M a d g ea r u
The future em p ero r started his military career in Egypt, taking part
at the o p eratio ns against the rebellio n o f 297. He also fo ught in the Per
sian w ar in 297-298, und er the co mm and o f Galerius1. Fo r Galerius, w ho
had his o w n plans fo r the future, Co nstantine w as a danger, and he mad e
everything to co ntro l and d eter the yo ung m an w ho w as co nsid ered the
next caesar. Fo r instance, he sent Co nstantine in a d angero us missio n: to
fight in one o f the w ars engaged o n the Danube fro ntier after 301, against
the Sarm ats and the Carpi. Galerius started these w ars in 301 w ith an
offensive against the Carpi, and o ther co nflicts are attested in 302, 306 and
3072. In 302 he receiv ed for the third time the title Sarmaticus M aximus.
*Prezentul material reprezint varianta adugat i completat a studiului: Ope
raiuni militare la nord de Dunre comandate de Constantin cel Mare", n: Cruce i
misiune. Sfinii mprai Constantin i Elena - promotori ai libertii religioase i aprtori
ai Bisericii, I, studii culese i publicate de Emilian P o p e s c u i Mihai Ovidiu C t o i , Ed.
BASILICA a Patriarhiei Romne, Bucureti, 2013, pp. 303-317.
1A.H.M. I o n e s , J. R. M a r t i n d a l e , J. M o r r i s , The Prosopography of the Later Roman
Empire, vol. I: (A.D. 260-395), Cambridge, 1971, p. 223; Timothy D. B a r n e s , The New
Empire of Diocletian and Constantine, Cambridge, 1982, pp. 39-42; Ion B a r n e a , Octavian
I l i e s c u , Constantin cel Mare, Bucureti, 1982, p. 27; Charles M a t s o n O d a h l , Constantine
md the Christian Empire, London-New York, 2004, pp. 13, 62, 273.
2M. Bizzari, G. Fo rni, Diplo ma militare del 306 D.C. rilasciato a un pretoriano di
origine italiana", in: Athenaeum. Studi periodici di letteratura e storia dell'Antichit, Pavia,
38 (1960), 1-2, pp. 7, 17; A delina A r n a l d i , La successione dei cognomina devictarum
gentium e le loro iterazio ni nella tito latura dei primi tetrarchi", in: Rendiconti dell'Istituto
Lombardo di Scienze e Lettere, Classe di letttere, 106 (1972), 1, p. 49; N icolae G o s ta r , Les
titres impriaux Dacicus Maximus et Carpicus M axim us", in: Actes de la XIIe Confrence
Internationale d'tudes classiques Eirene, Bucarest, 1975, p. 647; T.D. B a r n e s , Imperial
Campaigns A .D. 285-311", in: Phoenix, 30 (1976), 2, pp. 188-193; Peter Br e n n a n , Com
bined legio nary d etachments as artillery units in Late-Ro man Danubian bridgehead
dispositio n", in: Chiron, 10 (1980), p. 564; W o lfgang K u h o f f , Diokletian und die Epoche der
Tetrarchie. Das rmische Reich zwischen Krisenbewltigung und Neuafbau (284-313 n. Chr.),
Frankfurt am Main, 2001, p. 225; Bill L e a d b e tte r , Galerius and the Will of Diocletian, Lon
don, New York, 2008, pp. 99, 101; Co nstantin C. P e to l e s c u , Dacia. Un mileniu de istorie,
Bucureti, 2010, p. 304.
