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Why did Vespasian annex the Agri Decumates in southern Germany?
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Vespasian
Bust of Vespasian, found at Ostia; in the Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome.
Vespasian annexed the Agri Decumates in southern Germany primarily to improve and secure communications between the Roman armies stationed along the Rhine and Danube rivers.12
By incorporating this territory—a triangle of land situated between the Rhine, Danube, and Main rivers—the Romans were able to cut off the reentrant angle formed by the Rhine at Basel, thereby stabilizing the frontier and facilitating better movement for their forces. This strategic expansion, which began in 74 CE, was part of a broader effort by the Flavian dynasty to repair military weaknesses and consolidate Roman control in the region following the internal disorders of 69 CE.341