Municipium Claudium Virunum, or simply, Virunum, was founded under
Emperor Claudius as the capital of the province of Noricum succeeding the town upon the hilltop of
Magdalensberg, perhaps also taking its name from that settlement, which is widely believed to have been the royal capital city of the pre-Roman Celtic kingdom of
Noricum, a town whose name is, as yet, not known. The new Roman foundation was situated on the main route from the Adriatic to the Danube, with a branch through south eastern Carinthia connecting Virunum with the
Amber Road. Established on a flood-proof terrace on the edge of Zollfeld parts of the city stretched as far as Töltschach Hill in the east. The city had the
Latin Right and was the seat of the provincial governor (
procurator Augusti provinciae Norici) till the middle of the 2nd century. After the
Marcomannic Wars (which the Romans called
bellum Germanicum) the administration of the province was moved to
Ovilava, today's
Upper Austrian town of Wels, but the administration of the province's finances remained in Virunum. When Emperor
Diocletian split the large province of Noricum, Virunum became the capital of the province of
Noricum mediterraneum. From AD 343 Virunum is known to have been a bishop's see. Little is known about the decline of the city. Being unfortified and situated in a flat valley, during the
Migration Period (the "
Barbarian Invasions") the city was probably partly or totally evacuated by its inhabitants, who left for the surrounding hills such as
Ulrichsberg or Grazerkogel. In the 5th century there is mention of
Teurnia in western Carinthia near today's town of
Spittal an der Drau as the capital town of Noricum. The territory administered from Virunum comprised central and lower Carinthia as well as parts of Styria and covered an area of about 9000 km2. The usual authorities such as city council, magistrate and dual mayorship ("II viri iure dicundo") are known in part by name. == Description ==