Buciumi Castle

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Buciumi Castle
limes Dacian Limes
section A / V / 22
Limes Porolissensis
Dating (occupancy) 106/110 to the 3rd century
Type Auxiliary fort
unit Cohors I Ulpia Brittonum or
Britannorum / Britannica (?)
Cohors I Augusta Ituraeorum
Cohors II Augusta Nervia Pacensis milliaria Brittonum
Cohors I Hispanorum
Cohors I Flavia Ulpia Hispanorum
size A) 125 m × 160 m = 2.0 ha
B) 134 m × 167 m = 2.24 ha
Construction A) Wood and earth warehouse
B) Stone fort
State of preservation partially restored and preserved
place Buciumi / Sălaj County
Geographical location 47 ° 2 '53.9 "  N , 23 ° 2' 40.8"  E Coordinates: 47 ° 2 '53.9 "  N , 23 ° 2' 40.8"  E
height 372  m
Previous Resculum
(southwest, A / V / 21)
Subsequently Românași Castle
(east-northeast, A / V / 23)
Backwards Optatiana
(east-southeast, B / 96)
Course of the Dacian Limites

Fort Buciumi was a Roman auxiliary troop camp in the municipality of Buciumi , Sălaj district in the Romanian region of Transylvania .

location

In today's settlement, the ground monument and partially reconstructed and preserved fort are located in the undeveloped corridor "Cetate" or "Gradiste" on the northern edge of the village of Buciumi. Topographically, it is located on a high terrace sloping to the southeast between the confluence of the Lupului and Mihăiasa streams , which flow into the Agrij river after their union . In ancient times , the castle garrison was responsible for the control of the north-western Limes section and the protection of traffic on the Ragului mountain pass leading to the west-north-west into Barbaricum and on the Poicului pass leading to the south-west , which connected the fort with the garrison in Resculum. In addition, there were good connections to the Agrijului valley , in or near which the forts Românași , Romita , Porolissum and Tihău were.

Archaeological evidence

Archaeological excavations in the Buciumi Castle took place between 1963 and 1976 under the direction of Eugen Chirilă, who initiated them, and among others under Mihail Macrea , Nicolae Gudea and Vasile Lucăcel. A wood-earth construction phase and two stone construction phases (one of which was a repair phase) could be differentiated.

Wood-earth warehouse

The wood-earth camp was set up in the early days of the occupation of Dacia (106–110). It had a rectangular floor plan and, with its dimensions of 125 m by 160 m, took up an area of ​​two hectares. With its corners, the fort was oriented in the four cardinal directions. It was reinforced with a 10.00 m wide and 1.75 m high wood-earth wall, in front of which a nine to ten meter wide and 1.50 to 2.00 m deep pointed ditch ran as an obstacle . The Porta Praetoria (main gate, side gate) was probably on the south-eastern side. In the praetentura (front part of the camp) some crew barracks could be identified.

Stone fort

It had a rectangular floor plan with rounded corners and the same orientation as the previous wood-earth layer. With its dimensions of 134 m by 167 m, it took up an area of ​​2.24 hectares and was therefore a good 10% larger than the previous building. It was surrounded by a 1.20 m thick wall, which was constructed using the technique of Opus incertum . In front of the wall, a ditch nine to ten meters wide and 1.50 to 2.00 m deep served as an obstacle to the approach. The corners of the fort were occupied by corner towers with a trapezoidal floor plan (5.40 m / 5.50 m / 5.50 m / 7.00 m). On the praetorial side (front) there was an intermediate tower with a rectangular floor plan on each side between Porta Praetoria and the corners of the fort. The Porta Praetoria and the Portae principales (side gates) had a double passage, the Porta decumana (rear gate) only a single one. All gates were flanked by gate towers projecting outwards. The gate towers of the Porta praetoria had a rectangular floor plan, those of the other gates were designed semicircular to the outside (7.00 × 4.50 m).