581
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582
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Alexandru Madgearu
Panno nia Secund a, no w Bano sto r in Vo iv o d ina, the head quarters o f Legic
V Ioviau. That w as the cro ssing po int, because it is kno w n that a bridge
head existed on the o ppo sed bank, at Begec (Castellum O nagrinumi
Co m m and ed by the empero r, the army fo llo w ed the enem y beyo nd the
Danube and came back by M argus. O n 26 July 322, Co nstantine w as al
read y at Sav aria15. The existence o f the new brid gehead near Kuvin in
fro nt o f M argus explains w hy the army cro ssed back the Danube by
that po int. M argus as returning cro ssing p o int w as mentio ned by Pu
blius O p tatianus Po rp hyrius, a po et w ho acco m p anied the empero r in
the cam paign. The same po em reco rd ed that a foedns w as clo sed w ith
the Sarmats. They received help against the Go ths, w ho w ere enemies otf
Co nstantine because suppo rted Licinius16. The w ar o f 322 w as comme
m o rated w ith co ins w ith the legend Sarmatia devicta, issued in 323-324- 14 Andrs M c s y , Pannonia and Upper Moesia. A History of the Middle Danube Pn
vinces of the Roman Empire, London, 1974, pp. 269-270; T.D. B a r n e s , Imperial Cam
p aigns...", pp. 175-178, 186-188; Sndor S o p r o n i , Der sptrmische Limes zwischm
Esztergom und Szentendre: das Verteidigungssystem der Provinz Valeria im 4. Jahrhundert,
Budapest, 1978, p. 128; P. B r e n n a n , Combined...", pp. 558, 562; Laszl B a r k c z ;
gnes Sa l a m o n , Tendenzen der strukturellen und organisatorischen nd erung
pannonischer Siedlungen im 5. Jahrhundert", in: Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Re
gis, Szkesfehrvar, 21,1984, p. 152; Pat S o u t h e r n , Karen D i x o n , The Late Roman Arr,,
London, 1996, pp. 25-27; G. B e r t k , Ripa Sarmatica: Late Roman Counterfortificatiocs
on the Left Bank of the Danube", in: Roman Frontier Studies 1995. Proceedings of the X11
International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies, ed. W. Groenmann van Waaterins.
Oxford, 1997, pp. 165-167; H. E l t o n , Warfare...", p. 342.
15 C o d e x T h e o d o s ia n u s , 1.1. 1 (p. 27).
16 P o r p h y r i u s , Panegyricus Constantini, V I. 15-22; V II, 21 (P u b l i u s O p t a t ia x z t P o r p h y r i u s , Carmina, R e c e n su it e t p ra e f a tu s e st L. M u e l l e r , L e ip z ig , 1877, p p . 9, l j
T.D . B a r n e s , P u b liliu s O p ta tia n u s P o rf y riu s " , in : American Journal of Philology, 96,19~5
2, p p . 173-186; Ern e s t St e i n , Histoire du Bas-Empire, to m e I: De l'tat romain l'tat byzzztin (284-476), d itio n f ran aise p ar J.-R . P a l a n q u e , I, P aris, 1959, p . 104; A . M c s y , P rt
nonia..., p p . 277-278; A . A r n a l d i , L a s u c c e ssio n e d e i c o g n o m in a d e v ic taru m g e n f c z r
e le lo ro ite ra z io n i n e lla tito la tu ra d i C o stan tin o il G r a n d e " , in : Contributi di Storia ar^cz
in onore di Albino Garzetti (P u b b lic a z io n i d e ll'Istitu to d i sto ria an tic a e sc ie n z e au siliaraf
d e ll'U n iv e rs it d i G e n o v a, 14), G e n o v a, 1977, p p . 197-198; P e d ro B a r c e l , Roms auszo^tige Beziehungen unter der constantinischen Dynastie, R e g e n sb u rg , 1981, p . 51; I. B a r n z .
O . Ilie s c u , Constantin..., p . 106; Ev an g e lo s C h ry s o s, V o n d e r R u m u n g d e r D ac ia Tr 2 ian a z u r En tste h u n g d e r G o th ia " , in : Bonner Jahrbcher, 192, 1992, p . 188; N o e l L e n sk l
Th e R e ig n o f C o n sta n tin e " , in : The Cambridge Companion..., p . 75; M ic h a e l K u liko w sss..
Rome's Gothic Wars. From the Third Century to Alaric, C am b rid g e , 2007, p p . 81-82.
17 Patrick B r u u n , Constantine and Licinius, A. D. 313-337 (The Roman Impcrm.
Coinage, VU), London, 1966, pp. 115,135, 201, 262, 466, 475.
