Limes sites added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list
Two new sections of the Roman military frontier have been inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The addition of the sections in northern Europe marks another success for a group of dedicated archaeologists who have been working over twenty years “to encircle the Roman Empire with a new protective ring,” said David J. Breeze, one of the three members of the team who conceived the dream. They called the project “Frontiers of the Roman Empire” (FRE).
“FRE – The Lower German Limes” follows the left bank of the Rhine River and adds approximately 400 km from the Rhenish Massif in Germany to the North Sea in the Netherlands. It comprises 102 components in 44 clusters.
“FRE – The Danube Limes (Western Segment)“ adds the entire Danube frontier of some 600 km. It comprises 175 components in 98 clusters across four countries. It includes roads, legionary fortresses and their associated settlements, small forts, and temporary camps.
They represent the fourth and fifth wins for the FRE (Obergermanisch-Raetischer ) was added to the list in 2005. The 60 km long Antonine Wall was added in 2008. “We’re more or less half-way across Europe,” said Breeze. “We’re seeking to embrace the whole Roman Empire!”
