LES CONTACTS DE L’EMPIRE ROMAIN AVEC LES HABITANTS DE LA SILÉSIE AUX PREMIERS SIÈCLES DE NOTRE ÈRE
CONTACTS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE WITH THE INHABITANTS OF SILESIA IN THE FIRST CENTURIES OF OUR ERA

Summary/Abstract: Today, Silesia is a large region located in the south-western part of Poland. A very small part of Silesia is currently in the Czech Republic and an even smaller part in Germany. In this paper, the author, Professor of the University of Opole, Piotr Sadowski, points to the examples evidencing the contacts between the ancient Romans and the inhabitants of Silesia at that time. He also asks about the nature of these contacts. He is convinced that the current cultural identity of Silesia, apart from Polish, German and Moravian factors, was also influenced by the achievements of ancient Roman culture. The author is aware of how many divergent views exist as to the ethnic affiliation of the inhabitants of Silesia in the first centuries of the Roman Empire. Probably at that time the representatives of various ethnic groups lived there, forming a union of tribes controlling the Аmber route. Numerous findings, especially the so-called Roman imports indicate that a number of Roman goods reached them - just recall a beautiful silver cup with plant and animal motifs from the 1st century AD found in Gosławice (today the part of Opole). The nature of Roman-Silesian contacts was influenced by the geo - political situation of peoples living between them. There was a time when Marcus Aurelius wanted to create two new provinces, Marcomanniа and Sarmatia. However, that did not happen. The Marcomannic Wars caused that trade relations in today's Silesia decreased and gave way to the political ones, as evidenced by the furnishings of the magnificent graves from Zakrzów (now the part of Wroclaw). Summing up, from the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD, the lands of today's Silesia were under strong influence of imperium romanum, initially most of all economic, later more political.

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