584
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Alexandru Madgearu
587
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new occupation of this camp indicates that the Roman army needed to
control the Cerna valley, a w ay that the Sarmats from the w estern Banat
could use. Other new forts w ere erected in the Constantinian period near
Drobeta, at Puinei33 and Desa (in front of another large camp, Ratiaria)34,
and also at Bistre35.
The most important and also surprising achievement of this offen
sive strategy was the building of the stone bridge that connected Oescus
(Gigen) w ith Sucidava, a fortress on the northern bank of the Danube,
erected near a ford used since a long time, as its name it testifies (in the
Getic language Sue- was the w ord for go rge", fo rd ", and -dava meant
fo rtress")36. The bridge w as opened at 5 July 328, in the presence of the
emperor37, being represented on the gold coins issued in the same year
or during the next w ar against the Goths, in 33238. A n admirer of Trajan,
Constantine decided the building of this bridge, longer than that from
Drobeta, according to his w ill of imitatio Traiant39. If Trajan had conquered
33 Octavian T o r o p u , Romanitatea trzie i strromnii n Dacia traian sud-carpatic
(sec. III-XI), Craiova, 1976, pp. 23, 26; D. T u d o r , Oltenia..., pp. 290, 292; M. D a v i d e s c u .
Drobeta n secolele l-V II e.n., Craiova, 1980, p. 184; N. G u d e a , Despre grania...", p. 110,
nr. 40; D. B e n e a , Dacia..., pp. 106-107; D. B o n d o c , The Roman Rule..., pp. 67-68.
34 O . T o ro p u , Romanitatea..., pp. 21-22; D. T u d o r, Oltenia..., p. 274; Petre G h erg h e,
Flo rin R id ich e , Desa, com. Desa, jud. D o lj", in: Cronica cercetrilor arheologice din Rom
nia. Campania 2005, Constana, 2006, pp. 149-152; Petre G h e rg h e , Flo rin R id ich e , Desa,
com. Desa, jud. Do lj", in: Cronica cercetrilor arheologice din Romnia. Campania 2006, Tulcea, 2007, p. 144; D. B o n d o c, The Roman Rule..., p. 74.
35 D. T u d o r, Oltenia..., p. 265; Christian V l d e s cu , Mihail Z a h a ri a d e , Fortificaia ro
man trzie de la Bistre, judeul Do lj", in: Oltenia. Studii i comunicri, 5-6,1986, pp. 29-40;
Cornel A n d o n ie , Romeo A v ram , Radu B j e n aru , 65 de ani de arheologie militar, Muzeul
Militar Naional, Bucureti, 1994, pp. 22-23; D. B o n d o c, The Roman Rule..., pp. 75-76.
36 Dimiter D e t s c h e w , Die thrakischen Sprachreste (sterreichische A kademie der
W issenschaften. Philo so phisch-Histo rische Klasse, Denkschriften; Schriften der Balkan
kommissio n, Linguistische A bteilung, 14), Wien, 1957, p. 469.
37D. T u d o r , Oltenia..., pp. 416-422; Petre G h e r g h e , Lucian A m o n , N oi date n leg
tur cu podul lui Co nstantin cel Mare de la Sucid av a", in: Pontica, 40 (2007), pp. 359-368.
38 P. Bruun, Constantine and Licinius..., pp. 283, 331 (nr. 298); E. D emougeot, Con
stantin..." , pp. 106-107; Peter H eather, Goths and Romans, 332-489, O xford, 1991, pp.
107-108; B. Bleckmann, Constantin..." , p. 39-45; tefan V asili, Pons supra Danubium
cum tribus figuris. O bservaii privind medalionul lui Constantin cel M are i podul de la
Sucidava" , in: Cruce i misiune. Sfinii mprai Constantin i Elena - promotori ai libertii
religioase i aprtori ai Bisericii, vol. I. Studii culese i publicate de Emilian Popescu i
M ihai Ovidiu C toi, Bucureti, 2013, pp. 332-336.
