ROM0178 – Facing up the Goths outside the Porta Praetoria of Apulum, III Cent.

Facing the Goths Outside the Porta Praetoria of Apulum, III Century AD

The 3rd century AD was the most dangerous period in the history of the Roman Empire — a time of near-continuous crisis in which the empire barely survived. Apulum (modern Alba Iulia in Romania) was the capital of Roman Dacia, the province wrested from Decebalus by Trajan in 106 AD. By the mid-3rd century, as the military crisis deepened and Gothic pressure on the Danube frontier intensified, the garrison of Apulum found itself in the front line of the empire’s defense.

The Frontier Under Pressure

The Porta Praetoria — the main gate of a Roman legionary fortress, facing the direction of the enemy — was the most defensible point in the camp’s architecture. The massive twin-towered gate, built to project Roman military authority as much as to provide military function, now served its most basic purpose: keeping the enemy outside.

The Gothic raiders of the 3rd century were different from the Goths who had settled along the Danube and integrated into Roman society. These were warriors from beyond the frontier, striking in large fast-moving forces that could appear almost anywhere along a thinly-held perimeter. The Roman response was to shelter the civilian population inside the fortress walls and hold on until the raiders moved on or a field army arrived — a strategy of survival rather than dominance.

Dacia was ultimately abandoned by the Emperor Aurelian around 271 AD — Rome’s first major voluntary territorial withdrawal. The soldiers who had defended Apulum’s Porta Praetoria fought for a province that Rome would eventually decide was not worth the cost of holding.

The Original Artwork by Giuseppe Rava

This original Roman military art print by Giuseppe Rava — historical illustrator for Osprey Publishing since 2007 — captures the tense confrontation at Apulum’s gate with the meticulous accuracy that defines every work by the Maestro. 3rd century Roman soldiers, Gothic warriors, the drama of frontier defense rendered in oil on canvas.

The print is produced as a limited edition, individually numbered and hand-signed by Giuseppe Rava, SRA3 format (45×32 cm / 17.7×12.6 in), on premium fine art paper. Available worldwide with international shipping.