Outline and fort streets

The ratio of the areas of the praetentura (front bearing part) to the retentura (rear bearing part) was about one to two. A special feature is a wall that runs along the Viae principales and separates the two parts of the fort (also below). The Via praetoria had a width of 6.30 m, the Viae principales were 7.20 m wide. A via quintana (back street at the back of the camp) could not be proven with certainty, just as the Retentura is generally the less thoroughly researched part of the camp. The Via sagularis (Lagerringstrasse), which in the first stone construction phase still encircled the entire interior of the fort, was narrowed in a later, unspecified repair phase, by annexes of the praetorium (commander's residence) and by two newly constructed buildings between the front team barracks and the Praetorialfront completely built over (see also below).

Principia

Principia of the Buciumi Castle (2012)
Principia. Passage from the atrium to the basilica

The principia (staff buildings) were located on the longitudinal axis of the fort and their position was almost symmetrical to the sides of the fort. Only the entrance is about half a meter out of symmetry to the west. The masonry consisted of a mix of natural stone and bricks, the width of the foundations was 1.00 m to 1.05 m, the thickness of the rising was 0.80 m. It was still preserved up to a height of 0.40 m above the current walking level. In front of the principia ran a wall that crossed the entire camp and was only interrupted in front of the entrance to the principia and in front of the portae principales in the passageways of the via sagularis , which separated the retentura from the praetentura . Inside, the Principia was divided into an atrium courtyard , which was flanked by two-room suites, to which the basilica was attached, which was closed at the rear by a suite with a total of five rooms.

Praetorium

The Praetorium , the commandant's residence, was located between the Principia and the Porta principalis dextra and was designed in the style of a Mediterranean villa. With its dimensions of 31.00 m by 28.00 m (= 868 square meters), it took up 3.89% of the total area of ​​the fort. Numerous smaller and larger rooms surrounded an atrium in the rear part of the building complex. The entrance was apparently on the Via principalis , where a portico separated the building from the street.

Horrea

Two rectangular buildings with mighty stone walls in the latus sinistrum (left half of the fort) between the Principia and the Porta principalis sinistra were addressed as Horrea because of their architectural features and their positioning . The first building, closer to the Principia , was 25.30 m by 12.80 m, which corresponds to a floor area of ​​324 square meters, the second, near the side gate, was 26.00 m by 13.00 m , corresponding to 338 sqm. Based on post holes , Nicolae Gudea suspected wooden predecessor buildings in the same area.

Crew barracks and other buildings

In the Praetentura , two single and one double crew barracks were identified on each side of the Via praetoria , i.e. accommodations for a total of eight centurions , with which the Praetentura alone would have been sufficient to accommodate a Cohors quingenaria (480-strong infantry unit). The length of the barracks was on average 50 meters each, of which around 40 meters were accounted for by the contuberniae (team rooms ) and almost ten meters by the centurions' head structures oriented towards the via sagularis . The width of the single crew barracks in the front and back rows was nine meters, while the middle double barracks were 19 meters wide. However, the function of all these buildings as staff barracks is not entirely guaranteed. One of the narrower buildings (B4) was also mentioned as a possible stables, the two wider buildings (B2 and B5) were considered as potential Fabrica (workshops) and Valetudinarium (hospital).

At the beginning of the third century, some changes were made to the interior of the fort. In addition to the expansion of the Praetorium (see there), two new buildings (C1 and C2) in particular were built above the Via sagularis , to the right and left of the Porta praetoria . The size of the building was 15 m by 8 m (= 120 square meters) or 28 m by 7.50 m (= 210 m). The function of the two buildings is unclear. According to coin finds, they can be dated to around the year 220.

troops

Epigraphically a number of troops in Buciumi are occupied, but the actual deployment and their order is not entirely clear. In detail, the following units could be documented with brick stamps, military diplomas and other inscriptions:

Vicus and fort baths

The auxiliarvicus stretched north-east of the fort, the structures of which could be identified in part by means of soil resistance measurements . The vicus was a civil settlement that can be found at almost every Roman military camp and in which the living quarters of the relatives of soldiers, veterans, artisans, traders, innkeepers, prostitutes and other service providers were located. About 150 m east-southeast of the fort, in the “Fântânita Bentii” corridor, the fort's thermal baths were also discovered using geophysical methods.

Limes course

Three to five kilometers as the crow flies north-west of the fort, this was passed by the Porolissen Limes, which was expanded with watchtowers and small forts.