39 B. B l e ck m an n , Constantin..., p. 51; E. W h e e l e r, Constantine's..., p. 81.
588
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Alexandru Madgearu
w as fo ught on the 12thof May, in an unkno w n place. If the w ar regio n was
in Sarmatia, then it is po ssible that the river might be cro ssed by Marguf
and A ugustofla vianensia, like in 322. A ctually, no thing is kno w n abo ir
the o peratio ns in this campaign, except that an o ffensive w as also d irectei
to the Go thic center in the Buzu region. This co uld be inferred from the
name Daphne given to the fo rtress erected later at the mo uth o f the Arge
river. The victo ry co mmemo rated w as that against the Goths, and the
place ind icates the advance to w ard the Buzu region. A fter this campaigr
w as resto red the old Ro man camp fro m Pietro asele, lo cated in that Gothic
po w er center43. The Go ths w ere easily defeated, and the son o f king A riarcus w as took ho stage44. By this action, Co nstantine has vio lated thefoedus
closed by Dio cletian in 296, respected by the Tervingi.45 Overw helmed by
the Ro m an army, the Go ths had no o ther chance than to accept another
foedus. The text of the treaty w as no t preserved, and by this reaso n Everer
W heeler denied its existence. How ever, its co ntents could be inferred fro ~
the scattered data transmitted by various sources. The Tervingi accepted to
surrend er (deditio), but the empero r reco gnized their d o minatio n over the
regio ns settled by them in M o ld avia and W alachia (Gothia), w ith the con
dition o f respecting peace. They preserved their o w n rulership and they
w ere obliged to pro vid e w arrio rs for the Ro man army, fo r w ho m they w il
receive money. The trade w as free alo ng the entire Danubian fro ntier4*.
43 For the location of Daphne and the recovery of the Pietroasele camp, ~ee
A. M a d g e a r u , Istoria militar..., p p . 51- 55, 58, 60, 64, 73.
44 CoNsuLARiA Constantinopolitana, a. 332 (ed Theodor M o m m s e n , Monumat
Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi, tomus IX/ 1, Berlin, 1892, p. 234; R.W. B'jiGESS, The Chronicle of Hydatius and the Consularia Constantinopolitana: Two Contemporan
Accounts of the Final Years of the Roman Empire, Oxford, 1993, p. 236): Victi Gothi ab ex erce
Romano in terris Sarmatarum die XII k. Mai; Ex c e r p t a V a l e s i a n a , V I, 31,34 (ed. J. M o r e a e
p. 9; FHDR II, p. 48/ 49; trad. J. St e v e n s o n , p. 48); E. St e i n , Histoire..., p. 129; L. S c h m id x
Die Ostgermanen...., p. 227; H. W o l f r a m , History..., p. 61; E. W h e e l e r , Constantine's'
pp. 82-83; A. V a d a y , Military...", p. 180; M . K u l i k o w s k i , Rome's Gothic Wars..., p. 84.
45P. B r e n n a n , Diocletian and the Goths", in: Phoenix, 38 (1984), 2, p. 146.
46 L. Sc h m id t, Die Ostgermanen...., p p . 227-228; E. C h ry s o s, G o th ia R o m an a. Zzr
R e c h tsla g e d es F d e ra te n la n d e s d e r W e stg o te n im 4 Jh.", in : Dacoromania, 1 (1973), rr
52-58; I. B a r n e a , O. Ilie s c u , Constantin..., p p . 118-119; B. B ro c k m e ie r, Der G ro e Frie re
332 n .C h r. Z u r A u e n p o litik K o n sta n tin s d es G ro e n " , in : Bonner Jahrbcher, 187 (195p p . 79-100; H. W o lf r a m , History..., p p . 60-62; P. H e a th e r , Goths..., p p . 99, 108-115
A le k sa n d e r B u rs c h e , Later Roman - Barbarian Contacts in Central Europe. Numismatic Evi
dence, Be rlin 1996, p p . 118-119; E. W h e e le r , C o n s ta n tin e 's ..." , p . 84-91; M. K u lik o v t^ e l
Rome's Gothic Wars..., p . 86.
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Alexandru Madgearu
em pero r. Indeed , Co nstantine did no t reco ver the entire fo rm er prov
ince o f Dacia, but the extensio n o f the Ro man co ntro l and influence over
a part o f Gothia gave to the Ro m anizatio n a new im petus and a chance
to evo lve o utsid e the fo rm er pro vince, no t o nly amo ng the free Dacians
but also am o ng the Go ths. This co uld be called a kind o f seco nd Roma
nizatio n. The d efeat o f the Go ths and the beginning o f their Christianiza
tion started their integratio n in the Ro m an w o rld , reflected by the large
num ber o f im p o rts d isco v ered in the settlem ents and cemeteries of the
Sntana de M ure-Cerneaho v culture.
