S A R M A T I A. 
G77 
been reduced to a Roman province by Claudius; Thrace, 
till its reduction, having served as a barrier on that side be¬ 
tween the Sarmatians and the Romans. Soon after the latter 
became possessed of it, the Sarmatians appeared in great num¬ 
bers on the confines, with a seeming purpose of making 
themselves masters of that province ; but the Roman general 
having defeated the king of the Bastarnians and Roxolanians, 
the rest soon dispersed. Six years after this transaction, 
A.D. 69, the Roxolanians, having entered Moesia and de¬ 
feated two Roman cohorts, ravaged the country. The Jazy- 
gians, another Sarmatic nation, offered to join Vespasian in 
the first year of his reign, immediately after his accession to 
the empire; but soon altering their purpose, broke into 
Mcesia, and, having killed the governor, laid Waste the 
country : but in several encounters with a Roman general, 
expeditiously dispatched against them by the Roman em¬ 
peror, many of them were cut to pieces, and the rest were 
obliged to re-cross the Danube. 
The Sarmatians in Europe broke into Illyricum with great 
fury in the year 119, the second of Adrian’s reign; which 
obliged that priuce to quit Rome, and march against them in 
person. Upon his arrival at Moesia, they repassed the Da¬ 
nube with great precipitation, and encamped on the opposite 
bank ; but the Roman cavalry swimming across the river, in 
order to attack them, the Sarmatians were struck with such 
terror, that they immediately submitted. 
The princes of the Sarmatians quarrelled afterwards among 
themselves, and chose Adrian for their umpire, who com¬ 
posed their differences to the general satisfaction of the con¬ 
tending parties. On this occasion, the king of the Roxola¬ 
nians complaining to the emperor, that his pension had been 
reduced, Adrian ordered the sum which had been formerly 
allowed him, to be paid without the least deduction. In the 
year 135, the Jazygians sent ambassadors to Rome, to renew 
their alliance with Adrian, who received them in a very 
obliging manner, introduced them to the senate, and, having 
granted them their request, sent them back loaded with rich 
presents. 
All the nations inhabiting Sarmatia conspired with the 
Marcomans against M. Aurelius ; but were in the end sub¬ 
dued, and almost extirpated. Being afterwards abandoned 
by the Marcomans and their other allies, they were reduced 
to great extremity, and suing for peace, they obtained it 
upon conditions that were humiliating, and with which they 
were under a necessity of complying. The prisoners, whom 
they dismissed on this occasion, amounted, as it is said, to 
100,000, though they had sold to other nations many of 
those whom they had taken during the war. The 8000 
Jazygian horse were by the emperor sent into Britain. To 
the other Sarmatic nations lands were allotted in Pan- 
nonia, Moesia, Germany, and even in Italy. The Jazy¬ 
gians lived, it seems, some time in peace and amity with 
the Romans; for in 180, one of the articles of the peace 
concluded between the emperor Commodus and the Ale¬ 
mans was, that they should not make war upon the Jazy- 
ians, Burians, or Vandals. Besides, no mention is made 
y historians either of them, or the other Sarmatic nations, 
till the year 215, when the emperor Caracalla is said to 
have gained some advantages over the Sarmatians, and 
to have assumed, on that account, the surname of Sarma- 
ticus. 
In the year 228 the Carpi, a people of Sarmatia, dwell¬ 
ing next the Carpathian mountains, which separate Hun¬ 
gary and Transylvania from Poland, demanded an annual 
pension, similar to that which was granted to the Goths; 
and their demand being rejected, they made several irrup¬ 
tions into the empire. Aurelian, afterwards emperor, gained 
a signal victory over the Sarmatians and Sueves in the 
reign of Claudius. In the year 278, Probus marched against 
them in person, but they obtained peace upon a promise to re¬ 
main beyond the Danube, and to supply the Roman armies 
with a certain number of troops. As soon as they heard of 
the death of Probus, they invaded Illyricum, but were defeated 
with great slaughter by the emperor Carus, who cut in pieces 
Vol. XXII. No. 1531. 