No. Name / type place Description / condition
RO168 Buciumi Castle Buciumi / Sălaj County see above
RO152 Watchtower Buciumi, Sub Padină / Coasta Ograzii A cone-shaped ruin surrounded by trees that has been archaeologically examined but not documented. It has a circular plan. The masonry was built from local stone using the technique of Opus incertum. Today around 20% of the site has been destroyed.
RO151 Watchtower Buciumi, Sub Padina 70% of the finds were destroyed by robbery graves in the 19th century, but the remaining ruins are well preserved. Stratigraphy suggests that the destruction was very slow. The tower has a circular floor plan and was constructed using the technique of Opus incertum.
RO150 Watchtower Buciumi, Groapa Mare The excavations of the tower site were unproductive. Only stones and mortar residues were found, but no archaeologically relevant findings could be established.
RO149 Watchtower Sângeorgiu de Meseș, Coasta Lata The ruin, which was partially archaeologically examined but not documented, was disturbed by tree roots and stone robbery. The walls were built using the technique of Opus incertum.
RO148 Watchtower Treznea, Coasta Ciungii 2 The tower with its round floor plan and the moat surrounding it are still clearly visible in the area. The tower site was archaeologically examined but not documented.
RO147 Watchtower Treznea, Coasta Ciungii 2 The circular tower, the integrity of which is impaired by some tree roots, had masonry about a meter thick, which had been built using the technique of Opus incertum.
RO146 Watchtower Treznea, Vârful Ciungii The tower site was archaeologically examined but not published. The circular tower had walls in the technique of Opus incertum, which had a thickness of around 0.80 m. The ruin is still relatively well preserved.
RO145 Watchtower Treznea, Gura Teghișului The tower site was completely destroyed by modern stone robbery.
RO144 Watchtower Treznea, Vârful Teghișului 30% of the remains of the tower were destroyed by archaeological excavations. During the investigations, one meter thick walls with several repair phases were identified. The ruins themselves are still in a good state of preservation despite the excavations.
RO142 Watchtower Zalau , Sub Păstaie The cone-shaped ruin was examined with unsatisfactory results. Today it is overgrown by vegetation.
RO141 Watchtower Vârful Păstaie / Păstăiasa The walls of the tower and the moat of the tower are still clearly visible in the area. The ruin is in an excellent state of preservation. During the archaeological excavations, numerous finds were recovered and the structure of the tower was documented. However, there was no publication. Today the tower is slightly covered by vegetation.
RO143 Românași Castle Românași see main article Românași Castle

Lost property and monument protection

The excavation finds were given to the Muzeul Judetean de Istorie si Arta ( District Museum for History and Art) in Zalau. The walls of the fort have been partially restored and preserved and can be viewed in the area.

The entire archaeological site and in particular the castle are protected as historical monuments according to Law No. 422/2001 passed in 2001 and are registered with the LMI code SJ-IsA-04862 in the national list of historical monuments (Lista Monumentelor Istorice) . Responsible is the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (Ministerul Culturii şi Patrimoniului Naţional), in particular the General Directorate for National Cultural Heritage, the Department of Fine Arts and the National Commission for Historical Monuments and other institutions subordinate to the Ministry. Unauthorized excavations and the export of ancient objects are prohibited in Romania.

