Ad Mures Castle

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Ad Mures Castle
Alternative name Ad Mures
limes Upper Pannonian Limes
section 1
Dating (occupancy) early Trajan
to early 5th century
Type Vexillation fort
unit Vexillation of the Legio I Adiutrix ?
size completely preserved width: 130 m,
still preserved length: 175 m
Construction a) wood-earth?
b) stone
State of preservation Only the trench is visible as a one to two meter deep bump in the terrain. The remains of the fort are located under agricultural land. The northern front is destroyed by the Danube.
place Ács -Bumbumkút
Geographical location 47 ° 44 '33.1 "  N , 17 ° 59' 11.2"  E
height 115  m
Previous Fort Ad Statuas (Ács-Vaspuszta) (west)
Subsequently Brigetio legionary camp (east)
The location of the fortifications on the Upper Pannonian Danube Limes

The Ad Mures fort is a former Roman military camp , the crew of which was responsible for security and surveillance tasks on the Limes Pannonicus along the Danube . The river formed the Roman frontier in large sections. The remains of the fort, discovered on a river terrace above the ancient south bank, lie under the agricultural land of Bumbumkút, northwest of the city of Ács in Komárom-Esztergom County , northern Hungary . The excavations so far have been limited to the southeast corner. So this camp remains largely unexplored.

location

At the time the fort was built, the main arm of the Danube ran in the area of ​​the oxbow river that now runs directly to the north. The river was thus much closer to the garrison than it is today. To the east of the fortification the Concó brook flows into the river. The Roman builders used the flood-proof high bank on the edge of the flood-prone Danube floodplains. The route of the Limes Road, which was important for the army and trade and connected the two Pannonian centers of power, Carnuntum and Aquincum , probably ran directly from west to east through the fort area. However, it is not preserved in this section. The proximity to the closest western fort Ad Statuas , which is unique in Pannonia, is astonishing . While the normal distance between garrison sites is around 15 to 18 kilometers (12 to 13 Roman miles), these two fortifications are only 5.4 kilometers apart. On the opposite bank, the Germanic tribe of the Quads had their ruler's seat, which was often a dangerous enemy for Rome.

Research history

The Benedictine Father Alois Remigius Sztachovics (1812–1880) was the first to publish in 1874 the identification he made of the camp at Bumbumkút with the ancient name Ad Mures, which has been handed down in the Antonini Itinerary . According to the itinerary, which was created in the 3rd century AD, the castles Ad Statuas and Ad Mures were about halfway between the castell Arrabona ( Győr ) and the legionary camp Brigetio. Another Benedictine, Elemér Lovas (1889–1949), who became known for his archaeological research, contradicted this theory during his time as director of the Benedictine museum "Flóris Rómer" (today: Flóris-Rómer Museum for Art and History) in Győr. He was joined in 1936 by the archaeologist András Graf. After the Second World War , however, the Sztachovics statement prevailed. Archaeologists László Barkóczi (1951) and Dénes Gabler (1977) supported this opinion . In another important ancient source, the Notitia Dignitatum , a late Roman state manual from the first half of the 5th century, Ad Mures is just as little mentioned as Ad Statuas.

The first excavation took place in 1886 under the archaeologically versed Benedictine monk Rudolf Gyulai (1848–1906) and the antiquated officer Miloš Berkovics-Borota. Among other things, they found 1.5 meter thick foundations near the confluence of the Concó brook into the Danube. Gyulai's results on the dimensions of the camp, published in 1887, do not in any way match the actual findings, which may be due to measurement errors. The site was therefore only reliably identified in 1946 by Barkóczi, who carried out site inspections. Between 1966 and 1972 Gabler carried out further inspections, which also helped to clarify the precise location of the fort. No further excavations had taken place until then. He was followed in 1985 by the archaeologist Zsolt Visy with a new prospecting. The stamped brick material recovered during these superficial investigations was assessed by the archaeologist and brick stamping expert János Szilágyi (1907–1988). A small excavation only took place in 1989 when the remains of the building were threatened by pending earthworks. The archaeologists Sándor Petényi and Julianna Kisné Cseh in collaboration with the Kuny Domokos County Museum in Tata were able to examine the southeast corner of the fort west of the Concó brook .

Building history

Wood-earth warehouse?

According to Visy, the fortification was most likely built around the same time as the Brigetio legionary camp. There a fragmented building inscription was discovered, which was created under Emperor Hadrian (117-138). According to an addition by Barkóczi, the inscription could be dated to the year 124, when this emperor visited the Pannonian provinces. The more recent thought of the archaeologist Zsolt Mráv , which uses the imperial titulature pater patriae mentioned in the inscription for a more precise dating, comes to a date of origin "after 128 AD". According to Visys and Gabler, Ad Mures was created during the reign of Emperor Trajan (98–117), possibly at the beginning of the 2nd century, after his Dacian Wars (101/102, 105/106). Ad Mures could have existed as a wood-earth warehouse until the time of the Marcomannic Wars (166–180). Based on the findings, the location of this camp may at least not have been completely congruent with the later stone fort.

Stone fort

Principate

The stone fort, with its praetorial front - the northern narrow side - oriented towards the Danube, was probably built after 180 AD on a square that had already been built on. This development was planned before the fortification was built. From the prehistory of the fort, the archaeologists were able to identify an early Roman building made of bricks that had several rooms. The stone defensive wall later cut through this house.

More detailed information on the appearance of the fort was made possible by an aerial photo that became known in the late 1980s. After that, the complex took up an area of ​​130 (east-west) × 175 (north-south) meters on the elevated edge of the river bank, with the north-south extent no longer indicating the full length, as the northern front of the fort was washed away by the Danube. The complex had the rectangular floor plan typical of mid-imperial forts with rounded corners (playing card shape) in which there were watchtowers. As the excavation carried out in 1989 showed, the rectangular tower erected in the inner corner of the southeast corner was built at the same time as the defense. A unique pointed ditch belonging to this fort could be observed as an obstacle to the approach.

As a garrison force, a vexillation of the Legio I Adiutrix is assumed.

Late antiquity

During late antiquity, two construction phases can be observed for the area of ​​the southeast tower, which was explored in 1989, which concern the tower, with both phases directly overlapping. First of all, the corner towers were refitted, which is typical of late Roman Pannonian fortifications. They were replaced by mighty fan-shaped successors with a rounded front, which extended far into the area of ​​the previous enclosure. Therefore, this old trench had to be leveled before construction began. A new, much wider trench was then created in front of these bastion-like new towers. According to the aerial photo mentioned above, Visy determined the width of this circumferential trench to be 16 meters. During his field inspection in 1985, the archaeologist was still able to follow the course of the trench, as it appeared as a one to two meter deep bump in the terrain. A coin salvaged from the filled-in moat of the principate's time in connection with the same modifications to the Annamatia fort , which was minted during the reign of Emperor Constantine II (337–340), could provide the term post quem . In Hungarian archeology, this coin is considered to be the earliest evidence of corresponding construction work on the Danube forts. These conversions must have been part of a more or less long, coherently organized construction campaign. The second late antique building phase could be a renovation or repair.

According to the archaeological findings, the fortification was last held by barbarian federates .

Finds

The most important finds include the brick stamps, of which several types of different troop formations of different times came out of the ground:

Vexillations (divisions) of the three legions mentioned were also involved in the construction of the Brigetio legionary camp. This is considered a proof of the simultaneous construction of both forts.

Vicus and burial ground

The camp village ( vicus ) developed around the fort and had its focus in the south. The surface finds accumulate there. The burial ground was discovered along the road leading out of the east gate (Porta principalis sinistra) , although no remains of the route itself had survived. It was washed away by the Concó brook and the Danube. A few graves were also found in front of the southeast corner examined in 1989. The road leading out of the south gate (Porta decumana) will also have led to a small Roman civil settlement which Gabler was able to find west of Ács.

Limes course between Fort Ad Mures and the legionary camp Brigetio

Traces of the Limes structures from Ács-Bumbumkút to Komárom
route Name / place Description / condition
1 Ács, Concó Bach (Burgus Ad Mures 6) A mere presumed tower could have been on a small island directly opposite the mouth of the Concó brook.
1 Koppánymonostor, Milk Burgus (Burgus Ad Mures 1) The private collector Ármin Milch excavated a Burgus in the western border area of ​​Koppánymonostor - 100 meters from the local border of Ács - at the turn of the century. It is located near the Danube and around 35 meters north of the point at which the ancient route of the Limes Road, coming from the southwest, meets today's Fenyves utca, in order to then form the substructure of this modern road. It was only after 2006 that the residential development, which was very close to the still well-preserved castle hill, was built. The square, around the outer surfaces 9.55 × 9.55 meters large Burgus was oriented with its sides exactly to the cardinal points. A ground-level, 1.60 meter wide entrance was uncovered on its south side. The 1.20 meter wide foundations were set one meter deep into the ground. The up to 0.80 meter high masonry was measured with a width of one meter. In the center of the tower was a 0.80 × 0.80 meter supporting pillar. He helped carry the weight of the upper floors and the tiled roof. Ceramic shards, an iron ax and a bronze buckle emerged from the ground as found material. In addition to a Gesimsbruchstück a number inscribed stones, which when found spoils had been installed. In particular, the numerous brick stamps that were recovered were important for the dating. The following types were found:
  • LVPICINI TRB (Lupicinus tribunus)
  • LVPICINO TRB (Lupicinus tribunus)
  • TERENTIANVS TRB (Terentianus tribunus)

The stamps, known from several late Roman military places, can be easily assigned to the large-scale military reorganization under Emperor Valentinian I (364–375). The military tribunes Lupicinus and Terentianus were active in the province of Pannonia Valeria under the commanders-in-chief Terentius dux (367/368 until 371 at the latest) and the subsequent Frigeridus dux (from 371 to 373/374 at the latest). During late antiquity, the longest section of the Pannonian Danube Limes belonged to this province, which extended to the Raab in the west .

Immediately after the excavation, the now open foundation walls of the Burgus were broken off by the property owners. Visy 1985 saw the traces of this profound destruction in the area. Earth had slipped into the empty trenches of the distant walls on the hill and traced the floor plan. The findings of this old excavation are supplemented by an aerial photo taken in 1951. The size of the Burgus hill is 38 meters in diameter. It is surrounded by an eight-meter-wide weir ditch with an outer diameter of around 60 meters.

1 Koppánymonostor-Szunyogvár (Burgus Ad Mures 2) A country house called Szunyogvár (Mückenburg) is said to have been built at this point over a burgus. But there is no scientific evidence to support such a supposition.
1 Koppánymonostor (Burgus Ad Mures 3) The results of Barkóczi’s research in Koppánymonostor were inconclusive and partially incorrect. Therefore Visy visited the community in the spring of 1985. It turned out that Bronze Age cremation graves and Roman pottery shards had been found on the hill on the property of a retired teacher. Remnants of the Roman wall, which Barkóczi had mentioned, could obviously not be verified. According to Visy, this site could potentially be suitable for a watchtower, but a site 200 meters from the hill is known in the community as the alleged tower location. In addition, the former teacher told of a Roman cemetery that was 100 meters from his hill. However, Visy did not manage to get more detailed information about finds from these graves. However, he could imagine that all of the Roman findings belonged to a small settlement rather than a watchtower.
1 Koppánymonostor-Gyürky (Burgus Ad Mures 4) Near the former Gyürky estate, 36 meters north of Koppány Vezér utca, a burgus was discovered by the archaeologist Aladár Radnóti (1913–1972) in the war year 1942 . But only the evaluation of an aerial photo from 1951 by Visy brought more detailed results on this site. A double moat was found with a maximum extension of 45 × 45 meters, which could belong to a Burgus of the Valentine era.
1 Koppánymonostor-Kővári (Burgus Ad Mures 5) The remains of the Koppánymonostor Benedictine Abbey, which was destroyed by the Turks, lie underground near the Kővári estate and today's waterworks. A Roman watchtower - 620 meters from Burgus Ad Mures 4 - is said to have been in the same place, but there is no archaeological evidence of this.
2 Komárom (Brigetio legionary camp) The legionary camp is located in the eastern part of the Szőny district, which belongs to Komárom.

Monument protection

The monuments of Hungary are protected under the Act No. LXIV of 2001 by being entered in the register of monuments. The Ad Mures fort 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

  • Barnabás Lőrincz : Pannonian stamped tiles - 3rd Limes route ad Flexum-ad Mures . Institute of the Eötvös Loránd University Budapest, Budapest 1981.
  • Denés Gabler : Ad Mures, Ács-Bumbumkút . In: Jenő Fitz (ed.): The Roman Limes in Hungary. Fejér Megyei Múzeumok Igazgatósága, 1976, p. 29.
  • Zsolt Visy : The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2003, ISBN 963-05-7980-4 , pp. 28-29.
  • Zsolt Visy: A ripa Pannonica Magyarországon. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2000, ISBN 963-05-7691-0 , pp. 27-28.
  • Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary . Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8062-0488-8 , pp. 51-53.

Web links

  • Ad Mures on the website of the Hungarian Limes Society (Magyar Limes szövetség)

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b c d e Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary . Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8062-0488-8 , p. 52.
  2. ↑ Kastell Ad Statuas at 47 ° 44 '21.77 "  N , 17 ° 54' 28.44"  O .
  3. ↑ a b Dénes Gabler: Investigations on the Upper Pannonian Danube Limes. In: Studies on the military borders of Rome, II. Lectures of the 10th International Limes Congress in the Germania Inferior. Rheinland-Verlag, Cologne 1977, pp. 297-312, here: p. 298.
  4. ^ Itinerarium Antonini 246.
  5. ↑ Legionslager Brigetio at 47 ° 44 '1.64 "  N , 18 ° 11' 38.92"  O .
  6. ↑ a b c Sándor Petényi: Ad Mures castellum. In: Zsolt Visy (ed.): The Roman army in Pannonia. Teleki Lázló Foundation 2003, ISBN 963-86388-2-6 , pp. 72-74; here p. 72.
  7. ↑ a b c d e Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2003, ISBN 963-05-7980-4 , p. 28.
  8. ↑ Denés Gabler: Ad Mures, Ács- Bumbumkút . In: Jenő Fitz (ed.): The Roman Limes in Hungary. Fejér Megyei Múzeumok Igazgatósága, 1976, p. 29. Dénes Gabler: Investigations on the Upper Pannonian Danube Limes. In: Studies on the military borders of Rome, II. Lectures of the 10th International Limes Congress in the Germania Inferior. Rheinland-Verlag, Cologne 1977, pp. 297-312, here: p. 301.
  9. ↑ Denés Gabler: Könyvismehrtések, Zsolt Visy: A ripa Pannonica Magyarországon. In: Communicationes archaeologicae Hungariae 2003 . Budapest 2003, pp. 203-206; here: p. 204.
  10. ^ Tilmann Bechert : Roman camp gates and their building inscriptions. A contribution to the development and dating of imperial camp floor plans from Claudius to Severus Alexander. In: Bonner Jahrbücher 171, 1971, pp. 201–287; here: p. 235.
  11. ^ Zsolt Mráv: Hadrian's bridge building inscription from Poetovio. In: Communicationes archaeologicae Hungariae 2002, pp. 15–57; here: p. 34.
  12. ^ Dénes Gabler: The Ripa Pannonica. In: Zsolt Visy (ed.): The Roman army in Pannonia. Teleki Lázló Foundation 2003, ISBN 963-86388-2-6 , p. 37.
  13. ^ Egon Schallmayer , Mario Becker: Limes . In: Realslexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde 18, de Gruyter, Berlin, New York 2001. ISBN 3-11-016950-9 . Pp. 403-442; here: p. 438.
  14. ^ Sándor Petényi: Ad Mures castellum. In: Zsolt Visy (ed.): The Roman army in Pannonia. Teleki Lázló Foundation 2003, ISBN 963-86388-2-6 , pp. 72-74; here p. 74.
  15. ↑ a b c Sándor Petényi: Ad Mures castellum. In: Zsolt Visy (ed.): The Roman army in Pannonia. Teleki Lázló Foundation 2003, ISBN 963-86388-2-6 , pp. 72-74; here p. 73.
  16. ^ Sándor Petényi: Ad Mures castellum. In: Zsolt Visy (ed.): The Roman army in Pannonia. Teleki Lázló Foundation 2003, ISBN 963-86388-2-6 , pp. 72-74; here pp. 73–74.
  17. ^ Péter Kovács : Annamatia Castellum. In: Zsolt Visy (ed.): The Roman army in Pannonia. Teleki Lázló Foundation 2003, ISBN 963-86388-2-6 , p. 120.
  18. ↑ Endre Tóth : Group C. Fortifications with fan-shaped corner and U-shaped intermediate towers. In: Endre Tóth: The late Roman military architecture in Transdanubia. In: Archaeologiai Értesitő 134, 2009, p. 44.
  19. ↑ Friedrich Lotter: Displacements of peoples in the Eastern Alps-Central Danube region between antiquity and the Middle Ages (375–600). de Gruyter, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-11-017855-9 , p. 74, footnote 265.
  20. ↑ a b Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2003, ISBN 963-05-7980-4 , p. 53.
  21. ^ Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2003, ISBN 963-05-7980-4 , p. 73.
  22. ↑ Route = numbering follows Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary (Theiss 1988) and Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. (Akadémiai Kiadó 2003)
  23. ↑ a b c d e f Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2003, ISBN 963-05-7980-4 , p. 29.
  24. ↑ Burgus Ad Mures 1 at 47 ° 44 '53.68 "  N , 18 ° 1' 9.92"  O .
  25. ↑ a b Denés Gabler: Komárom-Koppányosmonostor-Milch-Burgus . In: Jenő Fitz (ed.): The Roman Limes in Hungary. Fejér Megyei Múzeumok Igazgatósága, 1976, p. 31.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ↑ a b Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2003, ISBN 963-05-7980-4 , p. 30.
  28. ↑ Burgus Ad Mures 4 at 47 ° 45 '2.15 "  N , 18 ° 3' 23.06"  O .
  29. ↑ Burgus Mures Ad 5 at 47 ° 45 '10.09 "  N , 18 ° 3' 52.8"  O .
  30. ↑ Legionslager Brigetio at 47 ° 44 '1.64 "  N , 18 ° 11' 38.92"  O .