Tre Forti romani d’espansione scoperti con le immagini aeree di internet.

[Vel Saties]

Non è la prima volta e non sarà nemmeno l’ultima in cui immagini satellitari permettono di scoprire siti nascosti sottoterra. Ma io ogni volta impazzisco letteralmente…

Tre Forti romani d’espansione scoperti con le immagini aeree di internet. Ora si scende e si scava

• -> https://www.stilearte.it/tre-forti-romani-despansione-scoperti-con-le-immagini-aeree-di-internet-ora-si-scende-e-si-scava/

 

Immagine satellitare del campo orientale (Fonte: Google Earth; Maxar).

Un’indagine di telerilevamento nel sud della Giordania ha identificato almeno tre Forti temporanei romani che indicano una probabile campagna militare non documentata in quella che è oggi l’Arabia Saudita, e che gli studiosi che hanno compiuto la scoperta suppongono sia collegata all’annessione romana del regno nabateo nel 106 d.C. La scoperta è stata pubblicata ieri, 27 aprile 2023, a livello di anticipazione, sul sito dell’Università di Cambridge e troverà spazio nella rivista Antiquity. Lo studio è firmato da Michael Fradle, Andrea Wilson, Bill Finlayson e Roberto Bewley.

Le strutture molto precise e la sopravvivenza del recinto fortificato nonché delle suddivisioni reticolari lascerebbero intendere che non siano semplici accampamenti, ma fortilizi temporanei d’espansione realizzati dall’esercito romano e mantenuti vivi almeno per tutta la durata della campagna come punti di sosta dell’esercito stesso per raggiungere i campi di battaglia e per poter all’occorrenza arretrare, con coperture.

Vista aerea obliqua del campo centrale, da est. Possibili divisioni interne rettilinee sono visibili sul lato sinistro del recinto (APAAME_20221123_FAB-0154, ripresa da F. Bewley).

“L’analisi delle immagini satellitari nel sud della Giordania da parte del progetto Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa(EAMENA) – dicono i ricercatori – ha permesso di identificare una serie di tre campi di marcia romani a est di Bayir. Queste sono probabili prove di una spedizione militare verso Dûmat al-Jandal nella regione di Jawf in Arabia Saudita. Sebbene al momento non sia possibile datare queste strutture in modo più accurato o collegarle a campagne militari romane documentate nella regione, ipotizziamo che possano essere correlate all’annessione del regno nabateo iniziata nel 106 d.C.”. 
Le immagini sono state “catturate” dall’altro sia con immagini satellitari di Google earth che attraverso altre indagini aeree più approfondite

A lost campaign? New evidence of Roman temporary camps in northern Arabia

• -> https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/lost-campaign-new-evidence-of-roman-temporary-camps-in-northern-arabia/538421A1D1F89C6EA23F1B757D08CB91

 

Remote sensing survey in southern Jordan has identified at least three Roman temporary camps that indicate a probable undocumented military campaign into what is today Saudi Arabia, and which we conjecture is linked to the Roman annexation of the Nabataean kingdom in AD 106.

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Antiquity , First View , pp. 1 - 6

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.50[Opens in a new window]

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd.

Introduction

Analysis of satellite imagery in southern Jordan by the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project has identified a series of three Roman marching camps to the east of Bayir. These are probable evidence of a military expedition toward Dûmat al-Jandal in the Jawf region of Saudi Arabia. Although it is not currently possible to date these structures more accurately or connect them to any documented Roman military campaigns in the region, we conjecture that they may relate to the annexation of the Nabataean kingdom that began in AD 106.

Methodology and results

The EAMENA project systematically analyses open-source satellite imagery through platforms such as Google Earth to identify and document the form and condition of archaeological sites. During survey of the Jordan-Saudi Arabia border region the slight trace of a rectangular enclosure was identified, exhibiting the classic playing-card shape of a Roman fort or camp. Further investigation identified two additional enclosures to the west (Figure 1). These images showed clearly the form, symmetrical entrances, and the titulusoutworks in front of the entrances that confirmed these were temporary camps built by the Roman army. On 23 November 2022 the Aerial Archaeology in Jordan (AAJ) project photographed the western and central camps (for all AAJ photographs, see www.apaame.org).

 

Figure 1. Distribution map, showing location of the temporary camps (figure by the authors using QGIS).

The western camp (EAMENA-0216152) is approximately 43.5km (27.05 miles) east-southeast of Bayir and measures approximately 125 × 105 m, with an internal area of around 1.291ha (3.189 acres). Oblique aerial photographs show possible rectilinear internal divisions (Figures 2 & 3). This western site had been registered on the MEGA-Jordan platform (NN/SITE 3501.004), but the site is not identified as a Roman camp.

 

Figure 2. Oblique view of the western camp from the south-west. Possible rectilinear internal divisions are visible on the bottom and left of the enclosure (APAAME_20221123_RHB-0055, taken by R. Bewley).

 

Figure 3. Oblique aerial landscape view of the western camp, from the north-east (APAAME_20221123_FB-0087, taken by F. Bqa'in).

