Contra Aquincum

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Contra Aquincum
Alternative name Castellum contra (montem) Teutanum (?)
limes Pannonian Limes
section 4th
Dating (occupancy) 2nd century
to 5th century (?)
Type Counter fortress
size 84 × 86 m
Construction stone
State of preservation A section of the north wall secured with a tower foundation, another tower is indicated in the pavement
place Budapest / Pest
Geographical location 47 ° 29 '33.7 "  N , 19 ° 3' 5.1"  E
height 105  m
Previous Transaquincum (north)
Castra Aquincum (north)
Subsequently Budapest-Albertfalva Castle (south)
The location of the counter-fortress on the Lower Pannonian Danube Limes

Contra Aquincum was a Roman military camp which, as an ancient counter-fortress, secured the Pannonian “wet Limes” ( Limes Pannonicus ) and a river crossing on the eastern bank of the Danube . The river formed the Roman frontier in large sections. The complex, which is now on the territory of the Hungarian capital Budapest , became the nucleus of the city of Pest in the Middle Ages , which was only united with Buda and Óbuda in 1873 . Some secured remains of the fort can now be viewed north of the Elisabeth Bridge on the 15th of March. The naming of the camp with the name Contra Aquincum is controversial, but still widely used today.

location

At the time of the Roman march in the Pannonian region, the Danube lowland in what is now the city of Budapest was characterized by old and side arms of the river. In these biotopes , which are characterized by swamps and humid zones, there were some alluvial islands. The military field built in the area of ​​the eastern shore area was only a few kilometers south of the legionary camp Aquincum and the civil town of the same name on the west bank . At the height of the legion's location, on the eastern bank, to protect the Danube bridge built there, there was another counter-fortress, Transaquincum , since the 2nd century . The location of Contra Aquincum on the edge of the Barbaricum was strategically well chosen, and the soldiers were safe from surprise attacks. At the same time, a section of the Danube could be monitored from here. Particularly important in everyday service was less military defense than control of border traffic and trade.

Research history

The open-air museum with the remains of the north wall, in the background the Elisabeth Bridge and the parish church above the southeast corner of the fort

In 1799, the first finds were made in the courtyard of what was then the Palais Glöckelsberg. Subsequently, remnants of hypocaust systems came up again and again , which were initially thought to be Turkish remains. When the first Elisabeth Bridge was built in 1898, while excavating the foundation pillars, the workers came across the southwest corner tower of the facility and found Roman inscriptions walled up in it. Bálint Kuzsinszky (1864–1938), the first excavator of Aquincum, did not see this as evidence of a Roman fortification, but classified the find as medieval, as Roman spoils were walled up even in the early modern fortress of Pest . In the course of a planned redesign of the then Oath Square (Eskü-Platz) between the Danube and Pest parish church, the decision was made in 1911 to demolish the old building complex of the Piarist Order and convert it into a park, which is also Eskü-Platz (today: Platz des 15. March) was called. Only the implementation of this plan later made it possible to carry out larger excavations on the previously densely built-up area. From 1932 on, revealing investigations took place on the northern edge of the square. An employee of Kuzsinszky, Lajos Nagy (1897–1946), and Tibor Nagy (1910–1995) led the excavations, the results of which ultimately convinced Kuzsinszky himself. After completing the excavations, Lajos Nagy tried to secure the finds for the public, which, after initial resistance and the following years of war and reconstruction, only succeeded in 1971 with the establishment of an open-air museum.

In the war year 1944, further excavations took place under Vilmos Bertalan (1911–1995). It turned out that the parish church of Pest had been built exactly above the south-eastern corner of the fort and the south facade of the church stood directly above the Roman fortress walls. With this excavation, the true dimensions of the fortification finally became clear. In 2010 an investigation took place directly in front of the portal of the parish church of Pest. The church is in the area of ​​the fort.

Building history

The fort according to the excavation results in the 19th and 20th centuries
Attempt to reconstruct the fort, view from the south-east
Tower ruins in the open-air museum

The origin of the outpost is uncertain; a first fort may have been built in the course of the stone extension of the Aquincum legionary camp , which took place after 117/118. At that time the Legio II Adiutrix (2nd Legion "the helper") finally fortified their garrison location. In addition to its diverse tasks as a border fort, an important river crossing was guarded at the site of today's Elisabeth Bridge. Concrete structural evidence of this presumed early camp has not yet been made, but the finds, including older building remains in the area of ​​the late Roman fortifications, date back to the 2nd century. One of these structures could be identified as a bath, which was located directly in front of the northeast corner tower of the late antique garrison. The found bricks with the stamp of the Cohors VII Breucorum Antoniana (7th cohort of the Breuker “the Antonine”) are traced back to construction work at the beginning of the 3rd century, the stamps of the Exercitus Pannoniae inferioris (army of the province of Lower Pannonia) also belong to the same century ).

