Hüfingen fort

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Hüfingen fort
Alternative name Brigobannis
limes ORL 62a ( RLK )
Route (RLK) Raetian Limes ,
older Danube line
Dating (occupancy) around 41/45 AD
to around 80/85 AD
Type Alenkastell
unit unknown ala
size 2.4 to 3.5 ha
Construction Wood earth
State of preservation Fort bath preserved
place Hüfingen
Geographical location 47 ° 55 ′ 10 "  N , 8 ° 28 ′ 57"  E
height 703  m above sea level NHN
Previous ORL 62 forts of Rottweil (north-northeast)
Subsequently Fort Tuttlingen (east)

The Hüfingen fort , the ancient Brigobannis , is an early Roman border fort on the older Danube line of the Raetian Limes . It is located with the associated vicus as a ground monument in the area of ​​today's Hüfingens , a town in the Schwarzwald-Baar district in Baden-Württemberg .

location

The fort area of ​​Hüfingen is located as a superficially invisible ground monument southwest of today's city, between the outskirts and the federal road 31 .

The Hüfingen area was already settled in pre-Roman times. So there was a La Tène-era settlement at the later fort location on the "Galgenberg" on the so-called "Höhlenstein" until the middle of the 1st century BC . The "Galgenberg" is a spur-like hill rising up to 20 m above the Breg , which rises gently only from the south, but relatively steeply from all other directions.

In ancient times, this striking elevation with a wide panoramic view was an obvious location for a fort. In the immediate vicinity of the military camp met Vindonissa coming Roman road to the Donausüdstraße that began in western beginning with the older line of the Danube Raetian Limes here. An older route leading from the west through the Wagenstein valley and over the "Turner" is suspected and an extension of the route from Vindonissa further north to Arae Flaviae ( Rottweil ) is considered likely from the Flavian period at the latest , so at this point a not insignificant intersection of Roman roads has arisen.

Research history

Hüfingen as Brigobanne on the Tabula Peutingeriana
(arrow top center)

Already at the beginning of the 17th century, the then landlord of Hüfingens, the imperial knight Hans von Schellenberg (1551 / 52–1609), carried out exploratory excavations on the "Galgenberg" and recovered finds. After his death, the site as such was forgotten for more than a century and a half. Only in 1768 were Roman relics mentioned again in the Oberamt files.

Research into Hüfingen's Roman past took off rapidly with the strengthening of the educated middle class in the 19th century and their interest in antiquity. In 1820 the place was identified as the Brigobanne recorded on the Tabula Peutingeriana . In the same year, Karl Egon II zu Fürstenberg (1796-1854), who was considered liberal and enlightened for his time, arranged for excavations to be carried out in the area of ​​the fort baths. After the excavation work ended, the completely exposed Balineum was given one of the first museum protection structures in Germany in 1821. The first systematic description of the Roman remains comes from this time, specifically from 1824. Joseph Frick (1806–1875), then eighteen-year-old student at the Badisches Großherzoglichen Gymnasium in Freiburg , wrote it in Latin during the Easter holidays on behalf of his teacher Heinrich Schreiber (1793–1872).

During the following decades, smaller excavations and explorations took place, during which, among other things, the horreum (granary) of the fort was exposed and, with the knowledge of the time, initially misinterpreted as a temple. Finally, in 1913, the archaeological investigations by the Reichs-Limeskommission began , which lasted until 1932, with interruptions due to the war and the post-war period. The research results, which were published in 1937, form the basis of today's knowledge about Hüfingen's Roman past. With this publication, Hüfingen is also the only Roman military camp of the older Danube line of the Raetian Limes that has been recorded by the commission.

Fort

The exact dating of the military camp in Hüfingen was discussed for a long time in Roman provincial archeology and is still not entirely certain. The fort probably began in the early Claudian period between AD 41 and 45. A first expansion of the camp is generally assumed to be in the Late Claudian / Early Eronian , a final expansion in the Early Flavian - Vespasian period between 70 and 75 AD. The latter must be seen in direct connection with the campaign of Gnaeus Pinarius Cornelius Clemens in the Dekumatland and the expansion of the Kinzigtalstrasse which he operated. With the advancement of the limes on the Alblinie probably around the year 80/85 n. Chr. The military importance of the castle Hüfinger have done, although occasionally his existence is suspected until the earliest the second century.

