The empire is in an upheaval. Hordes of barbarians with strange names and wild customs descend from the north. The once mighty Roman warriors have become decadent and indulgent, unable to protect the state. The empire shrinks and so does Nicopolis. The raid of the Heruli in the middle of the 3rd century CE, followed by the raid of the Vandals in 474 CE demonstrates the vulnerability of the old Roman fortifications that were built at the time of Augustus. It is obvious that a new defensive wall is necessary.