16,000 of them, and obliged the rest to repass the Danube. 
About seven years after this event, they returned with a nume¬ 
rous army, and committed great ravages in Thrace and Illy¬ 
ricum ; but Dioclesian defeated them with great slaughter. 
In process of time the Sarmatians, dwelling near the Pains 
Maeotis, broke into the country of the Lazians in Colchis, 
and having pillaged a great part of Pontus, advanced as 
far as the Halys, a river of Paphlagonia. Constantius, 
then only tribune, but soon afterwards declared Caesar, was 
sent by Dioclesian to restrain their ravages ; the inferiority 
of his army, however, allowed his doing no more than 
preventing them from passing that river. The emperor 
Galerius made war on the Sarmatiaus, and gained over 
them a complete victory. About this time the Carpi, 
having been several times overcome, and reduced to great 
distress by Galerius, submitted to the Romans. Diocle¬ 
sian transplanted the whole nation into the Roman terri¬ 
tories, especially into Pannonia, where great numbers had 
been allowed to settle in the reign of Aurelian. Constan¬ 
tine the Great, in the 17th year of his reign, gained a great 
victory over the Sarmatians, and having several times de¬ 
feated them, he killed their king, laid waste their country, 
and returned with a very large number of captives. The 
Sarmatian sports, which were annually celebrated about the 
latter end of November, probably took their rise from this 
victory. 
In the year 332 Constantine espoused their cause against 
the Goths, and gained a complete victory over the latter; for in 
this war near 100,000 Goths perished either by the sword, or 
by famine. Unmindful, however, of their obligations to 
Constantine, the Sarmatians turned their arms against their 
friends and benefactors, but the Romans under Constantine 
severely punished them for their ingratitude, by entering their 
country, and ravaging it with fire and sword. Two years 
afterwards the Sarmatians were again attacked by the 
Goths. This war lasted some years, but at last the Sar¬ 
matians were totally defeated on the banks of the Marisus, 
in Dacia. In this battle they lost their king, Wisimar, 
and with him the flower of their nobility, and such numbers 
of men, that they were obliged to arm their slaves; but 
these, turning their arms against their masters, drove them 
quite out of their native country, and seized on their lands 
and possessions. These slaves are by Ammianus and St. 
Jerom styled “ Limigantes,” whereas the free-born among 
the Sarmatians were distinguished by the name of “ Acara- 
gantes.” The Sarmatians, thus expelled by their slaves, had 
again recourse to Constantine, who received 300,000 of 
them into the empire, incorporated some among his troops, 
and allowed to the others lands in the provinces bordering 
on the Danube, and even in Italy itself. Those who took 
refuge among the Quadians, made an irruption, A. D. 355, 
into Pannonia, in conjunction with the Quadi; and having 
pillaged both that province and Upper Mcesia, returned 
unmolested with an immense booty. Two years after this 
expedition, they laid waste the same provinces, while the 
Suevi committed dreadful ravages in Rhaetia, and the Quadi 
in Valeria, a province of Illyricum. Constantius hastened 
from Rome to oppose the Barbarians, who threatened 
Italy itself; but hearing of his arrival at Milan, they re¬ 
treated with precipitation. The emperor, however, advanced 
as far as Sirmium, and had several conferences with the 
chiefs of the nations dwelling in the vicinity of the Danube, 
who all promised to live in peace and amity with the em¬ 
pire. In the following winter they forgot their promises, 
aud finding the Danube frozen, they seized the opportunity 
of entering Moesia and Pannonia, and pillaging those pro¬ 
vinces. Constantinus marched in person against the Sarma¬ 
tians, who had been joined by the Quadians ; and having 
passed the Danube on a bridge of boats, he entered their 
country, and laid it waste to a great extent. At length 
they concluded a peace with Constantius. The Limigantes, 
whom we have already mentioned, after suffering a dreadful 
massacre, were obliged to submit to the Romans, and to ac¬ 
cept the severe terms that were offered them. These were, 
8 K that 
