Esztergom-Hideglelőskereszt Castle

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Esztergom-Hideglelőskereszt Castle
limes Pannonian Limes
section 3
Dating (occupancy) Valentine (?) - probably only occupied for a short time
Type Fort
Construction stone
State of preservation Remains of the defensive wall visible in the area
place Esztergom -Hideglelőskereszt
Geographical location 47 ° 48 '46.2 "  N , 18 ° 49' 16.5"  E
height 181  m
Previous Burgus Esztergom-Szentgyörgymező 1 (west)
Subsequently Burgus Szob (northeast)
Burgus Pilismarót-Malompatak (southeast)

The Esztergom-Hideglelőskereszt fort was a Roman military camp from the 4th century AD. Its garrison was entrusted with guarding a section of the Danube in the Pannonian Limes . The remains of the plant were east of the village Búbánatvölgy , a neighborhood of Esztergom , in County Komárom-Esztergom in Hungary discovered and are on a mountain high above the river valley. On the top there is a thanksgiving and pilgrimage cross, which was built in 1784 and is called Hideglelőskereszt.

Location and research history

The Limes Pannonicus on the Pilis Mountains

The fortification, the ancient name of which is unknown, was strategically placed on a steeply sloping rocky hill above the southern bank of the Danube and was adapted to the conditions of the terrain. You can reach the facility on parts of the Roman road that are still accessible today. From here the soldiers had the best view of the north bank, which already belonged to the Barbaricum , which was inhabited by the Germanic Quadi . In the northeast, the confluence of the Eipel with the Ländeburgus of Szob could be made out, in the northwest the land could be seen up to the present day town of Gran. To the west, all the watchtowers close to the river could be seen up to the Danube bend at the Esztergom (Solva) fort ; to the east, the narrow chain of watchtowers in the Danube valley could be controlled in a similar way. The Hungarian archaeologist Sándor Soproni (1926–1995) examined this fortification superficially. Excavations have not yet taken place in the complex.

Building history

Sketch of the remains visible above the surface according to Soproni's research.

The oldest documented settlement of the place took place during the early Iron Age . The fort was perhaps built in the early days of the reign of Emperor Valentinian I (364–375), who was born in Pannonia. It would have been part of an extensive building program that the emperor started after the devastating Germanic invasions. These included larger and smaller fortifications (castra et castella) along the imperial borders on the Rhine and Danube. They originated from 369 on the Upper Rhine, on the long-distance connection Brigantium (Bregenz) - Cambodunum (Kempten) - Caelius Mons (Kellmünz) and on the upper and middle Danube. Unfortunately, the surface finds so far are not sufficient for an exact dating. The restless ground plan of the Esztergom-Hideglelőskereszt fort, which is typical of late antique fortresses, surrounds a triangular area on the mountain top. Its highest point with the Hideglelőskereszt rises in the northern part of the complex. There, however, a quarry completely destroyed the camp. The west wall, which has been preserved for around ten meters, runs from north-west to south-east, where it meets the roughly ten-meter-long north-west oriented south wall. The east wall, which was then aligned with a clear kink from southwest to northeast, could still be made out over a length of 65 meters. Overall, the walls were 1.05 meters thick and consisted of rubble stones (Opus incertum) . Of the towers, three have been preserved on the west side and two on the east side. With an inner dimension of 4.35 × 4.8 meters, they have a rectangular floor plan and protrude from the wall. The shape of the towers is unique in the Pannonian provinces for the 4th century. Without excavations, however, there is no possibility of a closer dating and classification. Since no gate structures could be found, the entrance must have been on the destroyed north side. Traces of construction have been identified along the south and west walls inside the facility.

Soproni has examined a chronological assignment of the complex using the late Roman state manual Notitia Dignitatum (probably AD 395 / 425–433) and was able to determine that Esztergom-Hideglelőskereszt is not mentioned there, as none of the listed in the Valeria list of the manual Fortresses can be associated with this place. The researcher was convinced that the reason for this lies in the establishment of the fortress under Valentinian I between 364 and 367. He concluded a brief use of the facility, abandoned before the Valeria list was closed.

Finds

The building inscription possibly belonging to the Esztergom-Hideglelőskereszt castle.

For a rough dating to the 4th century AD, ceramic shards that appeared as stray finds were informative. In addition, a stamped Valentine brick with the inscription [C] ORTAV [ICEN] has been preserved. Some researchers, including Soproni, believe that a building inscription stolen as a spoil and cut in the middle from the years 364 / 365–367 comes from this fort site. Even the exact location of this inscription, carved in limestone, can no longer be determined:

Imperatores Caesares dd (omini) nn (ostri)
Valentinianus [e] t Valens fratres
concordissimi victores maximi
ac triumphatores [s] emperque Augusti
muros cum turribus horum cas-
trorum a rudimentis fundamento
rum consurgere imperarunt dispo-
nente Equitio v (iro) c (larissimo) comite mag (istro) equitum
peditumque cur [a] nte Augustiano
[v (iro) c (larissimo) comite ord (inis)] pr [i] mi et duce Val (eriae) limitis
numini clementi (a) eq [u] e eorum dicatissimis

The inscription names as the only known testimony an Augustianus as commander in chief of the province of Valeria ( Dux Valeriae ripensis ).

