Flexum

Ad Flexum was a Roman‑period settlement and military camp on the territory of present‑day Hungary.

Location

Ad Flexum stood on the bank of the river now called the Mosoni Danube, at one of its bends, as its name indicates (a.m: at the bend). In its place today is the Lucson district of the city of Mosonmagyaróvár.

History

The military camp established beside the Mosoni Danube was a significant strategic point. Although the primary reason for the creation of Ad Flexum was military, the development of the settlement that arose beside it was aided by the war road that passed through here, which carried east‑west trade. Behind the modern defensive line, the industrial and merchant layer that emerged alongside the troops felt more secure. But this also proved weak when, between 169 and 171, the Germans living on the left bank of the Danube surged onto the frontier with great force. In the three years of fighting, the limes and the settlement next to the camp were almost completely destroyed. Later, in the 3rd century, there was a revival in this area as well, and numerous finds from that time (jewelry, vessels, bronze and ceramic objects) have been uncovered. The settlement’s population at that time could have been 3,000–4,000 people, and the military camp could have extended from present‑day Magyar Street to the middle of Károlyliget. After the death of Valentinian I in 375, Hun attacks forced the population to flee, and under later Lombard, then Avar rule the settlement and the camp may have been largely destroyed.