Floor plan of the Horreum misinterpreted as a temple
according to J. Frick (1824)

The Hüfinger Fort is a complex system of a multi-phase system with extensions made in the manner of a bailey , which is surrounded by an equally complex trench system with at least 18 individual trenches in three to four trench gradations. It has an irregular floor plan, which was adapted to the topographical conditions of the mountain spur, and takes up an area of ​​almost 2.5 hectares for the initial phase, and 3.4 to 3.6 hectares in its final expansion phase.

Due to its size and the found material - at least for the final expansion phase - an Ala , a cavalry unit, unknown by name , can be assumed as the crew.

The fort was surrounded by a wood-earth wall in all construction phases. The interior structures, some of which were staff barracks and the principia (staff building), were mostly wooden or half-timbered buildings. The only building that had stone foundations was the Horreum (storage building), which was misinterpreted as a "temple" by the first excavators .
The camp faced south with its Praetorial Front . Only this side was gently sloping enough to serve as a dropout level for a mounted unit.

Thermal bath

" Romanorum
quae hic spectas Monumenta
eruit posterisque servavit
Carolus Egon
princeps de Fuerstenberg
MDCCCXXI "

- Inscription of the protective structure of the thermal baths (1821)

The earliest exposed, most thoroughly researched and finally preserved part of the Roman legacy in Hüfingen is certainly the thermal bath, the Balineum, which can be found at every Roman fort. The thermal baths were built outside the purely military fort area and were also available to the civilian population. In contrast to the soldiers, the latter had to pay a small fee for using the baths.

Fort bath according to J. Frick (1824)

The Hüfinger Therme is located west of the fort in a valley below the "Galgenberg". It is a block-type balineum in which all rooms have been grouped together as compactly as possible. It occupies - without additions - an area of ​​around 570 m², of which just under 280 m² is accounted for by the generously laid out apodyterium (changing and relaxation room, marked with F in the illustration) with a cooling pool (G in the illustration). To the south of the apodyterium there are two rows of rooms, of which the western one is equipped with a hypocaust system with which the caldarium (hot bath room B) and the tepidarium (leaf room C) were heated. In the east of the room there was next to the unheated frigidarium (cold bath room D) with its separate cold water basin (E), the praefurnium (heating room A), from which the eastern part of the building was heated. A circular sudatorium (sweat bath I) located in the northwest corner of the building was probably heated separately. It was no longer possible to determine whether it had its own praefurnium, which the discovery of a single tubule (heating tile) would suggest, or a simple brazier set up in the room, as the area was already badly damaged at the time of the excavations. The room (H) at the northeast corner of the building block probably served the thermal bath staff as a lounge and work space.

In contrast to the fort, the Balineum was probably only built in the early Vespasian period around the year 70 AD, according to the datable finds . However, no previous construction is known. After the garrison withdrew, the bath was continued to be used by the vicus residents.

Vicus

The vicus of Brigobannis , the civil settlement, in which relatives of soldiers, traders, innkeepers, craftsmen and later soldiers settled after their service, is located north of the fort and the Breg in the “Mühlöschle” district. Here it extends along the Roman road leading to the north for a length of around 500 meters. Its width is between 100 and 200 meters. A good third of the entire vicus area has been archaeologically examined to date.

The settlement consisted of half-timbered buildings which, in the typical Vicus, elongated shape of the so-called strip houses with their narrow sides, on which the porticos were located, were oriented towards the street. A total of three construction phases could be differentiated, but not clearly dated. A purely wooden construction phase was followed by two construction phases in which at least stone foundations were used. Fireproof businesses, such as pottery and blacksmiths' workshops, were located on the leeward east side of the vicus .

The economic basis of the settlement initially consisted of services that were provided for the garrison, and later those were added that were connected with through traffic on the Roman highways: transformer stations and rest stations, blacksmiths' workshops and wagons. Thus, the original camp village could continue to exist on a solid economic basis even after the troops had withdrawn and the fort was closed. The emergence of shorter east-west connections, such as the one from Tuttlingen to Argentorate ( Strasbourg ), may have caused serious cuts in the economic life of the place . Nevertheless, the - presumably greatly reduced - vicus of Hüfingen still existed until the 3rd century, possibly until the end of Roman rule over southwest Germany in the time of the domestic and foreign political and economic crisis of the empire around the middle of the 3rd century.

