A Roman border in the middle of Dobrudja?

Abstract

On the shortest distance from the Danube to the Black Sea, Dobrudja is crossed by three linear fortifications: the small earthen wall, the large earthen wall and the stone wall. Discussed as a single complex or as separate structures, the three walls were constantly in the attention of researchers. The dating of the monuments is ranging from prehistory to the eleventh century. In two recently published papers, the subject of the linear fortifications from Central Dobrudja is again discussed. And, if in the first one, leaving open the possibility of dating, the author inclines rather towards the construction of all of them in the post-Roman era, in the second one, arguments are brought for dating two of them during the Roman era. It is not our intention here to revisit the entire dossier related to the walls, but just to make some comments concerning their existence in the Roman era and the relationship between them and the configuration of the Roman landscape, based on the available data.