Noreia
Noreia was an ancient city located in the region of Noricum, present-day Austria, specifically identified with the summit of Magdalensberg mountain in Carinthia. This settlement was significant as the principal city of the Norici tribe and served as the capital of their kingdom. Historical accounts suggest that Noreia was mentioned by Hecataeus around 500 BC, and it played a pivotal role in various military encounters, including a notable defeat of Roman consul Cnaeus Papirius Carbo by migrating Germanic tribes in 113 BC. Following its annexation by the Romans in 15 BC, Noreia experienced substantial development, with the establishment of Roman-style architecture and amenities, including villas, baths, and a commercial forum.
Archaeological excavations have uncovered remnants of a pre-Roman stronghold and a variety of Roman constructions, including a temple dedicated to Rome and Augustus, which reflect the cultural and administrative influence of the Roman Empire in the region. The city's prosperity was marked by its vibrant trade, as evidenced by numerous inscriptions and graffiti that document commercial activities. However, the transfer of the provincial capital to Virunum in the mid-first century AD led to Noreia's decline, ultimately resulting in its abandonment and desolation. Today, Noreia stands as an important historical site that offers insights into the interactions between Celtic and Roman cultures in ancient Europe.
Subject Terms
Noreia
A city in Noricum (Austria), identifiable with the Magdalensberg mountain in Carinthia (Kärnten), rather than, as has also been suggested, with Neumarkt in Styria (Steiermark)
The city stood on the summit of the mountain that rises more than 3,000 feet above the plain of the Zollfeld. Hecataeus (c 500 BC) mentions the `Celtic City Nyrax,’ which may well be Noreia. At all events, by the second century, it was the principal settlement of the tribe of the Norici and the capital of their kingdom of Noricum (qv). It was here, in 113 BC, that the Roman consul Cnaeus Papirius Carbo suffered a resounding defeat at the hands of migrating German peoples, the Cimbri and Teutones, who thereupon, however, fortunately proceeded to move westward instead of pressing on into Italy. When the Romans annexed Noricum in 15, Noreia passed into their hands.
Important excavations have revealed a pre-Roman stronghold with an enclosed area of more than two square miles. Before the end of the second century Roman merchants were installed in a quarter of their own, grouped round a commercial forum. About 40–20, a colonnaded, terraced villa (one of a number on the site) was equipped with a bathing establishment and embellished with elegant wall paintings, such are also to be seen in the remains of a local inn. A Roman replica of a Greek statue of Mars (the Helenenberg Youth, now in Vienna) belongs to about the same time. Roman annexation prompted the construction of many new buildings, including a large temple of Rome and Augustus flanked by the governor's tribunal, and a three-halled, three-storeyed meeting place for the provincial council of Noricum, known as the Repräsentationshaus; it contained thirteen niches for statues personifying the tribes of the province. Fragments of inscriptions, dating between 11 and 2 BC, record tributes from eight of these Noric tribes, and honor the family of Augustus. The lower rooms of new or rebuilt houses were stores and workshops, some of which were engaged in working the iron and gold found nearby; and the walls of two cellars (containing niches for statues of Mercury) were found to be covered with more than three hundred graffiti, of which the contents include references to extensive financial and commercial transactions. When, however, the provincial capital was transferred by Claudius (AD 41–54) to Virunum, the position of Noreia declined, and eventually its site became deserted and desolate.