The epoch of the Dominate on the Lower Danube: the shape, relationships, influences

Abstract

The article analyzes the economic and social situation of the lower Danubian provinces (Scythia Minor and Moesia II) in the late Empire and their relations with the areas north of the Danube, which is important for understanding the functioning of imperial frontiers as zones of contact. The aim of the study is to determine the character of these relations and the role of the Danube in the economic system of the region. The author applies analysis of historical sources and archaeological data concerning trade, administration, and transport infrastructure. The most important results indicate that despite the extensive fortification system, the region was not isolated, but maintained intensive economic contacts with the barbarian population, and the Danube served both as a frontier and as a communication route. Trade was partly regulated by the state (cursus publicus, frontier markets, officials), yet this control was limited, especially during periods of intensified migrations of peoples. Analysis of sources and archaeological finds confirms the movement of goods, the presence of merchants, and the importance of the region as a transit zone. The lower Danube was therefore a dynamic area of economic and cultural contacts, in which the imperial frontier functioned more as a space of exchange than of isolation.