Roman conquest The territory that under Roman rule became known as the province of Moesia was inhabited chiefly by
Thracian,
Illyrian, and
Thraco-Illyrian peoples. Before Roman rule, the territory that later became the province of Moesia Superior was dominated by the
Dardani, who had constituted
their own kingdom. The Dardani had resumed their enmity against
Macedon since at least 230 BC. In the
Roman-Macedonian Wars the Dardani sided with
Rome and were among the biggest threats to Macedon. After the defeat of Macedon in the
Third Macedonian War, the fragile Dardanian-Roman alliance weakened, in particular after the Senate's decision not to return to the Dardanian kingdom the territory that had been previously conquered by the Macedonians, notably
Paeonia, which the Dardani claimed as their own territory. The Senate only recognized the Dardani the right to trade salt. Thereafter, from sworn enemies of Macedonia, the Dardani became enemies of Rome. Rome started its dominion over the Balkans establishing the protectorates of
Illyricum and
Macedonia after the
Roman-Illyrian wars and
Roman-Macedonian Wars. Roman offensives against the Dardani in the years 97 BC, 85 BC, and 77/6 BC were repelled. But in 75–73 BC the Dardani had to face terrible conflicts against Rome, known as
Bellum Dardanicum. During the
Mithridatic Wars (88–63 BC) between the
Roman Republic and
Mithridates VI of
Pontus, the Dardani,
Eneti, and
Sintians were raiding
Roman Macedonia; afer his arrival, the
consul Sulla attacked them, reportedly devastating their territory. The Dardani continued to fight against Rome and its proconsuls, and were finally defeated probably by
Marcus Antonius in 39 BC or by
Marcus Licinius Crassus in 29/8 BC. The Romans created the province of Moesia also including the territory of Dardania. After the Roman emperor
Domitian divided the province of Moesia into Moesia Superior and Moesia Inferior in 86 AD, the Dardani were located in southern Moesia Superior. Emperor
Diocletian later (284) made Dardania into a separate province with its capital at
Naissus (
Niš). The Romans found an ancient formed economy in Dardania, based on agriculture and animal husbandry, mining and metallurgy, in different handicrafts and in trade. The Romans focused especially in exploitation of mines, same as in other provinces, and in road construction. Parts of the later province of Moesia belonged, before the Roman rule, to the
polity of
Burebista, a
Getae (Dacian) king who established his rule over a large part of the northern Balkans between 82 BC and 44 BC. He led raids for plunder and conquest across Central and Southeastern Europe, subjugating most of the neighbouring tribes. After his assassination in a
palace intrigue, the empire was divided into several smaller states. In 74 BC,
C. Scribonius Curio,
proconsul of
Macedonia, took an army as far as the Danube and chased the Geto-Dacians to the border of their remote country. The expansion of the Dacians on the middle and lower reaches of the Danube worried the Romans and destruction of Dacian power became one of
Julius Caesar's key political objectives, who made plans to launch an offensive from Macedonia in about 44 BC. Once
Augustus had established himself as sole ruler of the Roman state in 30 BC after the naval
Battle of Actium in 31 BC, he took up Caesar's project and aimed to advance the empire's south-eastern European border from Macedonia to the line of the Danube. The main objective was to increase strategic depth between the border and Italy and also to provide a major river supply route between the Roman armies in the region. The lower Danube was given priority over the upper Danube and required the annexation of Moesia. It was therefore necessary to conquer the tribes who dwelt south of the Danube namely (from west to east) the
Triballi, Moesi, Getae and the Bastarnae who had recently subjugated the Triballi, and with their capital at
Oescus. Augustus also wanted to avenge the defeat of
Gaius Antonius Hybrida at
Histria 32 years before and to recover the lost military standards held in the powerful fortress of
Genucla.
Marcus Licinius Crassus, grandson of
Crassus the
triumvir was appointed for the task. He was an experienced general at 33 years of age, and proconsul of Macedonia from 29 BC. After a successful campaign against the Moesi, he drove the Bastarnae back toward the Danube and finally defeated them in pitched battle, killing their King Deldo in single combat. Augustus formally proclaimed this victory in 27 BC in Rome but blocked Cassius' entitlement to the
Spolia opima and use of the term
imperator apparently in favour of his own prestige. Moesia was split off as a separate military command some time before 10 BC. As a result of the Dacians constant looting that occurred whenever the Danube froze, Augustus decided to send against them some of his proven generals such as
Sextus Aelius Catus and
Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Augur (sometime between 1-11 AD). Lentulus pushed them back across the Danube and placed numerous garrisons on the right bank of the river to defend against possible and future incursions. These became the
Moesian Limes frontier defensive system that was developed further later.
Roman Province The region, however, was not organised as a
province until the last years of
Augustus' reign; in 6 AD, mention is made of its governor,
Caecina Severus. As a province, Moesia was under an imperial consular
legate (who probably also had control of
Achaea and
Macedonia). In 86 AD the
Dacian king Duras attacked Moesia after which the
Roman emperor Domitian personally arrived in Moesia and reorganised it in 87 into two provinces, divided by the river
Cebrus (Ciabrus):
Gothic raids The first incursion in Moesia that can be attributed to Goths is by the
Costoboci in 170 in the
Marcomannic Wars when they destroyed
Tropaeum Traiani. In 238 the
Carpi sacked
Histria and Tropaeum Traiani. Afterwards Moesia was frequently invaded or raided by the Dacian
Carpi, and the
East Germanic tribes of the
Goths. In the
Gothic War (248–253), the Gothic king
Cniva captured the city of
Philippopolis and then inflicted a devastating defeat upon the Romans at the
Battle of Abrittus, in which the Roman Emperor
Decius was killed, one of the most disastrous defeats in the history of the Roman army.
Retreat from Dacia After the abandonment of
Roman Dacia to the
Goths by
Aurelian (270–275) and the transfer of the Roman citizens from the former province to the south of the Danube, the central portion of Moesia took the name of
Dacia Aureliana (later divided into
Dacia Ripensis and
Dacia Mediterranea). During administrative reforms of Emperor Diocletian (284–305), both of the Moesian provinces were reorganised. Moesia Superior was divided in two, northern part forming the province of
Moesia Prima including cities
Viminacium and
Singidunum, while the southern part was organised as the new province of
Dardania with cities
Scupi and
Ulpiana. At the same time, Moesia Inferior was divided into
Moesia Secunda and
Scythia Minor. As a frontier province, Moesia was strengthened by stations and
forts erected along the southern bank of the Danube, and a wall was built from
Axiopolis to
Tomis as a protection against the
Scythians and
Sarmatians. The garrison of Moesia Secunda included
Legio I Italica and
Legio XI Claudia, as well as auxiliary infantry units, cavalry units, and river flotillas. Hard-pressed by the
Huns, the Goths again crossed the Danube during the reign of
Valens (376) and with his permission settled in Moesia. After they settled, quarrels soon took place, and the Goths under
Fritigern defeated Valens in a great
battle near Adrianople. These Goths are known as
Moeso-Goths, for whom
Ulfilas made the Gothic translation of the
Bible.
Late Empire The
Slavs allied with the
Avars invaded and destroyed much of Moesia in 583–587 in the
Avar–Byzantine wars. Moesia was settled by Slavs during the 7th century.
Bulgars, arriving from
Old Great Bulgaria, conquered Lower Moesia by the end of the 7th century. During the 8th century the
Byzantine Empire lost also Upper Moesian territory to the
First Bulgarian Empire.. The region would return to Byzantine control under
Basil II in 1018 and would last until the formation of the
Second Bulgarian Empire in 1185. ==See also==