General Notes

OCCU Count of Rhaetiasaetia,also spelled RHAETIA, ancient Roman province comprisingVorarlberg and Tirolstates in present-day Austria, the eastern cantons ofSwitzerland, and parts of Bavaria
andBaden-Wrttemberg states in Germany. Its native inhabitants wereprobably of mixed Illyrianand Celtic stock. The area was conquered by Rome in 15 BC andbecame an important part ofthe empire, not
for its economic value, which was small, but forits communications positionin the network of highways between Italy and the Danube Riverand between Gaul and theBalkans.Because Raetia was a frontier
province, its boundaries shiftedin response to pressures fromthe German tribes. The northern line was moved north of theDanube to the Neckar River inthe 1st century AD, but in the 3rd century
intrusions by Germantribes forced the western andnorthern boundaries to be pulled back. By 450 Rome controlledonly the Alpine regions ofRaetia.Related Propaedia TopicsForeign policy: Roman relations
with Parthia and the otherstates in the East; the southern,western, and northern frontiersCopyright (c) 1996 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All RightsReserved
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DATE 14 MAR 1999