http://www.marres.education/sarmatic_traces.htm
Roman Empire - borders about 450 - settlements of Sarmatians and Alans.
ALANS and SARMATIANS
Original Residences
The original residences of the Sarmatians were in the South Russian steppes between the Danube and Don. The Alans lived more to the east, behind the Don, the Black Sea and the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Shortly before the beginning of our era started the first contacts of Sarmatians and Alans with the Roman and Persian Empire. The Romans called them barbarians, a term also used for Germans because of what they called their babbling language.
In the Hungarian Plain
In the first century before our era they moved westward. The Sarmatians took in possession the area between the Black sea and the Danube with their greatest concentration in what is now the Hungarian Plain. From then the Romans called this area Sarmatia. The Alans took the places that the Sarmatians had left and founded a kingdom along the Don and the Crimea, also called the Empire of the Bosporus. This Bosporus is not to be confused with the Bosporus near Constantinople.
Stationing in the Roman Empire
As Mercenaries in the Roman Legions
Although often are mentioned the clashes between Romans and Barbarians, there were during much longer times good relationships with mutual trade. Their leaders entered into treaties with the Romans. In such a treaty, foedus, they concluded to become allies and agreed to provide troops for the Roman legions. (1)
In the years 174-175 is the Sarmatian war between the Roman Empire and the Sarmatian Iazygs who live in Sarmatia under King Barnadaspos. In the peace treaty, foedus, concluded between the Roman emperorMarcus Aurelius and the Sarmatian King Barnadaspos is regulated that the Sarmatians will provide a cavalry army of 8000 man for the Roman legions. Of these 1,500 are stationed in Italy and 5500 in Great Britain.
At he end of the 4th century a group Alans joins the Roman army as comitatenses Alani as imperial cavalry under the Roman general Stilicho to fight against invading Goths, who were helped, and that was no exception in that time, by other Alans.
Notitia Dignitatum
About the stationing of Sarmatians and Alans in the Empire is little written. There is one contemporary document dating from the 5th century the Notitia Dignitatum. This is a list of dignitaries and gives an overview of all administrative and management functions and of the insignia, banners in the Roman Empire. It also describes the praefecti of Alans et Sarmatians.
The Notitia mentions in the beginning of 5th century twenty-four praefects of Sarmatians whereofseventeen in Italy and six in Gaul. In Gallic Velay was a praefect of Sarmatians and Alans, in Poitiers of Sarmatians and Taifals. In England was a praefect at Ribchester (Lancashire).
The list is surrendered incomplete, the praefects in Germania Secunda, the Benelux region, is partially missing. Known at least is the Praefectus Laetorum Lagentium prope Tungros. This praefectura was in the old civic center Atuatuca close to the castles on the Meuse transition, Traiectum ad Mosae, Maastricht. The recently discovered oppidum of the Aduatuci in Thuin (Hainaut) is also a possible place, but this seems to be of older date.
A praefectus was during the first centuries mostly a Roman but since the army reform of Emperor Diocletian (284-305) the allies, foederati, Germans, Batavi, Sarmatians and Alani were led by a own leader. A comes, general or magister Equitum, commander in chief.
Comitatenses, plural of comitatensis, were imperial troops. Since the 4th century comitatenses were stationed at strategic locations in the interior, from where they could go up against invaders. They functioned also as bodyguards of the emperor on his campaigns. De border troops limitanei were encamped in a stone castella of castra.
In the 5th century between 420 and 471 Alans had high posts the in the Eastern Roman Empire, asArdabur and his son Aspar. These were Alanian nobles that were included in the aristocracy of the Empire. They and their descendants and staff remained in and around the current Istanbul in Turkey.
Northern Italy
In the year 358 AD the servile Sarmatian tribe the Limigantes came in revolt against the leading tribe, theArgaragantes in an internal Sarmatian war and they expelled their masters. These warrior nobility received a warm welcome in the Roman Empire and got settlements for them and their families to the number of 30,000 in different provinces in the heartland of the Empire in Thracia, Macedonia andNorthern Italy.
Sarmatians and Alans had many small military colonies in the Po Valley. The last mentioned Alanian regiment in the Western Roman Empire was that at Ravenna in 487, nine years after the dethroning of the last Western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos in 480. They took part in the election of the OstrogothOdoacer to emperor and served in his army.
During the last raid in Hungaria by the Hun Babaï in 470 a group of Sarmatians crossed the Donau (Danube) and settled in Pannonia Secunda in Singidinum (Belgrade). Babaï was then slain by the East Roman emperor Leo I. In 568 Sarmatians still lived there and some followed the Longobards into Italy and settled in the Po Valley.
ing Sambida accepted in 440 a settlement in the valley of the Rhone at Valence.
In Valence (Fr.) in the Rhône valley are graves found from the 4th century with skulls as seen in the Ukraine in steppe peoples such as Sarmatians and also Goths with a characteristic skull deformation, caused by tight bandage of the growing skull of new born babies. (3)
In Brittany king Eochar got in 447 his own country.
In an area around Lake Geneva are many places with names of Alanian origin. These must have been Alanian settlements. Here are also graves from the 5th century of people that have the same typical Sarmatianskull deformation.
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Gothic egghead skull, in youth deformed,
4th century, Globasnitz (Austria) (4) |
In graves in Valais (Sw.) 5th century, and Valence (Fr.) 4th century, skulls are found, the same as found in the Ukraine, with the characteristic skull deformation, caused by tight bandage of the growing skull of new born babies as seen at the steppe peoples as Sarmatians.
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