of the Roman province of Moesia (today's Serbia) and the capital of Moesia Superior. Kostolac (Костолац Romanian: Caştelu is a small Serbian town on the Danube river in the Braničevo District. Zemun ( Serbian Cyrillic: Земун, German: Semlin Hungarian: Zimony is an urban neighborhood and one of the 17 municipalities Zemun ( Serbian Cyrillic: Земун, German: Semlin Hungarian: Zimony is an urban neighborhood and one of the 17 municipalities Singidunum became an important and strategic position along the Via Militaris, an important Roman road connecting fortresses and settlements along the Danubian limes, or border. Via Militaris or Via Diagonalis was an ancient Roman road, starting from Sigindunum (today Serbian capital Belgrade) passing through Naissus A limes (or the Limes Romanus) was a Border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome.
Singidunum reached its height with the arrival of Legio IV Flavia Felix in 86 AD. For the processor see Intel 8086. Year 86 was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian The legion set up as a square-shaped castrum (fort), which occupied Upper Town of today's Kalemegdan. The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military Kalemegdan ( Serbian Cyrillic: Калемегдан) is a Park in an urban area neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital At first, the fortress was set up as earthen bulwarks, but soon after, it was fortified with stone, the remains of which can be seen today near the northeastern corner of the acropolis. The legion also constructed a bridge over the Sava, connecting Singidunum with Taurunum. The 6,000-strong legion became a major military asset against the continuous threat of the Dacians just across the Danube. Another step the Romans took to help strengthen Singidunum was the settlement of its legion veterans next to the fortress. In time, a large settlement grew out from around the castrum. The town took on a rectlinear construction, with its streets meeting at right angles. The grid structure can be seen in today's Belgrade with the orientation of the streets Uzun Mirkova, Dušanova, and Kralja Petra I. Studentski Trg (Students' Square) was a Roman forum, bordered by thermae (a public bath complex whose remains were discovered during the 1970s) and also preserves the orientation the Romans gave Singidunum. The Forum was the public space in the middle of a Roman city It had a great social importance and was often the scene of diverse activities including political discussions This page is on buildings used for Roman bathing For the activity in general see Ancient Roman bathing. Other remnants of Roman material culture such as tombs, monuments, sculptures, ceramics, and coins have been found villages and towns surrounding Belgrade. Hadrian granted Singidunum the rights of municipium during the mid 2nd century. Publius Aelius Hadrianus (January 24 76 &ndash July 10 138 as emperor Imperator Caesar Divi Traiani filius Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, and Divus Hadrianus after A municipium (pl municipia) belonged to the second highest class of Roman cities being The 2nd century is the period from 101 to 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Singidunum later outgrew this status and became a full-fledged colony. The Roman Emperor Jovian who reestablished Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire was born in Singidunum in 332. For other meanings see Jovian (disambiguation. Flavius Iovianus, Anglicized to Jovian, ( 331 - 17 February Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Events By Place Roman Empire Emperor Constantine I defeats the Visigoths in battle Singidunum and Moesia experienced a peaceful period, but that was not to last, due to the growing turmoil not only from outside the Roman Empire, but also from within.
Byzantines and barbarians
The Roman Empire began to rapidly decline at the end 3rd century AD. The 3rd century is the period from 201 to 300 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. The province of Dacia, established by several successful and lengthy campaigns by Trajan, began to collapse under pressure from the invading Goths in 256. Dacia, in ancient geography was the land of the Dacians. It was named by the ancient Hellenes ( Greeks) " Getae " Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan ( September 18 53 &ndash August 9 117) was a Roman Emperor who The Goths ( Gothic: Gothic usvg|14px|u]]Gothic asvg|14px|a]]Gothic s Events By Place Roman Empire Goths invade Asia Minor. Dacia is lost for the Roman Empire. By 270, Aurelian, faced with the sudden loss of many provinces and major damage done by invading tribes, abandoned Dacia altogether. Events By Place Roman Empire Quintillus briefly holds power over the Roman Empire and is succeeded by Aurelian. Lucius Domitius Aurelianus ( September 9, 214 or 215 &ndashSeptember or October 275 known in English as Aurelian, Roman Emperor (270&ndash275 Singidunum found itself once again on the limes of the fading Empire, one of the last major strongholds to survive mounting danger from the invading barbarian tribes.