The last no rth-D anubian cam paign co mm and ed or at least ordered
by Co nstantine the Great co uld be dated sho rt time befo re his death (21
M ay 337). A fter the peace w ith the Tervingi, the empire co ntinued the
o ffensive strategy, in the new circum stances o f the internal fights in Sar
matia. In this w ay co uld be exp lained the title Dacicus M aximus received
by Co nstantine in 335 or 336, m entio ned in the inscrip tio n reco rd ing all
his victo ries, d isp layed in Ro me in February 33753. Tim o thy Barnes anc
A leksand er Bursche sup p o sed that the title co ncerned a campaign tha:
led to the partial reco v ery o f D acia54, w hile Peter Heather and Everen
W heeler co nsid ered that the title reflected the pacificatio n o f the entire
Danubian regio n55. Bo th p o ints o f view are unpro ven. We can o nly guess
that the internal fights am o ng the Sarm ats in the territo ry that belo ngec
to Dacia w ere the o p p o rtunity fo r an extensio n o f the area under Ro
m an d o m inatio n. Co nstantine w as p resent at Vim inacium o n 4 Augu-c
335. O ther ed icts w ere signed by him in Co nstantino p le in the days oc
17 A p ril and 22 O cto ber 335, w hich m eans that he started the campaigr.
at the beg inning o f the sum m er and came back by the mid d le October^.
Therefo re, the o ffensive that reached so uth-w estern Dacia by Viminaciur-.
co uld be d ated in the sum m er o f 335. The gold m ed allio ns issued in 3?~
or 338 fo r a v icto ry o f Co nstans (the so n o f Co nstantine) discovered in
the areas p eo p led by Vand als and Go ths (the W ielbark culture in Poland
w ere gifts for these allies w ho jo ined the Ro m an army in this campaign
53 T.D. B a r n e s , The Victo ries...", pp. 151-152; A . A r n a l d i , La successione o e
cognomina...", pp. 201-202; C. M a t s o n O d a h l , Constantine..., p. 233.
54T.D. B a r n e s , The New Empire..., p. 80; A . B u r s c h e , Later Roman..., p. 132, footnoae
206.
55P. H e a t h e r , Goths..., p. 108; E. W h e e l e r , Constantine's...", p. 91.
56 C o d e x T h e o d o s ia n u s , VIII, 9,1; XII, 1, 21; XVI, 8,5 (pp. 404, 668, 888); A. A rn altc
La successione dei cognomina...", p. 202.
592
593
Alexandru Madgearu
de Kuv in, s-au m ai co nstruit sau refcut alte fo rtificaii la Sap aja, Vre, Go rnea, O ro va, M ehad ia, H ino va, Puinei, Desa, Bistre. Cea
m are realizare a fo st p o d ul d intre O escus i Sucid av a (328), m ai impor
tant p entru p ro p ag and a im p erial d ect p entru necesitile eco no mice
i m ilitare. Lim ita de no rd a terito riului recup erate era v alul de pmr*
Brazd a lui N o v ac de N o rd . n 332, cnd g o ii i-au atacat pe sarman;
care erau aliai cu Im p eriul Ro m an, Co nstantin a o rd o nat o campanie
co ntra acesto ra, co m and at de C o nstantinus II. Ea a fo st nd rep tat ce.
m ai p ro babil co ntra centrului de p utere go tic d in no rd -estul M untenieL
N um ele no ii fo rtificaii D ap hne d in faa castrului Transm arisca am irtete de aceast v icto rie. Go ii au fo st silii s cap ituleze. Ultim a campa
nie no rd -d unrean co m and at sau cel p uin p lanificat de C o nstanz r
este atestat de titlul D acicus M axim us p rim it n 335, p entru o o fensiv i
ncep ut la V im inacium , n aceeai regiune a sarm ailo r.
594