Characteristics, Fluctuations, and Permeability of Boundaries between the Kingdom of Hatra and the Roman Empire (2nd-3rd Century CE)

In this paper, a preliminary definition of the territorial, military, political, and economic boundaries of the Kingdom of Hatra during the 2nd and the first decades of the 3rd centuries CE, prior to the alliance between Rome and Hatra against the Sasanian Empire, is proposed through a multidisciplinary approach. To achieve this complex reconstruction, an integrated use of various data sources has been employed, including archaeological data from major surveys conducted between the Tigris, Euphrates, and Khabur rivers in northern Mesopotamia, epigraphic data from Eastern Aramaic inscriptions (Hatran inscriptions) scattered throughout the territory, information on the road system of the Kingdom of Hatra obtained through aerial photography, and the widespread use of historical cartography (Russian and American maps). The integrated use of these data demonstrates the absence of a rigid frontier between the Kingdom of Hatra and the Roman Empire, revealing a complex settlement pattern influenced by the landscape’s characteristics, as well as the military and social features of the Kingdom of Hatra itself.