In the herb gardens
In the herb gardens denotes an archaeological site from the Roman Empire in the village of Sülzdorf , town of Römhild in the district of Hildburghausen , southern Thuringia . It was scientifically excavated in the 1990s as part of the DFG's priority program Romanization under the direction of Karl Peschel by the Institute for Prehistory and Protohistory of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena in collaboration with Mathias Wiegert and Felix Teichner in five campaigns. At the time of the Roman settlement, Sülzdorf was in the area of Germania magna .
Archaeological finds indicate a continuous settlement of the area from the Hallstatt period through the Roman imperial period; In the Middle Ages , the place Sülzdorf was finally founded (first mention of the year 783 attested). In the 15th century the settlement was abandoned; Archaeologically recorded remains of this last building phase include several pits and wells . Due to this remarkable multi-period, the site is one of the most important in Thuringia.
 
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Location of the Sülzdorf site in Thuringia |
Geographical location
Sülzdorf is located in the southern foreland of the Thuringian Forest and is part of the city of Römhild , which is about 3.5 km to the west. The Sulza brook, which has water all year round, runs in the immediate vicinity of the village. There is also a source pit, which descends like a trough from the south, west and north-west and is called a bell pit . The terrain slopes slightly from west to east; the site itself can be found in the surrounding undulating hill country with wide floodplains. In these floodplains, the groundwater occurs close to the surface and thus has an impact on soil formation ( gleying ). The height values of the excavation area amount to 330-336 m above sea level. NN; Influences of basalt volcanism of the Young Tertiary formed isolated knolls in the area. The Gleichberge delimit the area.
Research history
In the Sulzatal east of Sülzdorf and in the immediate vicinity of the village itself, individual reading finds have been discovered over and over again over the decades . These indicated a continuous settlement of the area from the Hallstatt period, the Roman imperial period, the migration period into the Middle Ages. The first targeted investigations of a presumed settlement area were carried out in 1913/1914 by the Römhilder pharmacist C. Kade, who chose a location south of the village on Sulzaufer. In 1952 G. Neumann was able to provide further evidence of an early settlement at the same point; he brought up numerous animal bones, wood remains and a few ceramic fragments. Based on these finds, Neumann suspected a settlement that dated to the late Latène period.
Further archaeological investigations appeared to be sensible, since a large number of surface finds could still be recovered in the entire area of Sülzdorf. The village was therefore predestined as an ideal research site for further investigation of the continuity of settlement activity at the turn of the Latène into the imperial era. The final choice of the herb gardens north of the village as an excavation area can not only be justified with the extraordinarily high concentration of finds with a spread over the entire hillside; The Glockengrube spring trough also offered excellent conditions for pollen analysis .
During the excavations in 1994, 1995 and 1996 it turned out that the excavation area identified on the basis of the reading found corresponded to the imperial settlement findings, but was overprinted by traces of medieval settlement. In 1996 additional geomagnetic investigations were carried out, in which an area of 8000 m² was prospected .
From 1997 the area was excavated by the Institute for Prehistory and Protohistory of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena; a total of 4500 m² was processed.
Archaeological research
Settlement findings
The settlement findings mainly consisted of several buildings used for agriculture , which could be detected by post pits and wall trenches. In detail, the archaeologists found one-, two- and three-aisled residential stables , rectangular storerooms in post-and-beam construction as well as hay hills and pit houses with two to six wall posts; also a stove plate and three fountains .
Forty-one buildings in total were verified. These were oriented west-east and thus, as in the North Sea area, for example, oriented along the main wind direction. Base wall constructions belonged exclusively to medieval half-timbered houses . The found material proved this. Findings that could not be put together to form house plans presumably belonged either to fences as in the neighboring Latène period settlement of Haina-Schwabhausen or stakes to tie up cattle. Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that some of the house floor plans could no longer be reconstructed.
Residential stable houses
The largest documented group were ground floor buildings. The posts of the one to three aisled buildings were dug up to 1 m deep and flattened at the bottom. Calculations showed that a recess of at least 80 cm was necessary in order to distribute the weight of the roof effectively on the posts. In Sülzdorf was daub found with a thickness of 8 cm. This made it possible to determine a wall thickness of up to 20 cm. The clay plaster, which was presumably bricked up during the fire that destroyed the building and thus preserved, was coated with a lime coat that had been renewed up to three times.
