Burgus Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező 1

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Burgus Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező 1
(Burgus Solva 1)
Alternative name Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező I watchtower
limes Pannonian Limes
section 2
Dating (occupancy) erected between 367/368 and at the latest 371 AD
Type Burgus
size 9.65 m × 9.65 m × 9.72 m × 9.62 m
Construction stone
State of preservation not visible above ground
place Esztergom -Szentgyörgymező
Geographical location 47 ° 48 ′ 36.9 "  N , 18 ° 44 ′ 31.5"  E hf
Previous Esztergom Castle (Solva) (southwest)
Subsequently Esztergom-Hideglelőskereszt Castle (east)

The burgus Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező 1 , in the recent literature as burgus Solva 1 refers is a small Roman military base , which as of late antique residential and watchtower ( burgus ) for the control of a section of the Danube the Pannonian Limes ( Limes Pannonicus ) was responsible. The river formed the Roman frontier in large sections. The excavated remains of the plant are in the area of Esztergom -Szentgyörgymező (German Georgenfeld ) in the Hungarian Komárom-Esztergom county , near the main road to Budapest , on the southern bank of the Danube.

Location and research history

On the section of the Danube that can be seen here with the Graner Burgberg on the far right, five late antique burgi were within sight.
The Burgus Solva 1 as it appeared after the excavations by Sándor Soproni.

As prospections and aerial photographs showed, the ancient route of the Limes Road was planned in this section in the immediate vicinity of the Danube bank. The Burgus Solva 1, also known in literature as the Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező I watchtower, was 50 meters inland in the throat of a bulging slope northwest of the Esztergom fort . It was the first watchtower to connect to the east of the Esztergom garrison.

During previous field inspections , which had prompted the announced construction of a Danube hydropower plant, Roman-era rubble was discovered in a field, which the plow repeatedly tore out of the earth. The area was 15 × 15 meters. Due to the immediate threat to the building, a comprehensive excavation was carried out in 1966 by the archaeologist Sándor Soproni (1926–1995) and the students at the time, Andrea Vaday and Mária Albeker , during which the remains of a late antique watchtower could be discovered.

In 2010 the Burgus was examined geophysically.

Building history

Late Roman watchtower

The slightly trapezoidal tower was already badly damaged by ongoing soil erosion and intensive modern farming . Soproni only encountered the foundation area of ​​the building, with its four corners aligned almost exactly with the cardinal points. The rising masonry could only be reconstructed through the mortar imprint on the top row of stones of the foundation. This foundation had different strengths on all four sides. In the southwest this thickness was 1.30 meters, in the northwest 1.35 meters, in the southeast 1.18 to 1.24 meters and in the northeast 1.20 meters. The rising stone tower covered 9.65 meters on the southwest and northwest sides, 9.72 meters on the northeast wall and measured 9.62 meters on the southeast side. The clear dimension of the southeast wall was 7.18 meters, that of the other three sides was 7.20 meters. The andesite found in this region was used as the building material , with some yellowish sandstone from Esztergom castle hill in Opus incertum also being used. Strong gravel aggregates were added to the high-quality mortar. The inside and outside of the foundation walls had been coated with this mortar.

The trenches surrounding the tower were analyzed using four sections . It became clear that the structure was surrounded by a circular ditch with a radius of around 16.50 meters. The distance between this trench and the tower varied between 7.50 and 11.60 meters. The trench depth measured from the surface of the terrain at that time fluctuated between 1.50 and 1.80 meters, with the trench width averaging 3.50 meters. The backfilling of the trench stood out clearly from the bright pending. It consisted of dark brown to blackish humus mixed with wall rubble.

Found good

The investigations on the Burgus yielded very little finds. Due to the slope of the terrain towards the Danube, the late Roman soil level was already completely eroded. The fragments of late antique gray ceramic vessels were clearly addressable in terms of time. About this finds out only twenty were tegulae - brick temple recovered. The fourteen still decipherable prints can be divided into four types. The stamps of Terentius dux , which appeared in three variants, were documented by three types, five identical stamps were found by the Terentianus tribune , while three fragments could no longer be assigned. The Imbrices found during the excavation had no stamps whatsoever.

The well-known terms of office of Terentius dux, who was responsible for the establishment of the Burgus from 367/368 to 371 AD at the latest as high commander of the late antique Pannonian province of Valeria, as well as those of the staff officer Terentianus, who was also under Terentius' successor, Frigeridus dux served in Valeria, date the building quite precisely.