Limes course from the Esztergom-Hideglelőskereszt castle to the Szob castle

The towers were 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-Hideglelőskereszt and Szob.
route Name / place Description / condition
3 Pilismarót-Basaharc (Burgus Solva 9) To the east of the Esztergom – Hideglelőskereszt fort, between the Danube and the steeply sloping northern foot of the Visegrád Mountains, the Burgus Solva 9, examined by Sándor Soproni in 1973 (alternatively also called Pilismarót-Basaharc I or Watchtower 1) near Pilismarót-Basaharc, was no longer visible today is. A coherent floor plan could no longer be determined, but the research assumes a square, approximately 10 × 10 meter large Burgus, which stood on a narrow terrace on a hillside next to the Danube bank. It has been suggested that there was a horse relay at this place. The finds included ceramics and coins from the 4th century.
3 Pilismarót-Basaharc (Burgus Solva 10)
Findings on Burgus Solva 10
Almost two kilometers east of it was Burgus 10 (Pilismarót-Basaharc II or Watchtower 2) near Pilismarót-Basaharc, another building from late antiquity near the Roman road, which is also no longer visible today. At this Valentine's tower site, which was largely destroyed by the floods of the Danube, only the southern remains of the wall , built from Opus incertum , could be identified. The inside length of this side was 7.1 meters with a wall thickness of 1.05–1.11 meters. The foundation walls were 1.26 meters thick. The 1.6 meter wide entrance was also located on the south side. A well-known early excavator on the Hungarian Limes, Flóris Rómer (1815–1889), found the brick temple of Terentius dux , who apparently held the office of Dux Valeriae ripensis in the province of Valeria until 371 . Remnants of building are preserved in the area.
3 Pilismarót-Basaharc (Burgus Solva 11) At the eastern foot of the Visegrad Mountains, west of the ferry from Szob on the north bank , is the Valentine castle Solva 11 (Pilismarót-Basaharc III or Watchtower 3) near Pilismarót-Basaharc near the shore. It is located immediately north of today's highway. Together with other Burgi, the Eipel estuary, which was obviously considered dangerous, could be monitored from here. For this purpose, the Ländeburgus Szob was installed on the north bank at the mouth of the Eipel during the reign of Emperor Valentinian I. The bridgehead-like Burgus, 200 meters from the mouth of the Eipel, was buried and severely disturbed by the construction of a dam. The already partially destroyed Burgus Basaharc III from Opus incertum , located in the flood plain of the Danube, had an outer length of 9.48 meters, a wall thickness of 1 meter and contained late Roman ceramics, several stamped bricks from Frigeridus dux and one of his predecessor Terentius . In addition to these finds, the recovered coins also date from the Valentine era. The complex was secured by a square trench at a distance of 8 meters, which exposed on the south side in the middle in front of the Burgus entrance. Remnants of building are preserved in the area.
3 Szob (Burgus Solva 34) Directly opposite Pilismarót-Basaharc III, on the other bank of the Danube, was the bridgehead-like Burgus Szob .

Monument protection

The monuments of Hungary are protected under the Act No. LXIV of 2001 by being entered in the register of monuments. The Esztergom-Hideglelőskereszt castle, as an archaeological site according to § 3.1, is a nationally valuable cultural asset. 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

  • Jenő Fitz (Ed.): The Roman Limes in Hungary (= Bulletin du musée roi Saint Etienne. Series A, Volume 22). Fejér Megyei Múzeumok Igazgatósága, Székesfehérvár 1976.
  • 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.
  • Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 9630513072 .
  • Endre Tóth: Roman watchtowers from Pilismarót. In: Communicationes archeologicae Hungariae. Népművelési Propaganda Iroda, Budapest 1984.
  • Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2003, ISBN 9630579804 .
  • Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary . Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8062-0488-8 .

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b c Jenő Fitz (ed.): The Roman Limes in Hungary. Fejér Megyei Múzeumok Igazgatósága, 1976, p. 53.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ^ Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary. Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8062-0488-8 , pp. 69-70.
  4. ↑ a b c d e Endre Tóth: The late Roman military architecture in Transdanubia . In Archaeologiai Értesitő. 134, Budapest 2009, p. 43.
  5. ^ László Horváth, Tibor Kovács , Miklós Szabó: Corpus of Celtic finds in Hungary. Volume 1. Transdanubia. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1987, p. 207 (in English).
  6. ↑ a b Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary. Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8062-0488-8 , p. 70.
  7. ↑ CIL 3, 10596 .
  8. ↑ László Barkóczi, Sándor Soproni: The Roman Inscriptions of Hungary (RIU). Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1981, ISBN 9630506807 , p. 138.
  9. ^ Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2003, ISBN 9630579804 , p. 48.
  10. ↑ Route = numbering follows Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary (Theiss 1988) and Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary (Akadémiai Kiadó 2003).
  11. ↑ Burgus Solva 9 at 47 ° 48 '43.52 "  N , 18 ° 49' 55.2"  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.
  12. ↑ a b c Zsolt Visy: The ripa Pannonica in Hungary. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 2003, ISBN 9630579804 , p. 48.
  13. ↑ a b c Jenő Fitz (ed.): The Roman Limes in Hungary. Fejér Megyei Múzeumok Igazgatósága, 1976, p 54.
  14. ↑ Burgus Solva 10 at 47 ° 48 '41.36 "  N , 18 ° 50' 7.94"  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.
  15. ↑ a b Endre Tóth: Roman watchtowers of Pilismarót. In: Communicationes archeologicae Hungariae. Népművelési Propaganda Iroda, Budapest 1984, p. 77.
  16. ^ Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre . Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 9630513072 , p. 30.
  17. ↑ Burgus Solva 11 at 47 ° 48 '37.62 "  N , 18 ° 51' 6.88"  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. 239.
  18. ↑ 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. 245.
  19. ^ Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre . Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 9630513072 , p. 77.
  20. ↑ Ländeburgus Szob (Burgus Solva 34) at 47 ° 49 '4.15 "  N , 18 ° 51' 15.55"  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. 245.