Abstract
The author presented the image of Moesia contained in the Codex Theodosianus - a Roman collection of laws promulgated in 438 AD. during the reign of Emperor Theodosius II. The aim of the article is to determine what military, social and economic problems of Moesia were reflected in the imperial legislation and to what extent the legal provisions corresponded to the actual situation in the so-called border of the Empire. The author used the historical and legal method, analyzing the constitutions contained in the Codex of Theodosius and confronting them with archaeological and epigraphic data and records of late antique authors. The analysis showed that issues related to Moesia appear in thirty imperial legal acts issued from the times of Constantine the Great to the reign of Theodosius II. Most regulations were created during the reigns of Valentinian I and Theodosius I, mainly during periods of intense threat from barbarians. The author drew attention to regulations regarding border defence, organisation of the army, functioning of provincial administration and prohibitions on cooperation between residents and barbarians. He showed that imperial legislation was a response to specific problems of the border, such as Goth invasions, administrative crises and economic difficulties. At the same time, he emphasized that the regulations were not always effectively enforced, as evidenced by, among others, continuing contacts between the provincial population and barbarian tribes.
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