Burial grounds

At the Roman times south to the military camp Vindonissa leading street in Won "Krumme fields" could 1978/79 in connection with the realignment of federal highway 31, a burial ground located and about 40 graves archaeologically secured. These are exclusively cremation graves. According to the finds, the occupation of the burial ground began in the first century AD, lasted beyond the end of the military presence, but was discontinued before the end of the vicus. Other isolated graves are known from the area north of the fort village.

Villa rustica

About two kilometers SSW of the fort are the remains of a villa rustica , which was discovered in 1903 and excavated in 1913 , in the “Deggenreuschen Forest” . Only the mansion, a common type with tower-like corner risers , could be identified. The south risalit was provided with a semicircular apse and decorated with representative wall paintings. The estate had a partial basement and a hypocaust system in some areas . Against the background of the relatively low number of finds and the fact that only a small part of the villa has been excavated, the existence of the property for the period from the 1970s to the end of the Roman presence in southwest Germany around 269/270.

Early Roman camp

South of the Alenkastell and the federal road 31, in the “Krumme Äcker” area, traces of another Roman military camp were discovered in 1977 during road construction work. This is a short-term wood-earth fort, which, with sides of around 100 m by 60 m, covered an area of ​​0.6 ha and was surrounded by two parallel trenches. Inside was a large, very carefully executed wooden structure. The area has so far been excavated only a little, but geomagnetically prospecting and thus completely recorded. The time and function of this camp have since been discussed in Roman provincial archeology. It could be the building camp of a troop that built the Alenkastell. The findings and the so far not very extensive finds speak, however, rather for a possible Augustan camp from the time of the earliest Roman occupation efforts. This theory is supported in that, in Strabon a stay of Tiberius v on the Danube sources in the fifteenth Is mentioned.

Confirmation of findings

The fort is located under the fields of the "Galgenberg" and has largely been spared from any developments. The vicus area was built over in large parts with an industrial area. Other graves can be assumed with some probability under the fields south of federal highway 31. Above ground nothing can be seen of these Roman relics.

The fort thermal baths were placed under a shelter as early as 1821, which, as one of the first museum shelters, is already a cultural monument worthy of protection. The Roman bath ruin Hüfingen is equipped with information boards and showcases with original finds and is open for tours. Under a barn-like construction, visitors are guided over the exposed and preserved archaeological findings on a footbridge. The bath ruin is one of the state's own monuments and is looked after by the State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Württemberg .

Monument protection

The Hüfingen fort and the aforementioned ground monuments are protected as cultural monuments according to the Monument Protection Act of the State of Baden-Württemberg (DSchG) . Investigations and targeted collection of finds are subject to approval, and accidental finds are reported to the monument authorities.

See also

literature

  • Klaus Eckerle: Hüfingen. Castle, bath and manor. In: Dieter Planck (Ed.): The Romans in Baden-Württemberg . Theiss, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8062-1555-3 , p. 127 ff.
  • Klaus Eckerle: Hüfingen. The Roman manor. In: Filtzinger, Planck, Cämmerer (ed.): The Romans in Baden-Württemberg. 3. Edition. Theiss, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-8062-0287-7 , p. 344
  • Gerhard Fingerlin : Hüfingen. Early Roman camp . In: Dieter Planck (Ed.): The Romans in Baden-Württemberg . Theiss, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8062-1555-3 , p. 131 f.
  • Gerhard Fingerlin: Hüfingen. Cremation field. In: Dieter Planck (Ed.): The Romans in Baden-Württemberg . Theiss, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8062-1555-3 , p. 132 f.
  • Gerhard Fingerlin: Hüfingen. Early Roman camp. In: Filtzinger, Planck, Cämmerer (ed.): The Romans in Baden-Württemberg. 3. Edition. Theiss, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-8062-0287-7 , p. 337
  • Gerhard Fingerlin: Hüfingen. Fort and bath / The civil settlement / Fire burial ground. In: Filtzinger, Planck, Cämmerer (ed.): The Romans in Baden-Württemberg. 3. Edition. Theiss, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-8062-0287-7 , p. 338 ff.
  • Landesdenkmalamt Baden-Württemberg (ed.): Guide to Roman military installations in southern Germany . LDA BW, Stuttgart 1983
  • Petra Mayer-Reppert: Brigobannis. The Roman Hüfingen . Theiss, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8062-1204-X , (Guide to archaeological monuments in Baden-Württemberg, 19)
  • Sabine Rieckhoff : Coins and brooches from the vicus of Fort Hüfingen (Schwarzwald-Baar district) . Saalburg-Jahrbuch 32, 1975, pp. 5–104

