Dacia Ripensis


Dacia Ripensis was the name of a Roman province first established by Aurelian c. AD 283, south of the Danube, after he withdrew from Dacia Traiana.

History

It is unclear whether Aurelian or the Emperor Diocletian replaced Dacia Aureliana with two provinces, but by 285, there were two – Dacia Mediterranea with its capital at Serdica and Dacia Ripensis, with its capital at Ratiaria. Later, these two "Dacias" along with Dardania, Lower Moesia, and Prevalitana constituted the Diocese of Dacia.
Ratiaria was established as the capital of Dacia Ripensis and served both as the seat of the military governor and as the military base for the Roman legion XIII Gemina.
According to Priscus, Dacia Ripensis was a flourishing province during the 4th and 5th centuries AD. During the early 440s, however, the Huns captured the province. Even though the province recovered briefly from Hunnic rule, it was eventually decimated by the Avars in 586. On a more specific note, Aurelian developed Dacia Ripensis on a stretch of the Danube specifically between Moesia Superior and Moesia Inferior.

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