AGRI DECUMATES IN AD 74

Name given by the ancient Roman historian Tacitus to the Black Forest and adjoining areas of southwestern Germany between the Rhine, Danube, and Main Rivers; the name may imply earlier occupation by a tribe with ten cantons.


The Romans under the Flavian emperors began annexing the area in AD 74 to secure better communications between the Rhine and Danube armies.


According to Tacitus, the territory was previosly inhabited by the Helvetti; later, vagabond Gauls settled there. The Romans were displaced from the Agri Decumates by the Alemanni AD 260.