A 1.5 m wide entrance could be detected in a three-aisled house. Due to the poor state of preservation, no statement could be made about the interior room layout, partition walls or cattle boxes. Overall, the archaeologists found only one hearth, a shallow pit filled with ashes. In addition, there were several storage pits in which grain , linen and nuts had probably been stored. The post positions suggest gable roofs that were probably made of hay or thatch . Gable roofs allowed further storage options, as demonstrated by large amounts of charred grain. The three-aisled buildings were up to 17 m in length and some were over 5 m wide. The floor space was between 70 and 90 m². The excavators dated these buildings to the beginning of the Roman Empire using the ceramic finds.
The two-aisled buildings were basically constructed in a similar way. Since the posts were in alignment with one another, the outer and inner walls formed a unit. The roof was supported by the entire building structure. Since the posts were pulled together and the post holes were noticeably large and deep, Teichner assumes that the underframe was carved out. These buildings had lengths of up to 17 m and widths of over 7 m. Based on the finds, the buildings can be dated to the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
The single-nave buildings were up to 9 m long and up to 4.5 m wide. The post holes of the ridge posts occupied steep gables . Nothing is known about the interior, as the running horizon was not preserved. A precise time horizon could not be determined, since the buildings of this type often overlaid other findings or were themselves overlaid.
Storage buildings
The granaries were short rectangular to square buildings. In the excavation section, these buildings showed through four post holes with great depth. The different depths of the post holes showed that these buildings were built on the slope. The buildings stood on the posts at an incomprehensible height above the walking horizon. A floor was drawn in there, the room was surrounded with walls and probably covered with a gable roof.
The storehouses had a floor space of up to 7 m² and were used to store crops. The distance between the ground and the walking horizon protected from ground moisture and animals. A memory with six and another with nine posts were also found. Presumably the center post of the store with nine posts supported the roof. In one of the granaries with four posts, the excavators also found the post holes for steps.
In addition to the rectangular storage buildings, there were also hexagonal, ground-level storage facilities, so-called Heuberge. The post holes were inclined in the ground and pointed to the middle, so tent-like buildings could be accessed. The two specimens had a footprint of up to 14.5 m². The large number of storage buildings was attributed to the agricultural importance of the settlement during the Roman Empire.
Pit houses
Pit houses were covered pits which, in addition to storing supplies, were also used for craft purposes. Pliny the Elder (Nat. 19, 8-9) wrote that these were designed for " female work, especially weaving and spinning ". Finds of loom weights in other places prove this. The sülzdorf mine houses had a floor area of up to 13 m². The pits were probably not lined because of the marl bottom . Bricked clay with rod imprints and charcoal indicated that the walls of the loom were not preserved.
Pit houses with two posts probably had a tent-like roof. The post holes were outside the pit. Laying stones for the posts were not found. A post hole in a door frame in a pit house with four posts showed the entrance on the narrow side. Six-post pit houses had four corner posts and a ridge post in the middle of the long sides. The long side was also the gable front. Red-painted imitation sigillas were found in the buildings .
Furnace and fountain
The remains of an oven were found in the imperial settlement . The remains of a stove plate were found in the shallow furnace pit. Dome structures are known from other findings. Ovens were used to bake bread and burn homemade pottery and were essential for a Germanic settlement in the Roman Empire.
The wells with quarry stone lining in the northeast of the excavation area can be assigned to the Middle Ages. Organic material was found in three wells from the Roman Empire. Two of these wells reached a depth of 2 m. One thus reached the groundwater , the second a natural septic tank and is therefore referred to as a seepage well. Both had large, irregular diameters and were close to the basin. Vertical post marks could be seen in one of them, suggesting a wooden lining. A wooden roof over the well cannot be ruled out.
The third well was located higher up and reached today's groundwater level at a depth of 3 m above today's ground level. Constructive details were therefore retained. The well was lined with hollowed-out tree trunks that were mortised together. Remnants of boards were found on the bottom, which could have belonged to a protective structure in the upper half. The lower area was probably lined with wickerwork mats. These served as buoyancy protection or filters . Germanic wells are often found near springs . Since their duration is limited to 10 to 30 years, the number of wells is not uncommon for a settlement.
Finds
The archaeological relevance of the site became clear early on through the discovery of numerous reading finds. Metal, glass, bone and various ceramics were documented.
Metal finds
The first coin was found in the humus soil when the sod was removed . This was a sesterce of Antoninus Pius (minted in 150/151 AD). Two other Roman coins are already known old finds; a denarius of the emperor Marcus Aurelius (minting 168 AD) and a denarius Caracallas (minting 199/200 AD). There is a high probability that the coins found their way into the ground during the Limes period ( i.e. before the years 259/260 AD).