Late Roman burials

Grave 1

Two body graves were uncovered immediately next to the tower. The grave 1 discovered near the western corner of the tower with an adult male was only 40 centimeters deep. Since there was no discoloration of the soil, the grave pit could not be archaeologically recorded. The body had been laid down on the left crouched position and was oriented northeast-southwest. The head of the deceased was in the northeast, the face was turned to the southeast. Both arms were bent at the elbows, the right hand was on the chest, the left in front of the chin. The dead man's thighs had been pulled up and the lower legs slightly bent, with the left knee slightly higher than the right. On the left temple there was a bronze onion button fibula , as used by the late Roman military (Type 7, Lányi 1972). Furthermore, there was a completely crushed pearl five centimeters from the top of the skull and on one finger of the left hand there was a silver ring, which was set with a heavily worn gem. It is uncertain whether the animal bone, which was 20 centimeters from the skull, belonged to the burial.

Grave 2

Another burial was found roughly in the middle of the south-eastern outer wall of the Burgus. The remains were exposed only 25 centimeters below the top of the field and were already severely disturbed according to this location. Apart from a fragmented skull and vertebrae, no other findings could be determined.

Limes course from Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező 1 castle to Esztergom-Hideglelőskereszt castle

The towers were mostly always close to the southern bank of the Danube. It was their job to guard the largely unoccupied north bank.

Traces of the Limes structures between Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező and the Esztergom-Hideglelőskereszt castle to the east.
route Name / place Description / condition
2 Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező (Burgus Solva 2)
The confluence of the Gran in the Danube - in the area opposite was the Burgus Solva 2.
Burgus, known as the Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező II watchtower, was located 650 meters east of Burgus Solva 1 across from the mouth of the Gran . Older literature spoke of two towers located directly on the banks of the Danube, which are said to have stood here. Brick stamps have also been published, but it is still not possible to assign them to a specific tower today. The river-side walls of a burgus directly over the Danube were destroyed by washing away. His wall blocks, detached in great ruins, were found at the foot of the embankment. When it was first partially discovered by the archaeologist Albin Balogh, only one complete side of the wall with a clear width of 8.25 meters could be measured. The Burgus wall made in Opus incertum and made of local andesite was between 1 and 1.05 meters thick in the rise and 1.30 meters thick in the foundation. The excavator found brick stamps of Tribune Caris during the investigation. Later, late Roman vessel fragments came to light at this site and in the 1970s stamps of the Tribune Lupicinus and again those of Caris. During the follow-up examination carried out by Soproni in 1987, the Burgus was completely uncovered for the first time, with the still 1 to 1.5 meters long preserved south side with the entrance at ground level coming to light. In addition to many other stamped bricks with the mark des Caris, Centenionalis from the reign of Emperors Constantius II (337–360) and Valentinian I (364–375) were recovered. The activity of the Tribune Lupicinus in Valeria can also be dated more precisely. According to Lőrincz, the years after 368 or before 377 AD are to be used for this. Almost at the same time, the activity of the Caris can also be classified. This Burgus can also be clearly attributed to the Valentine period.
2 Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező (Burgus Solva 3) The only completely preserved side of Burgus Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező III on the embankment of the Danube, of which only a 3 meter wide strip could be secured, had a clear width of 7.9 meters, its walls there were between 1.1 and 1.15 meters thick. The recovered brick stamps came from the Tribune Caris and from the Commander-in-Chief Frigeridus dux. This means that this tower can also be counted as part of the Emperor Valentinian's construction program.
2 Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező (Burgus Solva 4) The Burgus Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező IV was largely destroyed by the Danube. Also of this post , made from local andesite in Opus incertum , only the south side has been largely preserved and measured at around 10 meters. Many fragments of roof tiles were also found there. Due to the brick stamps of Frigeridus dux as well as the stamps of the Tribune Olimpus, which are also known from other Valentine construction sites, the time of this Burgus is assured.
2 Esztergom-Déda (Burgus Solva 5) The Burgus Esztergom-Déda I, built around 800 meters further east of the previous Burgus, was sacrificed for a house to be built in 1959/60 before any scientific investigation. The landowner later said that the foundations of the Burgus should have been similar to those of the mouth of the Búbánatvölgy (Burgus Solva 8). Findings from this place were not known. In addition to this information, a map sheet from the Josephinische Landesaufnahme from 1771 provides a much more informative research basis. The archaeologist Zsolt Visy has the reproduced there drawing of a one-sided open squares described. After that, half of this Burgus was also demolished by the ice drift and flooding of the Danube in the 18th century . The completely preserved south side of the military post was given a length of 10 meters, the only partially preserved western and eastern flank walls are said to have been 5 meters long and the walls themselves 2 meters thick. The last information is based either on a measurement error or a reproduction error, since comparable Burgi usually did not have such thick walls. Later editions of the land survey no longer show the Burgus. Obviously, at least around 1771, it was so prominent as a landmark that it found its way into the map series.
2 Esztergom-Déda (Burgus Solva 6) Around 750 to 800 meters further east, the Esztergom-Déda II castle stood on a 10 to 12 meter high hill above the Danube on the northeastern edge of the Esztergom district of Szamárhegy (Eselsberg). The northern half of the hill, and with it the corresponding half of the Burgus, was destroyed during the expansion of highway 11. The cut through the mound allowed a view of the archaeological stratum with a 12 to 14 meter long strip of roof tile and masonry rubble. In addition to late Roman pottery shards, a unique stamp from the Tribune Lupicinius was secured. The findings also speak for the establishment of the military post in the Valentine period.
2 Esztergom-Búbánatvölgy (Burgus Solva 7) Burgus Búbánatvölgy I is located 470 meters from the previous guard post, directly on the embankment to the Danube north of highway 11. From it, a north-south oriented wall remnant has been preserved, which bends at right angles to the east and thus forms the south-west corner. Most of the Burgus has already been destroyed by the river. The structural remains that have been preserved break off the steadily eroding embankment. Due to the roof tiles found in the rubble and the late antique ceramic shards, an erection under Emperor Valentinian is obvious.
2 Esztergom-Búbánatvölgy (Burgus Solva 8)
Burgus Solva 8, excavation results
At the mouth of the Danube in the Búbánat Valley (Kummertal), the roughly square Burgus Búbánatvölgy II was excavated around 50 meters east of the brook before 1914. It is located around 430 meters from Burgus Solva 7, north of Landstrasse 11. Its clear width was 7.14 (north-south direction) × 7.18 meters (east-west direction) and the rising masonry was 1 meter wide . 1.20 meters (north wall), 1.10 meters (east wall), 1.24 meters (south wall) and 1.40 meters (west wall) were measured in the foundation area. The level access to the Burgus was - as usual - on the south side facing away from the Danube. The masonry was built in Opus incertum from locally occurring andesite and was up to 0.70 meters high on the northern front. No datable finds came to light during the excavation. In comparison with many other similar sites, however, the building can also be attributed to Valentine's construction activity. This burgus, which is now in a garden, is the only one on this section of which remains are still visible. As surface finds from the area show, a mid-imperial watchtower from the 2nd century AD can still be expected here.
2 Helemba - Hellenbach (Burgus Solva 30) Together with his colleague Titus Kolník , Soproni succeeded in 1958 during a prospecting across the Esztergom – Hideglelőskereszt fort to find a castle in the Barbaricum in the district of Hellenbach, which was initially known as Watchtower 40 . The post, which was built directly on the banks of the Danube in the Quadenland , could be identified at the time of discovery in a washed-out embankment through an eleven-meter-long trail of Roman rubble that the river had left after the tower foundation was undermined. On the basis of the findings, the archaeologists speculated that it was around 10 × 10 meters in size, which had been built as part of the border development program initiated by Emperor Valentinian I.
2 Esztergom – Hideglelőskereszt The late antique Esztergom-Hideglelőskereszt castle, which can be reached via the Limes Road, was located on a mountain east of the Búbánat valley above the Danube .

Monument protection

The monuments of Hungary are protected under the Act No. LXIV of 2001 by being entered in the register of monuments. The Burgus Leányfalu as well as all other Limes facilities belong to the nationally valuable cultural property as archaeological sites according to § 3.1. According to § 2.1, all finds are state property, regardless of where they are found. Violations of the export regulations are considered a criminal offense or a crime and are punished with imprisonment for up to three years.

See also

literature

  • Sándor Soproni : 40. Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező (Kom. Komárom) . In: Archaeologiai értesítő 94, 1967, p. 222.
  • Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre . Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 9630513072 , pp. 21-23.
  • Jenő Fitz (Ed.): The Roman Limes in Hungary (= Bulletin du musée roi Saint Etienne. Series A, Volume 22). Fejér Megyei Múzeumok Igazgatósága, Székesfehérvár 1976, p. 51.
  • Zsolt Visy : The Pannonian Limes in Hungary . Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8062-0488-8 .
  • Zsolt Visy: The Ripa Pannonica in Hungary . Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2003, p. 47.
  • Zsolt Máté (Ed.): Frontiers of the Roman Empire - Ripa Pannonica in Hungary (RPH), Nomination Statement, Vol. 2 , National Office of Cultural Heritage, Budapest 2011, p. 260 (coordinates of the Burgus).

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 9630513072 , p. 21.
  2. ^ Sándor Soproni : 40. Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező (Kom. Komárom) . In: Archaeologiai értesítő 94, 1967, p. 222.
  3. ↑ a b Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 9630513072 , p. 22.
  4. ↑ a b c Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 9630513072 , p. 23.
  5. ↑ For the dating see also: Limes between the Visegrád – Gizellamajor fort and the Visegrád – Sibrik fort .
  6. ↑ In addition u. a. Brick stamp at the Burgus Verőcemaros-Dunamező . Literature: Barnabás Lőrincz: A későrómai hídfőállások bélyeges téglái Valeriában. In: Attila Gaál (Ed.): Pannoniai kutatások. A Soproni Sándor emlékkonferencia előadásai (Bölcske, 1998. October 7th) . Szekszárd 1999, pp. 53-68.
  7. ^ Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 9630513072 , pp. 21-22.
  8. ^ Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary . Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3806204888 , pp. 68-69.
  9. ↑ a b c d e f Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2003. ISBN 9630579804 . P. 47.
  10. ↑ a b c d e f Sándor Soproni in: Jenő Fitz (Hrsg.): The Roman Limes in Hungary. Fejér Megyei Múzeumok Igazgatósága, 1976. p. 51.
  11. ^ Sándor Soproni: New research on the Limes stretch between Esztergom and Visegrád. In: Roman frontier studies 1979. 12th International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies. BAR Oxford 1980. ISBN 0860540804 . Pp. 671-679; here: p. 674.
  12. ↑ Route = numbering follows Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary (Theiss 1988) and Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. (Akadémiai Kiadó 2003)
  13. ↑ Burgus Solva 2 at 47 ° 48 '49.3 "  N , 18 ° 45' 1.7"  O .
  14. ^ Barnabás Lőrincz: A későrómai hídfőállások bélyeges téglái Valeriában. In: Attila Gaál (Ed.): Pannoniai kutatások. A Soproni Sándor emlékkonferencia előadásai (Bölcske, 1998. October 7th) . Szekszárd 1999, pp. 53-68. Footnote 12.
  15. ^ Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 9630513072 , p. 24.
  16. ↑ Burgus Solva 3 at 47 ° 48 '56.65 "  N , 18 ° 45' 51.41"  O .
  17. ^ Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 9630513072 , pp. 24-25.
  18. ↑ Burgus Solva 4 at 47 ° 48 '59.66 "  N , 18 ° 46' 47.03"  O .
  19. ↑ a b c d Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 9630513072 , p. 25.
  20. ↑ Burgus Solva 5 at 47 ° 48 '50.84 "  N , 18 ° 47' 38.72"  O .
  21. ↑ Burgus Solva 6 at 47 ° 48 '52.15 "  N , 18 ° 47' 58.74"  O .
  22. ↑ Burgus Solva 7 at 47 ° 48 '53.41 "  N , 18 ° 48' 24.83"  O .
  23. ↑ Burgus Solva 8 at 47 ° 48 '48.96 "  N , 18 ° 48' 42.8"  E ; Zsolt Máté (Ed.): Frontiers of the Roman Empire - Ripa Pannonica in Hungary (RPH), Nomination Statement, Vol. 2 , National Office of Cultural Heritage, Budapest 2011, p. 256.
  24. ^ Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 9630513072 , p. 26.
  25. ^ Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary . Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3806204888 , p. 69.
  26. ↑ Burgus Solva 30 at 47 ° 49 '17.12 "  N , 18 ° 48' 52.55"  O .
  27. ^ Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre. Akademiai Kiado, Budapest 1978, ISBN 9630513072 . P. 77.
  28. ↑ Kastell Esztergom-Hideglelőskereszt at 47 ° 48 '46.19 "  N , 18 ° 49' 15.94"  O .
  29. ↑ Limesstrasse at 47 ° 48 '44.39 "  N , 18 ° 49' 2.5"  E ; Zsolt Máté (Ed.): Frontiers of the Roman Empire - Ripa Pannonica in Hungary (RPH), Nomination Statement, Vol. 2 , National Office of Cultural Heritage, Budapest 2011, p. 248.