Carnuntum

Carnuntum (Kapvoiis in Ptolemy) was an important Roman fortress, originally belonging to Noricum, but after the 1st century A.D. to Pannonia.

Related Topics:
Ptolemy - Noricum - 1st century - Pannonia

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It was a Celtic town, the name, which is nearly always found with K on monuments, being derived from Kar, Karn ("rock," "cairn"). Its extensive ruins may still be seen near Hainburg, between Deutsch-Altenburg and Petronell, in Lower Austria.

Related Topics:
Celt - Hainburg - Lower - Austria

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Its name first occurs in history during the reign of Augustus (A.D. 6), when Tiberius made it his base of operations in the campaigns against Maroboduus (Marbod). A few years later it became the centre of the Roman fortifications along the Danube from Vindobona (Vienna) to Brigetio (Ó-Szőny), and (under Trajan or Hadrian) the permanent quarters of Legio XIV Gemina.

Related Topics:
Augustus - 6 - Tiberius - Maroboduus - Danube - Vindobona - Vienna - Brigetio - Trajan - Hadrian - Legio XIV ''Gemina''

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It was also a very old mart for the amber brought to Italy from the north. It was created a municipium by Hadrian (Aelium Carnuntum). Marcus Aurelius resided there for three years (172-175) during the war against the Marcomanni, and wrote part of his Meditations. Septimius Severus, at the time governor of Pannonia, was proclaimed emperor there by the soldiers (193).

Related Topics:
Amber - Italy - Marcus Aurelius - Marcomanni - Septimius Severus

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In the 4th century it was destroyed by the Germans, and, although partly restored by Valentinian I, it never regained its former importance, and Vindobona became the chief military centre. It was finally destroyed by the Hungarians in the middle ages.

Related Topics:
4th century - Valentinian I - Hungarians - Middle ages

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A special society (Carnuntumverein) exists for the exploration of the numerous ruins, the results of which will be found in J. W. Kubitschek and S. Frankfurter, Führer durch Carnuntum (3rd ed., 1894); see also E. von Sacken, "Die römische Stadt Carnuntum", in Sitzungsberichte dër k. Akad. der Wissenschaften, ix. (Vienna, 1852); article by Kubitschek in Pauly-Wissowa’s Realencyclopddie, iii. part ii. (1899); Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum, iii., part i. p. 550.

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The historical fiction/time travel novel Household Gods is set in 2nd Century Carnuntum during the reign of Marcus Aurelius.

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