See also

literature

  • Eugen Chirilǎ, Nicolae Gudea et al .: The Roman camp of Buciumi. Contributions to the study of the Limes of Dacia Porolissensis . Muzeul de Istorie şi Artǎ Zalǎu, Cluj-Napoca 1972.
  • Dan Dana and Dávid Petruţ: A military graffito on a pottery plate from the auxiliary fort at Buciumi (Roman Dacia) . In: Tyche. Contributions to ancient history, papyrology and epigraphy , volume 30, Holzhausen, Vienna 2015, pp. 19–24 as well as panels 3 and 4, digitized .
  • Cristian Gazdac and Emanoil Pripon: The Roman Auxiliary Fort at Buciumi (Roman Dacia, Romania). Coins in archaeological context . (= BAR International Series, 2381), BAR, Oxford 2012.
  • Nicolae Gudea: The Dacian Limes. Materials on its story. In: Yearbook of the Römisch Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz. 44, 2, 1997, p. 42f., ( Digitized version ).
  • Nicolae Gudea: Castrul roman de la Buciumi . Editura Muzeul Judetean de Istorie si Arta Zalau, 1997.
  • Mihail Macrea, Eugen Chirilă and Nicolae Gudea: Castrul roman de la Buciumi (jud. Sălaj). Săpăturile din 1963–1968. / The Roman camp of Buciumi (Sălaj district). The excavations from 1963–1968. In: Acta Musei Napocensis, 6 (1969), pp. 149-157.
  • Felix Marcu: The Internal Planning of Roman Forts of Dacia . (= Bibliotheca Mvsei Napocensis XXX), Mega Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca 2009, ISBN 978-606-543-058-7 , pp. 36-53 as well as plates 3 and 4.
  • Florian Matei-Popescu: Cohortes Augustae Nervianae Pacenses Brittonum . In: Acta Mvsei Porolissensis XIII, Editura Mega, Cluj-Napoca 2010, ISBN 978-606-543-101-0 , pp. 395-398, ( digitized version ).
  • Coriolan Horațiu Opreanu & Vlad-Andrei Lăzărescu: The province of Dacia . In this. (Ed.): Landscape Archeology on the Northern Frontier of the Roman Empire at Porolissum. An interdisciplinary research project . Mega Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca 2016, ISBN 978-606-543-787-6 , pp. 64-67, ( digitized version ).
  • Ioan Piso and Dan Deac: A New Imperial Statue Base from Buciumi and Caracalla's Journey to Dacia Porolissensis . In C. Sebastian Sommer and Suzana Matešic (eds.): Limes XXIII , special volume 4 / II, Proceedings of the 23rd International Congress of RomanFrontier Studies Ingolstadt 2015 / files of the 23rd International Limes Congress in Ingolstadt 2015, pp. 756–762, ( Digitized ).
  • Ovidiu Ţentea and Britta Burkhardt: Baths on the Frontiers of Roman Dacia / Băile de pe frontierele Daciei romane. Bucharest 2017, p. 27f.

Web links

Commons : Castra of Buciumi  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

Abbreviations:
AE = L'Année épigraphique (annual publication on Latin epigraphy )
IDR = Inscriptiones Daciae Romanae (directory of inscriptions from Roman Dacia)
ILD = Inscriptiones Latinae Daciae (directory of Latin inscriptions in Dacia)