The central camp (EAMENA-0216151) lies around 44.2km (27.05 miles) east-southeast of the western camp and measures approximately 95 × 65m, with a smaller internal area of some 0.691ha (1.709 acres). Oblique aerial photographs again suggest rectilinear internal divisions (Figures 4 & 5). Finally, the eastern camp (EAMENA-0216150) is located around 37.7km (23.42 miles) east-southeast of the central camp, and again measures approximately 95 × 65m (Figure 6).

 

Figure 4. Oblique aerial view of the central camp, from the east. Possible rectilinear internal divisions are visible on the left side of the enclosure (APAAME_20221123_FAB-0154, taken by F. Bewley).

 

Figure 5. Oblique landscape view of the central camp, from the east (APAAME_20221123_FB-0166, taken by F. Bqa'in).

 

Figure 6. Satellite image of the eastern camp, 26 February 2017 (Source: Google Earth; Maxar).

Neither the central nor the eastern camp is recorded on the MEGA-Jordan platform, and they appear not to have been previously documented. In terms of condition, all three sites are relatively stable, but have been affected by modern vehicle tracks. The three camps are located on the barren limestone and chalk formations on the west side of Wadi Sirhan, while the oasis and possible Roman installation of Bayir is situated on the Belqa group limestones of central Jordan. The near-complete absence of other structural remains of any period on the satellite imagery is in contrast to surrounding regions and suggests that the landscape was relatively uninhabited for millennia.

The area along the southern end of Wadi Sirhan, to the east of this line of camps, was also examined. As this area is today largely covered by recent central-pivot irrigation systems, Kh9 Hexagon images taken on 24 August 1982 were analysed, but no further potential camps were identified. On current evidence, the eastern camp is the final station in the line, but camps to the east may have been lost under wind-blown sands.

Discussion

This line of camps is a remarkable survival of Roman military activity in northern Arabia. Temporary camps built by the Roman army are rarely identified in the region, and in Jordan only four possible examples are listed in Kennedy's (Reference Kennedy2004) overview. These include a large example at Azaima to the north of the Dead Sea, a possible camp underlying the later fort at Azraq, and two camps (see Figure 1) to the south-west from Bayir: Tell Abara, near Udruh, and Kh. Abu Safat.

The trajectory indicated by these new camps suggests an expedition toward Dûmat al-Jandal and Sakaka in the Jawf region at the eastern extent of the Nabataean kingdom. Charloux and Loreto (Reference Charloux and Loreto2013) suggest the existence of a minor caravan route linking Bayir and Dûmat al-Jandal, which would mirror the route implied by the camps. The use of such a peripheral route could have been part of a strategy to bypass the more obvious route down the Wadi Sirhan, adding an element of surprise to any attack on the Jawf region, or as a flanking manoeuvre as part of a broader campaign, with a second force in the Wadi Sirhan possibly responsible for the camp built at Azraq.

The distance between the camps across barren terrain is arguably too far to be crossed by infantry in a day and supports the alternative that the camps were for mounted troops—perhaps with camels. Based on the models developed by Richardson (Reference Richardson2002) on Roman camp capacity, we conjecture that the western camp could have held two notional mounted cohorts, while the smaller central and western camps held a single mounted cohort.

The reduction in camp size from the western to the central camp raises an important question about what happened to the expedition. One possible scenario is that half of the force was lost before reaching the central station, but it is more likely that half of the force only advanced as far as one day's ride from the wells at Bayir and was possibly involved in ferrying water to the eastward advancing units until they could reach water stops on the Wadi Sirhan. On this route and with such a small force, speed was presumably the priority. A final option is that the force split and advanced in different directions on leaving the western camp, and we have not identified the second route.

The spacing of the camps provides more evidence that the well station at Bayir may also have been occupied by the Roman military, whether in a temporary or more permanent capacity. A fort at Bayir was demolished in the early 1930s and has been interpreted as an Islamic structure (Field Reference Field1960: 99–101), but lacks detailed study. The identification of Latin, Greek and Nabatean inscriptions in the vicinity of Bayir suggests earlier activity in the area (Calzini & Ruffo Reference Calzini and Ruffo1995), now further supported by its position within the alignment of camps under discussion.

The campaign against the Nabataean kingdom by Marcus Aemilius Scaurus in 62 BC focused on Petra, far to the west (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 14.80–81; Jewish War 1.159; trans. Whiston Reference Whistson1850). The most probable context for the newly identified camps is the annexation of the Nabataean kingdom following AD 106, potentially supporting views that the process may have been more violent than previously understood (Cimadomo Reference Cimadomo2018). The Roman army was present as far south as Hegra by AD 175 (Fiema & Villeneuve Reference Fiema, Villeneuve, Sommer and Matešić2018) and Dûmat al-Jandal by the third century AD (Bowersock Reference Bowersock1982: 158; Charloux & Loreto Reference Charloux and Loreto2013: 31). By this time, however, control had long been established over the area and it is therefore a less convincing context for a military campaign; the annexation period under Trajan after AD 106 offers the most likely setting for this expedition.

Future fieldwork could potentially confirm some of these initial interpretations, particularly if material could indicate the period in which the camps were built and occupied. Further investigation in the southern Wadi Sirhan and in the vicinity of Dûmat al-Jandal might also add to our understanding of the Roman army operating in this region.

Funding statement

We would like to thank our funders at Arcadia Fund, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin (grant no. 4178). The Aerial Archaeology in Jordan project is grateful to the Augustus Foundation for its continued funding.

[VALTERI]

Scoperta affascinante e probabilmente notevole

[ARES III]

Interessante. Speriamo che trovino dei reperti e dei documenti mai visti fino ad ora.

[ciollissimo]

Basta che non trovino monete di un nuovo "imperatore " ...

[Liutprand]

Questa nuova notizia di accampamenti romani nel territorio che oggi coincide con l'Arabia Saudita è stupefacente ma è l'ennesima conferma, visto che parliamo del 106 d.C., di come sotto l'impero di Traiano (98 d.C.-117 d.C.) Roma sia stata alla sua massima estensione territoriale.

[Cremuzio]

L' Impero dei Parti impediva un collegamento diretto via terra tra Roma e la lontana Cina , per questo motivo Traiano cerco' nel 106 di ovviare a questo impedimento annettendo il territorio dei Nabatei , aggirando cosi l' ostacolo territoriale dei Parti . Riusci nell' intento ? non ci riusci ? difficile dirlo con certezza , probabilmente no , perche' nel 114 inizio' la campagna diretta contro i Persiani che lo impegno' per tre anni . Comunque il regno dei Nabatei passo' a Roma e l' evento fu "dimostrato" da un serie di monete con la legenda , variabile , ARAB ADQU , con a fianco della personificazione dell' Arabia , un cammello .

P.S. forse il campo militare che si vede nelle foto aeree potrebbe essere quello di Bostra Nova Traiana ? sede della Legione VI Ferrata dal 106 al 120 e in seguito della III Cyrenaica .

Modificato 30 Aprile, 2023 da Cremuzio

[Vel Saties]

1 ora fa, ciollissimo dice:

Basta che non trovino monete di un nuovo "imperatore " ...

Non capisco cosa c’entra questa frase. Ma se così fosse il ritrovamento sarebbe eccezionale e la documentazione sarebbe certa visto che proviene da uno scavo archeologico. E, quindi, si dovrebbero togliere le virgolette, no?

Modificato 30 Aprile, 2023 da Vel Saties

[Vel Saties]

Ulteriore sitografia qui: 

References

 

Bowersock, G.W. 1982. Roman Arabia. Cambridge (MA): Harvard University Press.Google Scholar

 

Calzini, J.G. & Ruffo, G.. 1995. A preliminary report on a reconnaissance survey in southeast Jordan (region of Wādī Bāyir). East and West 45: 23–44.Google Scholar

 

Charloux, G. & Loreto, R.. 2013. Dûmat al-Jandal: 2800 years of history in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Riyadh: Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities.Google Scholar

 

Cimadomo, P. 2018. The controversial annexation of the Nabataean kingdom. Levant 50: 258–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/00758914.2019.1614769CrossRefGoogle Scholar

 

Field, H. 1960. North Arabian Desert Archaeological Survey, 1925–1950. Cambridge (MA): Peabody Museum.Google Scholar

 

Fiema, Z.T. & Villeneuve, F.. 2018. The Roman military camp in ancient Hegra, in Sommer, C.S. & Matešić, S. (ed.) Limes 23: proceedings of the 23^rd International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies, Ingolstadt 2015: 702–11. Mainz: Nünnerich-Asmus.Google Scholar

 

Kennedy, D.L. 2004. The Roman army in Jordan. London: CBRL.Google Scholar

 

Richardson, A. 2002. Camps and forts of units and formations of the Roman army. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 21: 93–107. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0092.00151Google Scholar

 

Whistson, W. 1850. The works of Flavius Josephus. London:

[ARES III]

1 ora fa, ciollissimo dice:

Basta che non trovino monete di un nuovo "imperatore " ...

 

Non credo in un nuovo Sponsiano...

Ma mai dire mai...magari fra 50 anni qualcuno dirà di aver "trovato" per sbaglio qualcosina che ci farà impazzire...di rabbia si intende!

[Vel Saties]

3 ore fa, ARES III dice:

Interessante. Speriamo che trovino dei reperti e dei documenti mai visti fino ad ora.

Se sono dei campi temporanei è difficile che si trovi qualcosa di nuovo.

proprio per il fatto che sono durati poco

non so come possa venire in mente di trovare monete di un nuovo imperatore. Ma poi se così fosse quella sarebbe davvero una scoperta eccezionale ed archeologicamente - quindi scientificamente -documentabile al contrario del caso Sponsiano per cui nessuna moneta è stata ancora trovata in scavi scientifici.