Excavation report of the Reich Limes Commission:

Remarks

  1. ↑ "Aedium Romanorum, paucis abhinc annis prope Hüfingen in monte Abnoba detectarum, succicta descriptio." In the following school year, Schreiber made this font part of the school program at the Freiburg grammar school alongside the usual Latin classics.
  2. ↑ Monika Balzert: Joseph Fricks Latin description of the Roman ruins of Hüfingen from 1824. In Petra Mayer-Reppert: Brigobannis. The Roman Hüfingen . Theiss, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8062-1204-X , pp. 77-108.
  3. ^ After Gerhard Fingerlin: Hüfingen. Fort and bath / The civil settlement / Fire burial ground. In: Filtzinger, Planck, Cämmerer (ed.): The Romans in Baden-Württemberg. 3. Edition. Theiss, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-8062-0287-7 , pp. 340 and 129.
  4. ^ After Petra Mayer-Reppert: Brigobannis. The Roman Hüfingen . Theiss, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8062-1204-X , p. 35.
  5. ^ Gerhard Fingerlin: Hüfingen. Fort and bath / The civil settlement / Fire burial ground. In: Filtzinger, Planck, Cämmerer (ed.): The Romans in Baden-Württemberg. 3. Edition. Theiss, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-8062-0287-7 , pp. 340 and 128, speaks of a "permanent fort" and several "makeshift fort". It is based on Revellio, who had documented “makeshift fort complexes” (ORL B V.II 62a, 1937, p. 5 ff.) And “permanent fort” (ORL B V.II 62a p. 14 ff.) In 1937.
  6. ↑ Revellio (ORL B V.II 62a, 1937, p. 5 f.) Assumed, due to the partially provisional structures of the trenches, that the makeshift forts were field-like positions that were repeatedly reinforced and strengthened under combat conditions have been changed.
  7. ↑ According to Paul Revellio in the series Der Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes des Roemerreiches (Eds. Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner, Oscar von Sarwey): Department B, Volume 5, Fort No. 62a (1937), p. 21, there are 24,700 m² .
  8. ^ With Petra Mayer-Reppert: Brigobannis. The Roman Hüfingen . Theiss, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8062-1204-X , p. 35, it is 3.4 hectares, Revellio (ORL B V.II 62a, 1937, p. 21) still has just under 3.6 hectares, more precisely 35,880 m² the talk.
  9. ↑ With the assumed size of the Ala, opinions differ again. While Gerhard Fingerlin: Hüfingen. Fort and bath / The civil settlement / Fire burial ground. In: Filtzinger, Planck, Cämmerer (ed.): The Romans in Baden-Württemberg. 3. Edition. Theiss, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-8062-0287-7 , p. 340 and 129, as Revellio (ORL B V.II 62a, 1937, p. 21) assume an Ala quingenaria , writes Petra Mayer-Reppert: Brigobannis . The Roman Hüfingen . Theiss, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8062-1204-X , p. 35, the warehouse of an Ala milliaria .
  10. ↑ “The Roman building that you see here was researched by Karl Egon, Prince of Fürstenberg, and saved for posterity. 1821. "
  11. ^ After Petra Mayer-Reppert: Brigobannis. The Roman Hüfingen . Theiss, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8062-1204-X , p. 52.
  12. ^ After Petra Mayer-Reppert: Brigobannis. The Roman Hüfingen . Theiss, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8062-1204-X , p. 37.
  13. ↑ Mayer-Reppert assumes, on the basis of sparse and isolated finds, that there was little Roman presence as late as the first half of the 4th century. Petra Mayer-Reppert: Brigobannis. The Roman Hüfingen . Theiss, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8062-1204-X , p. 37.
  14. ↑ Jutta Heim-Wenzler: Römerbad - protective structure and footbridge. In Petra Mayer-Reppert: Brigobannis. The Roman Hüfingen . Theiss, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8062-1204-X , pp. 109-119.

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