  1. ^ Route / section / fort number (based on Nicolae Gudea , 1997).
  2. a b Cohors I Ulpia Brittonum: AE 2015, 01168 (dating 101 to 200). Possibly also Britannorum AE 1973, 00458 (dating 117 to 138) or Britannica (diplomas AE 1980, 00761 , dating 164 and AE 1983, 00850 , dating 163/164).
  3. a b Cohors I Augusta Ituraeorum: IDR-App-01-17, 00001 (dating 201 to 270), IDR-App-01-17, 00002 (dating 201 to 270), IDR-App-01-17, 00004 ( Dating 201 to 270), IDR-App-01-17, 00005 (dating 201 to 270), ILD 00635 (dating 241) and ILD 00636 .
  4. a b Cohors II Augusta Nervia Pacensis milliaria Brittonum: IDR-App-01-29, 00001 , IDR-App-01-29, 00002 , IDR-App-01-29, 00003 , IDR-App-01-29, 00004 , IDR-App-01-29, 00005 , IDR-App-01-29, 00006 , IDR-App-01-29, 00007 , IDR-App-01-29, 00008 , IDR-App-01-29, 00009 , IDR-App-01-29, 00010 , IDR-App-01-29, 00011 , IDR-App-01-29, 00012 , IDR-App-01-29, 00013 , IDR-App-01-29, 00014 , IDR-App-01-29, 00015 , IDR-App-01-29, 00016 , IDR-App-01-29, 00017 , IDR-App-01-29, 00018 , IDR-App-01-29, 00019 , IDR-App-01-29, 00020 , IDR-App-01-29, 00021 , IDR-App-01-29, 00022 , IDR-App-01-29, 00023 , IDR-App-01-29, 00024 , IDR-App-01-29, 00025 , IDR-App-01-29, 00026 , IDR-App-01-29, 00027 , IDR-App-01-29, 00028 , IDR-App-01-29, 00029 , IDR-App-01-29, 00030 , IDR-App-01-29, 00031 , IDR-App-01-29, 00032 , IDR-App-01-29, 00033 , IDR-App-01-29, 00034 , IDR-App-01-29, 00035 , IDR-App-01-29, 00036 , IDR-App-01-29, 00037 , IDR-App-01-29, 00038 , IDR-App-01-29, 00039 , IDR-App-01-29, 00040 , IDR-App-01-29, 0004 1 , IDR-App-01-29, 00042 , IDR-App-01-29, 00043 , IDR-App-01-29, 00044 , IDR-App-01-29, 00045 , IDR-App-01-29, 00046 , IDR-App-01-29, 00047 , IDR-App-01-29, 00048 , IDR-App-01-29, 00049 , IDR-App-01-29, 00050 , IDR-App-01-29, 00051 , IDR-App-01-29, 00052 , IDR-App-01-29, 00053 , IDR-App-01-29, 00054 , IDR-App-01-29, 00055 , IDR-App-01-29, 00056 , IDR-App-01-29, 00057 , IDR-App-01-29, 00058 , IDR-App-01-29, 00059 , IDR-App-01-29, 00060 , IDR-App-01-29, 00061 , IDR-App-01-29, 00062 , IDR-App-01-29, 00063 , IDR-App-01-29, 00064 , IDR-App-01-29, 00065 , IDR-App-01-29, 00066 , IDR-App-01-29, 00067 , IDR-App-01-29, 00068 , IDR-App-01-29, 00069 , IDR-App-01-29, 00070 , IDR-App-01-29, 00071 , IDR-App-01-29, 00072 , IDR-App-01-29, 00073 , IDR-App-01-29, 00074 , IDR-App-01-29, 00075 , IDR-App-01-29, 00076 , IDR-App-01-29, 00077 , IDR-App-01-29, 00078 , IDR-App-01-29, 00079 , IDR-App-01-29, 00080 , IDR-App-01-29, 00081 , IDR-App-01-29, 00082 , IDR-App-01-29, 00083 , IDR-App-01-29, 00084 , IDR-App -01-29, 00085 , IDR-App-01-29, 00086 , IDR-App-01-29, 00087 , IDR-App-01-29, 00088 , IDR-App-01-29, 00089 , IDR-App -01-29, 00090 , IDR-App-01-29, 00091 , IDR-App-01-29, 00092 , IDR-App-01-29, 00093 , IDR-App-01-29, 00094 , IDR-App -01-29, 00095 , IDR-App-01-29, 00096 , IDR-App-01-29, 00097 , IDR-App-01-29, 00098 , IDR-App-01-29, 00099 , IDR-App -01-29, 00100 , IDR-App-01-29, 00101 , IDR-App-01-29, 00102 , IDR-App-01-29, 00103 , IDR-App-01-29, 00104 , IDR-App -01-29, 00105 , IDR-App-01-29, 00106 , IDR-App-01-29, 00107 , IDR-App-01-29, 00108 , IDR-App-01-29, 00109 , IDR-App -01-29, 00110 , IDR-App-01-29, 00111 , IDR-App-01-29, 00112 , IDR-App-01-29, 00113 , IDR-App-01-29, 00114 , IDR-App -01-29, 00115 , IDR-App-01-29, 00116 , IDR-App-01-29, 00117 , IDR-App-01-29, 00118 , IDR-App-01-29, 00119 , IDR-App -01-29, 00120 , IDR-App-01-29, 00121 , IDR-App-01-29, 00122 , IDR-App-01-29, 00123 , IDR-App-01-29, 00124 , IDR-App -01-29, 00125 , IDR-App-01-29, 00126 , IDR-App-01-29, 00127 , IDR-App-01-29, 001 28 , IDR-App-01-29, 00129 , IDR-App-01-29, 00130 , IDR-App-01-29, 00131 , IDR-App-01-29, 00132 , IDR-App-01-29, 00133 , IDR-App-01-29, 00134 , IDR-App-01-29, 00135 , IDR-App-01-29, 00136 , IDR-App-01-29, 00137 , IDR-App-01-29, 00138 , IDR-App-01-29, 00139 , IDR-App-01-29, 00140 , IDR-App-01-29, 00141 , IDR-App-01-29, 00142 , IDR-App-01-29, 00143 , IDR-App-01-29, 00144 , IDR-App-01-29, 00145 , IDR-App-01-29, 00146 (all dated to 213/214), AE 1978, 00690 (dated 212 to 215) , AE 1960, 00361 (dating 211 to 222) AE 1977, 00709 , AE 1980, 00762 (dating 164), AE 1983, 00850 (dating 163/164) and ILD 00048 .