In 395, upon the death of Theodosius I, the Roman Empire was split into two, with Singidunum lying on the northwestern border of the Eastern Roman Empire (later to become the Byzantine Empire). Events By Place Roman Empire After the death of emperor Theodosius I, the Empire is re-divided into an eastern and a western half Flavius Theodosius (January 11 347 – January 17 395 also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great ( Greek: Θεοδόσιος Α΄ Moesia and Illyricum suffered devastating raids by the successive invasions of the Huns, Ostrogoths, Gepidaes, Sarmatians, Avars, and Slavs. The Huns were an early confederation of Central Asian equestrian nomads or semi-nomads with a Turkic core of aristocracy The Ostrogoths (Ostrogothi or Austrogothi were a branch of the Goths, an East Germanic tribe that played a major role in the political events of the late The Gepids (Gepidae Gifðas ( Beowulf, Widsith) - possibly from * Gibiðos, "givers" or gepanta, see below were The Sarmatians, Sarmatae or Sauromatae ( Old Iranian Sarumatah 'archer' Σαρμάτες The Caucasian Avars are a modern people of Caucasus, mainly of Dagestan. Singidunum fell to the Huns in 441, who razed the city and fortress, selling its Roman inhabitants into indentured servitude. Events 8 November — The first Council of Orange is convened under the guidance of Hilary of Arles in Orange France. Over the next two hundred years, the city passed hands several times:
- The Byzantine Empire reclaimed the city after the fall of the Huns in 454
- The Sarmatians conquered the city shortly thereafter
- The Ostrogoths seize the city around, expelling the Sarmatians, in 470
- The Gepidaes invaded the city in 488
- The Ostrogoths recapture the city in 504
- The Byzantine Empire reclaims the city in 510 according to a peace accord between Constantinople and the barbarian tribes
Byzantine emperor Justinian I rebuilt Singidunum in 535, restoring the fortress and city to its former military importance. Events By Place Western Roman Empire September 21 — During a meeting in his throne room in Ravenna, Emperor Valentinian Events By Place Europe Euric, king of the Visigoths, defeats an attempted invasion of Gaul by the Celtic Events By Place Europe Theodoric the Great becomes king of the Ostrogoths. Events By Place Europe Theodoric the Great defeats the Gepids as the Ostrogoths sack Belgrade. Events By Place Europe Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, a Christian philosopher is appointed Consul by Theodoric Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus ( Greek: Φλάβιος Πέτρος Σαββάτιος Ιουστινιανός; known in English as Justinian I or Events By Place Byzantine Empire Justinian I orders Belisarius to start the reconquest of Italy; Mundus The city saw a brief peaceful period of about fifty years, but was then sacked with the arrival of the Avars in 584. Events By Place Europe Andeca deposes and kills Eboric to become king of the Suevi. During Maurice’s Balkan campaigns, Singidunum served as a base of operations, but was lost again it in the early half of the 7th century when the Avars sacked and burned Singidunum to the ground. The 7th century is the period from 601 to 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Around 630, the Slavs settled in the area and in Singidunum, coordinated by a Roman fortress commander. Events By Place Byzantine Empire Serbs settle in the Balkans having been invited by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius By this time, however, the city had lost its importance as a border fortification and was largely ignored by the Slavs who dominated the area. The city would re-emerge later, mentioned as Beograd, a Slavic word meaning "white fortress" (due to the color of the stone it was built from), in a letter written on April 16, 878 by Pope John VIII to Bulgarian prince Boris I Mihail. Events 1178 BC - A Solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom Events By Place Europe May 21 — After a siege of eight months Syracuse is captured by the Muslims of Sicily. John VIII was Pope from December 13, 872 to December 16, 882. The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Boris I or sometimes Boris-Mihail (Michael (Борис I (Михаил also known as Bogoris (died 2 May 907 With its new name, Beograd, would eventually be restored to the same strategic significance it had held throughout its history, but never again would it be mentioned as Singidunum.
See also
External links
- Official Site of Beograd: Ancient Period
- Official Site of Beograd: Byzantine Empire
- Ancient Worlds: Singidunum
- Belgrade Fortress: History
- Inscriptions de la Mésie supérieure
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