Further finds are two bronze fragments , which presumably come from fibula constructs . A bronze object in the shape of a bow was recognized as tweezers from the late imperial period , which could have been part of a toilet set . Other bronze artifacts come from containers that have been preserved in fragments, such as a saucepan .
The iron objects were more corroded than the above-mentioned finds. Three fragments of fibulae (one of them from the pre-Roman Iron Age), a belt hook and two shield bosses could be assigned . The latter are considered an unusual find and are chronologically dated to the middle and early imperial period. The occurrence of weapons additions in graves (to which the shield components from Sülzdorf could also belong) are well documented in pre-Christian times; however, the practice of this custom has been documented much less often since the younger imperial period. It is precisely against this background that the special position of the finds becomes clear. Iron implements such as scalpel-shaped knives and several nails of various types are vivid evidence of everyday civil life.
Glass finds
One of the found shards can be attributed to a glass beaker in cylinder shape, which dates from the imperial era and was used in the form it appeared over a long period of time. In addition, this group of vessels was known as a popular export item and even reached the Danish islands on the trade routes. The incised decoration of the Sülzdorf shard indicates its origin and use in the 3rd century.
Other glass fragments are probably jewelry; in detail a glass arm ring from the Latène period or a melon bead , the color of which speaks for a period of origin in the younger imperial period.
leg
From a fountain, an approximately 5 cm long fragment was a needle from leg recovered. The absence of the head and the rather imprecise workmanship speak for a very simply designed product or a semi-finished product. Possibly it is also a bone needle with an eyelet, as it is already known from Aubstadt .
Ceramics
Various types of pottery have been identified during the excavations. These include fragments of terra sigillata and graphite earthenware . The latter was shaped both freehand and using a turntable ; some of the shards are decorated with a comb . The analysis of the aging of the finds showed that the vessels come from the pre-Roman Latène period, the Weser-Rhine-Germanic material culture, the Elbe-Germanic period and the Roman imperial period.
Historical meaning
With the excavation in Sülzdorf, a settlement from the Roman Empire in south-western Thuringia was systematically examined for the first time . Although no continuous continuity from the pre-Roman Iron Age to the Roman Empire could be demonstrated, the findings nevertheless gave a clear impression of the local building forms and the structure of the settlement. Based on the ceramics, the settlement could be classified in the cultural sequence known from West Thuringia, Hesse and Main Franconia . In Sülzdorf, too, a development from the Weser-Rhine-Germanic material culture , middle Roman Empire, to the Elbe Germanic material culture of the Horizont Haßleben-Leuna in the 3rd century could be traced.
Hardly any Roman imports were found in the settlement. In addition, no evidence of the evidence of Roman influence on the animal breeds cattle, horses and dogs, which is customary in settlements in the Thuringian Basin, was found. Sülzdorf lies in the foothills of the Thuringian Forest and the coin finds would also speak for a remote location (and thus also explain the lack of imports), but these occur in other nearby places, e.g. B. Henfstädt and Themar . The settlement is located near the old trade routes from the lower Main into the Thuringian Basin and could therefore have established contact and trade. According to Teichner, even the slightest change in their way of life, and thus inevitably linked to their agriculture and animal husbandry , represented an existential threat to the small isolated settlement . Similar reservations about Roman innovation measures are known from Egypt and the north-western border area of the Roman Empire .
literature
- Felix Teichner : The Germanic settlement Sülzdorf in southern Thuringia. Weimar monographs on prehistory and early history. Weimar 2004, ISBN 978-3-937517-15-5
- Felix Teichner: A settlement from the Roman Empire in Sülzdorf in Thuringia, district of Hildburghausen. In: Alfred Haffner, Siegmar von Schnurbein (ed.): Colloquia on prehistory and early history. Celts, Teutons, Romans in the low mountain range between Luxembourg and Thuringia. Files from the International Colloquium on the DFG Priority Program “Romanization” in Trier from September 28 to 30, 1998. Volume 5. Bonn 2000, ISBN 3-7749-3004-X
- Karl Peschel: The prehistoric pottery of the Gleichberge near Römhild in Thuringia. In: Publications of the prehistoric museum of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Volume 1. Weimar 1962, OCLC 17419008
- Werner Gall, Thomas Grasselt: Archaeological hiking trail in the Gleichberg area In: Leaflet Thür. Landesamt f. Preservation of monuments and archeology.
- Thomas Grasselt: Jüchsen and Haina: two settlements from the pre-Roman Iron Age in the vicinity of the Gleichberge, Meiningen district. Part 1: Text, images, maps, references. 1991. OCLC 916668116
- Thomas Grasselt: Jüchsen and Haina: two settlements from the pre-Roman Iron Age in the vicinity of the Gleichberge, Meiningen district. Part 2: panels. OCLC 247920059
Web links
- Felix Teichner: A settlement from the Roman Empire in Sülzdorf in Thuringia, district of Hildburghausen
- Felix Teichner: The Germanic settlement Sülzdorf in southern Thuringia
- Project website of the University of Jena
Individual evidence
- ↑ Project website of the University of Jena
- ↑ Felix Teichner: A settlement from the Roman Empire in Sülzdorf in Thuringia, district of Hildburghausen. In: Alfred Haffner, Siegmar von Schnurbein (ed.): Colloquia on prehistory and early history. Celts, Teutons, Romans in the low mountain range between Luxembourg and Thuringia. Files from the International Colloquium on the DFG Priority Program “Romanization” in Trier from September 28 to 30, 1998. Volume 5. Bonn 2000
- ↑ cf. G. Neumann 1963, 210, 219 ff.
- ↑ cf. C. Kade 1925, 14 f .; G. Neumann 1963, 221 f.
- ^ Felix Teichner: The Germanic settlement of Sülzdorf in southern Thuringia. Weimar monographs on prehistory and early history. Weimar 2004, p. 21 ff.
- ↑ cf. S. Dušek 1994, 37 ff., Fig. 22, 23
- ↑ Felix Teichner: A settlement from the Roman Empire in Sülzdorf in Thuringia, district of Hildburghausen. In: Alfred Haffner, Siegmar von Schnurbein (ed.): Colloquia on prehistory and early history. Celts, Teutons, Romans in the low mountain range between Luxembourg and Thuringia. Files from the International Colloquium on the DFG Priority Program “Romanization” in Trier from September 28 to 30, 1998. Volume 5. Bonn 2000, p. 77
- ↑ Felix Teichner: A settlement from the Roman Empire in Sülzdorf in Thuringia, district of Hildburghausen. In: Alfred Haffner, Siegmar von Schnurbein (ed.): Colloquia on prehistory and early history. Celts, Teutons, Romans in the low mountain range between Luxembourg and Thuringia. Files from the International Colloquium on the DFG Priority Program “Romanization” in Trier from September 28 to 30, 1998. Volume 5. Bonn 2000, p. 78
- ^ Felix Teichner: The Germanic settlement of Sülzdorf in southern Thuringia. Weimar monographs on prehistory and early history. Weimar 2004 p. 27 ff.
- ^ Felix Teichner: The Germanic settlement of Sülzdorf in southern Thuringia. Weimar monographs on prehistory and early history. Weimar 2004 pp. 29–35
- ^ Felix Teichner: The Germanic settlement of Sülzdorf in southern Thuringia. Weimar monographs on prehistory and early history. Weimar 2004 pp. 35-38
- ^ Felix Teichner: The Germanic settlement of Sülzdorf in southern Thuringia. Weimar monographs on prehistory and early history. Weimar 2004 pp. 38–42
- ^ Felix Teichner: The Germanic settlement of Sülzdorf in southern Thuringia. Weimar monographs on prehistory and early history. Weimar 2004 p. 42 f.
- ↑ cf. N. Zieling 1989, p. 118 ff., Type I2 / K2
- ↑ cf. K. Peschel 1977, p. 262 f., Fig. 3
- ↑ cf. U. Koch 1987, p. 322 ff .; R. Laser / R. Leineweber 1991, p. 225 f.
- ↑ cf. W. Wagner 1998, p. 154
- ↑ Felix Teichner: A settlement from the Roman Empire in Sülzdorf in Thuringia, district of Hildburghausen. In: Alfred Haffner, Siegmar von Schnurbein (ed.): Colloquia on prehistory and early history. Celts, Teutons, Romans in the low mountain range between Luxembourg and Thuringia. Files from the International Colloquium on the DFG Priority Program “Romanization” in Trier from September 28 to 30, 1998. Volume 5. Bonn 2000, p. 86
- ↑ Felix Teichner: A settlement from the Roman Empire in Sülzdorf in Thuringia, district of Hildburghausen. In: Alfred Haffner, Siegmar von Schnurbein (ed.): Colloquia on prehistory and early history. Celts, Teutons, Romans in the low mountain range between Luxembourg and Thuringia. Files from the International Colloquium on the DFG Priority Program “Romanization” in Trier from September 28 to 30, 1998. Volume 5. Bonn 2000, p. 87