  5. a b Cohors I Hispanorum: AE 1977, 00709 and AE 1983, 00851b and diplomas AE 1980, 00761 (dating 164), AE 1980, 00762 (dating 164), AE 1983, 00850 (dating 163/164) and ILD 00048 .
  6. a b Cohors I Flavia Hispanorum: AE 2015, 01168 and AE 2015, 01167 (dating 101 to 150).
  7. a b c Nicolae Gudea: The Dacian Limes. Materials on its story. In: Yearbook of the Römisch Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz. 44, 2, 1997, p. 42, ( digitized version ).
  8. ^ A b Felix Marcu: The Internal Planning of Roman Forts of Dacia . (= Bibliotheca Mvsei Napocensis XXX), Mega Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca 2009, ISBN 978-606-543-058-7 , p. 36.
  9. Here the descriptions contradict the fort plan published by Gudea in 1997 and redrawn by Marcu in 2009, on which the south-west gate is shown with only one single passage. See Gudea 1997, p. 43 and Marcu 2009, p. 36f. and panel 4.
  10. Nicolae Gudea: The Dacian Limes. Materials on its story. In: Yearbook of the Römisch Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz. 44, 2, 1997, p. 42f., ( Digitized version ).
  11. ^ Felix Marcu: The Internal Planning of Roman Forts of Dacia . (= Bibliotheca Mvsei Napocensis XXX), Mega Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca 2009, ISBN 978-606-543-058-7 , pp. 36-38 as well as plates 3 and 4.
  12. ^ Felix Marcu: The Internal Planning of Roman Forts of Dacia . (= Bibliotheca Mvsei Napocensis XXX), Mega Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca 2009, ISBN 978-606-543-058-7 , pp. 38-40.
  13. ^ Felix Marcu: The Internal Planning of Roman Forts of Dacia . (= Bibliotheca Mvsei Napocensis XXX), Mega Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca 2009, ISBN 978-606-543-058-7 , pp. 40-42.
  14. ^ Felix Marcu: The Internal Planning of Roman Forts of Dacia . (= Bibliotheca Mvsei Napocensis XXX), Mega Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca 2009, ISBN 978-606-543-058-7 , pp. 42-44.
  15. ^ Felix Marcu: The Internal Planning of Roman Forts of Dacia . (= Bibliotheca Mvsei Napocensis XXX), Mega Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca 2009, ISBN 978-606-543-058-7 , pp. 44-51.
  16. ^ Felix Marcu: The Internal Planning of Roman Forts of Dacia . (= Bibliotheca Mvsei Napocensis XXX), Mega Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca 2009, ISBN 978-606-543-058-7 , p. 52.
  17. ^ Clauss-Slaby epigraphic database .
  18. ^ Felix Marcu: The Internal Planning of Roman Forts of Dacia . (= Bibliotheca Mvsei Napocensis XXX), Mega Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca 2009, ISBN 978-606-543-058-7 , p. 52f.
  19. a b Nicolae Gudea: The Dacian Limes. Materials on its story. In: Yearbook of the Römisch Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz. 44, 2, 1997, p. 43, ( digitized version ).
  20. ^ Ovidiu Ţentea and Britta Burkhardt: Baths on the Frontiers of Roman Dacia / Băile de pe frontierele Daciei romane. Bucharest 2017, p. 27f.
  21. All of the following information based on where the Limes section was found on the website limesromania.ro of the National Limes Program (English, Romanian), accessed on January 27, 2019.
  22. ↑ The museum's official website (Romanian), accessed on January 29, 2019.
  23. List of historical monuments on the website of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage