Noricum ( / ˈ n ɒr ɪ k ə m / ) is the Latin name for a kingdom or group of tribes that covered most of modern Austria and part of Slovenia. In the first century AD, it became part of the Roman Empire. Its borders were the Danube River to the north, Raetia and the Vindelici people to the west, Pannonia to the east and southeast, and Italia (Venetia et Histria) to the south. The kingdom was established around 400 BC, and its capital city was Virunum, located on the Magdalensberg hill.

Area and population

Around 800 BC, the area was mostly home to people from the Hallstatt culture. Around 450 BC, these people joined with others living in the south-western parts of Germany and eastern France.

The land is mountainous and has plenty of iron and salt. These materials were used to make weapons for areas like Pannonia, Moesia, and northern Italy. A type of strong steel called Noric steel was often used in Roman weapons, as noted by the Roman poet Horace in his writings: "Noricus ensis," meaning "a Noric sword." Gold and salt were found in large amounts. A plant called saliunca, which is related to lavender and grows wild, was common in the area and used as a perfume, according to Pliny the Elder.

The people created a culture with rich traditions in art, salt mining, raising cattle, and farming. When part of the region became a Roman province, the Romans brought new water systems, and trade between people living north and south of the Alps grew stronger.

Archaeological studies, especially in the Hallstatt cemeteries, show that a thriving civilization existed in the area long before written records. Graves from this time contained weapons and decorations from the Bronze Age, through the time of change, up to the Hallstatt culture, which marks the early Iron Age.

Language

The Noric language is found in only a few broken or incomplete writings. One was discovered in Ptuj, and two were found in Grafenstein. These writings do not have enough details to help people understand what the language was like.

History

The kingdom of Noricum was an important supplier of weapons for the Roman army starting in the mid-Republic period. Roman swords were made from high-quality steel produced in this region, known as chalybs Noricus. The strength of steel depends on its composition and how it is heated. Wrought iron used in the Greco-Roman world was too weak for tools and weapons. In contrast, ore from Noricum could produce a better product. This ore needed to be rich in manganese, an element still important in modern steelmaking, and contain little or no phosphorus, which weakens steel. Ore from Carinthia (in southern Noricum) met both requirements well. Noricans discovered their ore could make superior steel around 500 BC and developed a major steel industry.

At Magdalensberg, a major production and trading center, specialized blacksmiths made metal products and weapons. These finished weapons were sent to Aquileia, a Roman colony established in 180 BC.

Starting around 200 BC, Noricum’s tribes gradually united into a kingdom called the Regnum Noricum, with its capital at a place named Noreia. Noricum became a key ally of the Roman Republic, supplying high-quality weapons and tools in exchange for military protection. This alliance was shown in 113 BC, when the Teutones invaded Noricum. In response, the Roman consul Gnaeus Papirius Carbo led an army over the Alps to attack the tribes near Noreia.

Noricum was incorporated into the Roman Empire in 16 BC. Before this, Noricans had been independent under their own rulers and traded with the Romans. In 48 BC, they supported Julius Caesar during his civil war against Pompey. In 16 BC, after joining the Pannonians in invading Histria, they were defeated by Publius Silius Nerva, a Roman proconsul. After this, Noricum became a Roman province. It was not until the reign of Antoninus Pius that the Second Legion, Pia (later renamed Italica), was stationed in Noricum, and the legion’s commander became the province’s governor.

Under Diocletian (245–313 AD), Noricum was divided into two regions: Noricum ripense ("Noricum along the river," the northern area south of the Danube) and Noricum mediterraneum ("landlocked Noricum," the southern, more mountainous region). The dividing line ran through the central part of the eastern Alps. Each region was governed by a praeses and belonged to the diocese of Illyricum in the Praetorian prefecture of Italy. In 304 AD, a Christian military officer in the province was martyred for his faith and later became Saint Florian.

Important Roman colonies and towns in Noricum included Virunum (near Maria Saal, north of Klagenfurt), Teurnia (near Spittal an der Drau), Flavia Solva (near Leibnitz), Celeia (Celje, now in Slovenia), Juvavum (Salzburg), Ovilava (Wels), and Lauriacum (Lorch, at the mouth of the Enns, the ancient Anisus).

Knowledge of Roman Noricum has been greatly expanded by the work of Richard Knabl, a 19th-century Austrian epigrapher.

The shift from Roman to barbarian rule in Noricum is well documented in Eugippius’s Life of Saint Severinus, providing valuable information about this process in areas where few primary sources from the time exist.

In modern politics

In 1919, Heinrich Lammasch, the last prime minister of Imperial Austria, suggested naming the new republic the Noric Republic. This was because the old borders of the region were similar to the new country's borders. At that time, the new state did not want to be seen as a follower of the Habsburg monarchy. Instead, it aimed to be a separate, neutral, and peaceful nation.

Episcopal sees

The Episcopal sees of Noricum that are currently listed in the official Catholic Church directory as titular sees include:

• Aguntum
• Virunum

General and cited references

• Alföldy, Géza. Noricum. Published by Routledge & K. Paul in 1974.
• Fischer, Thomas. Noricum. Published in Mainz by Zabern. ISBN 3-8053-2829-X.
• Healy, John F. Mining and Metallurgy in the Greek and Roman World. Published by Thames and Hudson in 1978.
• Strobel, Karl (2012): "Das Regnum Noricum, the so-called Noric Coinage and Rome: Early Contacts as a Prelude to Annexation and Romanization – Fiction or Reality? With an Appendix on the Noreia Question" in "Archaeologia Austriaca" Volume 96. Pages 11–34.
• This article includes text from a publication now in the public domain: Freese, John Henry (1911). "Noricum." In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Volume 19 (11th edition). Published by Cambridge University Press. Page 748.