After his excavations, Lajos Nagy emphasized that the late antique new building was smaller than the older military installation. With its previously unknown gateways, the fort he researched has a rhombic shape and a base area of ​​86 × 84 meters, enclosed by 3.4 meter thick walls. In addition to hewn stones, a large number of spoils from abandoned graves and altars were used as wall shells. The core of the wall was cast from Opus caementitium . In addition to two documented fan-shaped corner towers, the military building apparently had two U-shaped towers on each of its four sides. All the towers sprang out of the wall structure and were flush with the camp wall inside the fort. The appearance of the southern corner tower found during the construction of the Elisabeth Bridge evidently differed significantly from the tower scheme found in the northeast and southeast corners. Its U-shaped floor plan was aligned with the rounded narrow side directly on the Danube. The fort walls adjoined its northern flank as well as the rear, and 27 spolia were incorporated into its masonry.

In the past, the fortress construction was mostly dated to the time of Emperor Diocletian (284–305). Endre Tóth and Péter Kovács did not follow this opinion. They set the construction at a later date, which is still unclear today, while Sándor Soproni decided on Constantine the Great (306–337). The subject is controversial.

Post-Roman times

For a long time after the withdrawal of the Roman troops, the Romanized population with Huns, Goths and Lombards lived in the area of ​​the forts of Pest and Alt-Ofen . The Avars shaped the area in the 7th and 8th centuries , before the Hungarians followed in the 9th century. At the behest of the Hungarian Grand Duke Taksony , Muslim traders were allowed to settle in Pest in the 10th century. With the help of the Hungarian kings, they became very influential and participated in the most lucrative businesses. It was not until 1232 that the Muslims had to leave the country under pressure from the Hungarian nobility, who feared for their rights, and the church that was brought in. Their place was taken by summoned German merchants.

The structures of the fort survived until the Hungarian conquest . Using stone material from the fort, a pre-Romanesque church was built in its southeast corner. It is possible that the southeast corner tower was converted into an apse for this purpose. In 1046, the later canonized missionary bishop Gerhard found his final resting place in this church after his murder on Gellértberg (St. Gerhardsberg). Towards the end of the 12th century, the Pest side consecrated a new building in Romanesque style , which was followed by a conversion to a Gothic church with a choir in the late 14th century . The Turkish occupiers confiscated the building and used it as a mosque . Between 1725 and 1739, after a fire, a Baroque renovation took place, which characterizes Pest's most important church building to this day.

Budapest during the Turkish occupation, mirror image based on the original by Georg Dózsa (1470–1514)

It is possible that the southern corner tower, excavated in 1898, with its bastion-like appearance, which has no parallels to the three other fan-shaped corner towers, is a reconstruction or new building of the early modern era. A city view of the Turkish occupation from 1617 shows the old Pest with a rectangular, fortified floor plan, which apart from four semicircular corner bastions has no further intermediate towers. In the area of ​​the southern corner tower of this early modern fortification, the parish church, which was converted into a mosque, can be seen directly on the southern wall, which was possibly still Roman at the time. This southern wall was extended to the east to make room for the residents of Pest. The fort wall on the Danube side could also have been partially used. Here the wall was extended to the north. In the 17th century, there was a simple, tower-free entrance to Pest where the Danube author of Contra Aquincum can be assumed in antiquity . In front of this was a pontoon bridge that led over to Buda.

Finds

In addition to many secondary inscriptions, a late Roman pompous iron helmet is particularly well-known, which was found in July 1898 during the excavation for the Pest pillars of the Elisabeth Bridge, in the immediate vicinity of the fortress. The piece is covered with gold-plated silver and has a richly decorated surface that shows, among other things, chased lions and images of gods. In addition, remains of a longer inscription can be made out. The large gemstones made of glass paste are striking and make the helmet appear even more precious. A treasure trove of 15 bronze coins was discovered not far from the fort in Lónyai Street, the final coin of which is dated to the year 395 AD.

Naming

In Hungarian research, there have been considerations for a long time to rethink the previous naming of some Roman forts on the Danube Limes. The names, which are known from the late Roman state manual Notitia Dignitatum , could therefore have been assigned incorrectly in the past. The Gellértberg , which rises above the Danube and stands very isolated, could have been a topographical fixed point with the name Mons Teutanus in antiquity and the complex on the opposite side, previously known as Contra Aquincum, could be identical to the Castellum contra Tautantum, which has been handed down from the Notitia . Apparently, however, the medieval copyists of the Notitia Dignitatum made a mistake in transferring the name Tautantus . Rather, the correct translation of Teutanus is to be expected here. This was the name of the tribal god of the Eraviski , who owned their oppidum on the Gellértberg . The name Contra Aquincum , which was released after these considerations and also secured by the Notitia , is therefore to be transferred to the counter-fortress of the legionary camp of Aquincum, which was definitely determined .

Limes course between Contra Aquincum and the Budapest-Albertfalva Castle

Traces of the military structures along the Limes Road and the Danube.
route Name / place Description / condition
4th Buda - Gellert Hill South of the Gellértberg, which was inhabited by the late Celtic Eravis people until after the middle of the 3rd century AD , the Limes road along the west bank had to cross a swamp area. The ancient route roughly followed today's Budafokistraße.
4th Budapest-Attila Street (Burgus Aquincum 5) At the beginning of the Devil's Ditch (Ördögárok) a 10 × 15 meter large burgus with 2.85 meter thick walls was excavated near the Danube . It was founded on a pile grid because of the swampy terrain . On the basis of the found ceramics and the brick stamps, the time of origin of the late antique building can be determined as the reign of Emperor Valentinian I (364–375).
4th Budapest- Rudas-Bad (Burgus Aquincum 6) Directly on the western bank of the Danube, at the foot of the Gellértberg, is the traditional Rudas thermal bath. During the construction of the citadel, a round tower was discovered nearby, which was ascribed a possible Roman origin when it was found. Today this assumption is criticized, especially since round, solitary watchtowers are completely atypical on the Limes.
4th Budapest Gellért Square (Burgus Aquincum 7) Late Roman ramparts and late Roman brick temples were found at the famous Gellért Baths , which indicate a burgus built near the west bank of the Danube at this place. The Limes Road ran between the sentry and the Danube.
4th Budapest Roosevelt Square (Burgus Aquincum 13) On the eastern bank of the Danube, already in Barbaricum, the possibly late Roman remains of a tower under a medieval building were discovered southeast of Burgus Aquincum 7.
4th Budapest József Nádor Garden (Burgus Aquincum 8) In the former József Nádor garden there was a watchtower east of Limes Street on the west bank.
4th Budapest Budafok Street (Burgus Aquincum 9) A watchtower may be expected under the property at 109 Budafok Street.
5 Budapest- Albertfalva The Budapest-Albertfalva Castle is located near Budafok .

Monument protection

The monuments of Hungary are protected under the Act No. LXIV of 2001 by being entered in the register of monuments. The Contra Aquincum fort as well as all the other Limes facilities belong to the nationally valuable cultural assets 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

Web links

literature

  • Ulrich Brandl: Card 6: Brick stamp distribution of the Legio II Adiutrix. In: Investigations into the brick temples of Roman legions in the north-western provinces of the Imperium Romanum. Catalog of the Julius B. Fritzemeier Collection. P. 68. No. 13.
  • Jenő Fitz (Ed.): The Roman Limes in Hungary (= Bulletin du musée roi Saint Etienne. Series A, Volume 22). Fejér Megyei Múzeumok Igazgatósága, Székesfehérvár 1976.
  • Zsolt Mráv : Castellum contra Tautantum. Egy későrómai erőd azonosításánakproblemémájához. (Castellum contra Tautantum. On the problem of identifying a late Roman fort.) In: Savaria. A Vas Megyei Múzeumok Értesitöje. 22/3, 1992-1995 (1996), pp. 11-19.
  • Zsolt Mráv: Castellum contra Tautantum. To identify a late Roman fortress. In: Ádám Szabó , Endre Tóth (ed.): Bölcske. Roman inscriptions and finds - In memoriam Sándor Soproni (1926–1995) . Hungarian National Museum, Budapest 2003, (Libelli archaeologici Ser. Nov. No. II), ISBN 963-9046-83-9 . Pp. 329-376.
  • Lajos Nagy : Az Eskü-téri római erőd, Pest város őse. (The Roman fortress on Eskü Square, predecessor of the city of Pest.) Budapest 1946.
  • Sándor Soproni : The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 963-05-1307-2 .
  • Sándor Soproni: The last decades of the Pannonian Limes. Beck, Munich 1985, ISBN 3-406-30453-2 .
  • Zsolt Visy : The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2003, ISBN 963-05-7980-4 , p. 62.
  • Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary. Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8062-0488-8 , pp. 85-86.

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary . Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8062-0488-8 , p. 85.
  2. ^ A b Zsolt Mráv: Castellum contra Tautantum. To identify a late Roman fortress. In: Ádám Szabó , Endre Tóth (ed.): Bölcske. Roman inscriptions and finds - In memoriam Sándor Soproni (1926–1995) Libelli archaeologici Ser. Nov. No. II. Hungarian National Museum, Budapest 2003, ISBN 963-9046-83-9 , p. 354; Paula Zsidi : Research in Aquincum, 1969-2002. In honor of Klára Póczy. Budapesti Történeti Múzeum 2003, ISBN 963-9340-23-5 , p. 61.
  3. ↑ a b c Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary . Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8062-0488-8 , p. 86.
  4. ^ A b c Paula Zsidi : Research in Aquincum, 1969-2002. In honor of Klára Póczy. Budapesti Történeti Múzeum 2003, ISBN 963-9340-23-5 , p. 98.
  5. ^ Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 963-05-1307-2 , p. 16.
  6. ^ Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary . Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8062-0488-8 . P. 86. Fig. 86.
  7. ^ Paulys Realencyclopadie der classical antiquity. Supplementary Volume XV. Alfred Druckermüller, Stuttgart 1978. Sp. 85.
  8. ↑ Endre Tóth: The late Roman military architecture in Transdanubia . In Archaeologiai Értesitő 134 . Budapest 2009, pp. 48-49.
  9. ↑ a b Sándor Soproni: The last decades of the Pannonian Limes . Beck, Munich 1985, ISBN 3-406-30453-2 , p. 79.
  10. ^ Klára Póczy: Aquincum - The Roman Budapest. In: Messages from the Friends of Bavarian Pre- and Early History , No. 59, October 1990.
  11. ↑ Katalin Gönczi: Hungarian town law from a European perspective. The development of urban law in late medieval Hungary using the example of the oven. Vittorio Klostermann, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-465-02901-1 , pp. 50-56.
  12. ↑ Katalin Gönczi: Hungarian town law from a European perspective. The development of urban law in late medieval Hungary using the example of the oven. Vittorio Klostermann, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-465-02901-1 , p. 53.
  13. ^ A b Elisabeth Tóth-Epstein: Historical Encyclopedia of Budapest. Corvina, Budapest 1974, ISBN 963-13-3008-7 , p. 153.
  14. ^ Georg Hoefnagel : Bvda citerioris Hvngariæ capvt regni auita sedes, vulgo oven. In: Civitates orbis terrarum. Sixth part. Copper engraving. Cologne, 1617.
  15. ↑ István Fodor, Beatrix Cs Lengyel, Eszter Aczél: The Hungarian National Museum . Corvina, Budapest 1992, ISBN 963-13-3749-9 , p. 34.
  16. ^ Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary . Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8062-0488-8 , photo page 3 between pp. 40–41.
  17. ↑ Notitia Dignitatum Occ. XXXIII 55.
  18. ↑ Zsolt Mráv: Archaeological research 2000–2001 in the area of ​​the late Roman fortress of Göd-Bócsaújtelep (preliminary report) 2002. In: Communicationes archeologicae Hungariae 2003. Budapest 2003. pp. 83–114; here: pp. 99–107, illus. p. 102.
  19. ↑ Route = numbering follows Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary (Theiss 1988) and Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. (Akadémiai Kiadó 2003)
  20. ↑ Gellértberg at 47 ° 29 ′ 15 ″  N , 19 ° 2 ′ 42 ″  E
  21. ^ Éva B. Bónis : Roman ceramic research in Hungary. In: Rei Cretariae Romanae Fautorum Ubique Consistentium acta. 1958. p. 9
  22. ^ Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary . Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8062-0488-8 , pp. 86-87.
  23. ↑ a b c d e Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2003, ISBN 9630579804 , p. 61.
  24. ^ Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2003, ISBN 9630579804 , p. 62.
  25. ↑ Burgus Aquincum 9 approximately at 47 ° 27 '54.41 "  N , 19 ° 3' 10.07"  E
  26. ↑ Fort Budapest-Albertfalva at 47 ° 26 ′ 21.18 ″  N , 19 ° 2 ′ 48.4 ″  E