What Divides Us Also Connects Us: Roman Frontiers, World Heritage and Community

Abstract

Roman Frontiers (Limes) run through several countries across Europe, the Near East and North Africa. In addition to those territories on the boundaries of the Empire, Roman military remains and artefacts are recorded in other countries, reflecting the development, expansion and contraction of the Roman Empire as well as trade within and beyond its borders. Since the early 2000s, a project has been on-going to create a series of transnational World Heritage properties for the Frontiers of the Roman Empire, building on existing networking connections established through the International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies and establishing new collaborations and partnerships, from local to international. In recognising the outstanding value to all humanity of our shared cultural heritage, the Limes provide an opportunity to connect communities and countries, as well as engender a sense of local pride in the global importance of remains. This paper is derived from a keynote given at the European Association of Archaeologists virtual conference in 2020, and asks how, when wrestling with global challenges such as Climate Change and the Covid19 pandemic, can World Heritage and Roman Frontiers contribute to our 21 st century society?

A wall or a road? A remote sensing-based investigation of fortifications on Rome's eastern frontier

“…As recent scholarship reimagines Roman frontiers as sites of cultural exchange rather than barriers (e.g. Jones 2021), we can similarly view the forts of the Syrian steppe as enabling safe and secure transit across the landscape, offering water to camels and livestock, and providing a place for weary travellers to eat, drink and sleep, thereby playing a critical role in bringing east and west together.…”

The Roman Legacy on European Chestnut and Walnut Arboriculture

“…At time of its greatest expansion, the Roman Empire ran from Britain in the North to Northern Africa in the south, comprising all circum-Mediterranean areas from Iberia to the Black Sea and Syria (Jones 2021). Although with different trajectories, all conquered territories of the Empire underwent far-reaching socio-economic and cultural changes, making a fall back to pre-Roman conditions almost impossible (e.g.…”

Public Archaeologies of Frontiers and Borderlands

“…Capital projects include regenerating forgotten areas through sculpture -Roman inspired art and replica distance stones, and through the development and redevelopment of playparks, with five planned in total, one for each of the Local Authority areas along the Wall (Figure 2). These have been co-designed with local school children and feature stories about the diverse military community in the area almost 2,000 years ago (Weeks 2020;Jones in prep.). Echoing some of the other themes in this volume, we are also working on the creation of comics and have a graffiti project, where we are collaborating with a local graffiti company, who will engage international artists to work with local communities to create Roman inspired graffiti.…”