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| Province of Noricum Provincia Noricum | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Province of theRoman Empire | |||||||||||||
| 16 BC – 476 | |||||||||||||
.svg) The province of Noricum in 125, in the reign of emperorHadrian. | |||||||||||||
| Capital | Virunum | ||||||||||||
| Historical era | Antiquity | ||||||||||||
• Incorporated into the province | 16 BC | ||||||||||||
• Divided to Noricum Ripense and Noricum Mediterraneum | c. 296 | ||||||||||||
• Odoacer's conquest and incorporated with hisItalian Realm | 476 | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
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Noricum (/ˈnɒrɪkəm/) is theLatin name for the kingdom or federation of tribes[1] that included most of modernAustria and part ofSlovenia. In the first century AD, it became aprovince of theRoman Empire. Its borders were theDanube to the north,Raetia andVindelici to the west,Pannonia to the east and south-east, andItalia (Venetia et Histria) to the south. The kingdom was founded around 400 BC, and had its capital at the royal residence atVirunum on theMagdalensberg.[2][3]
Around 800 BC, the region was inhabited mostly by the people of theHallstatt culture. Around 450 BC, they merged with the people of other areas in the south-western regions of Germany andeastern France.
The country is mountainous and rich in iron and salt. It supplied material for the manufacturing of arms in Pannonia,Moesia, and northern Italy. The famousNoric steel was largely used in the making of Roman weapons (e.g.Horace,Odes, i.16.9–10:Noricus ensis, "a Noric sword"). Gold[4] and salt[citation needed] were found in considerable quantities. The plant called saliunca (the wildnard, a relative of the lavender) grew in abundance and was used as aperfume according toPliny the Elder.[5]
The inhabitants developed a culture rich in art, salt mining, cattle breeding, and agriculture. When part of the area became aRoman province, the Romans introduced water management and the already important trade relations between the people north and south of the Alps increased.
Archaeological research, particularly in the cemeteries ofHallstatt, has shown that a vigorous civilization was in the area centuries before recorded history. The graves contained weapons and ornaments from theBronze Age, through the period of transition, up to the Hallstatt culture, i.e., the fully developed older period of theIron Age.[citation needed]
TheNoric language is attested in only fragmentary inscriptions, one fromPtuj[6][7] and two fromGrafenstein,[8][9] neither of which provide enough information for any conclusions about the nature of the language.[6][8]
The kingdom of Noricum was a major provider of weaponry for theRoman army from themid-Republic onwards.Roman swords were made of the best-quality steel then available from this region, thechalybs Noricus. The strength of steel is determined by its composition and heat treatment. Thewrought iron produced in theGreco-Roman world was too soft for tools and weapons. Ore from Noricum, by contrast, could yield a superior product. The ore needed to be rich inmanganese (an element which remains essential in modern steelmaking processes), and contain little or nophosphorus, which weakens steel.[10] The ore mined inCarinthia (S. Noricum) fulfilled both criteria particularly well.[11] The Noricum discovered their ore made superior steel around 500 BC and built a major steel industry.[12]
AtMagdalensberg, a major production and trading centre, specialised blacksmiths crafted metal products and weapons. The finished arms were exported toAquileia, a Roman colony founded in 180 BC.
From 200 BC, the Noricum tribes gradually united into a kingdom, known as theRegnum Noricum, with its capital at a place calledNoreia. Noricum became a key ally of the Roman Republic, providing high-quality weapons and tools in exchange for military protection. This was demonstrated in 113 BC, whenTeutones invaded Noricum. In response, the Roman consulGnaeus Papirius Carbo led an army over the Alps to attack the tribes at theNoreia.
Noricum was incorporated into the Roman Empire in 16 BC. For a long time previously, the Noricans had enjoyed independence underprinces of their own and carried on commerce with the Romans. In 48 BC they took the side ofJulius Caesar in the civil war againstPompey. In 16 BC, having joined with the Pannonians in invadingHistria, they were defeated byPublius Silius Nerva, proconsul ofIllyricum.[citation needed] Thereafter, Noricum became a Roman province. It was not until the reign ofAntoninus Pius that theSecond Legion,Pia (later renamedItalica) was stationed in Noricum, and the commander of the legion became the governor of the province.[citation needed]
UnderDiocletian (245–313), Noricum was divided intoNoricum ripense ("Noricum along the river", the northern part southward from theDanube), andNoricum mediterraneum ("landlocked Noricum", the southern, more mountainous district). The dividing line ran along the central part of the eastern Alps.[13] Each division was under apraeses, and both belonged to thediocese of Illyricum in thePraetorian prefecture of Italy. It was in this time (304 AD) that a Christian serving as a military officer in the province suffered martyrdom for the sake of his faith, later canonised asSaint Florian.[14]
The Roman colonies and chief towns wereVirunum (nearMaria Saal to the north ofKlagenfurt),Teurnia (nearSpittal an der Drau),Flavia Solva (nearLeibnitz),Celeia (Celje) in today's Slovenia,Juvavum (Salzburg),Ovilava (Wels),Lauriacum (Lorch at the mouth of theEnns, the ancientAnisus).
Knowledge of Roman Noricum has been decisively expanded by the work ofRichard Knabl, an Austrianepigrapher of the 19th century.
The transition from Roman to barbarian rule in Noricum is well documented inEugippius'Life ofSaint Severinus, providing material for analogies for this process in other regions where primary sources from the period are lacking.[15]
In 1919,Heinrich Lammasch, the last prime minister of Imperial Austria, proposed to give the young republic the name ofNorische Republik orNoric Republic,[16] because the ancient borders were similar to those of the new state, which—at the time—did not wish to be considered the heir of the Habsburg monarchy, but an independent, neutral and peaceful state.[17]
Episcopal sees of Noricum that are now listed in theAnnuario Pontificio astitular sees include:[18]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Noricum".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 748.
