Hofheim Castle
| Hofheim Castle | |
|---|---|
| limes | ORL 29 ( RLK ) |
| Route (RLK) | Upper German Limes, rear forts |
| Dating (occupancy) | about 40 to 110 AD |
| Type | Auxiliary fort |
| unit | unknown vexillatio |
| size |
Hofheim I : approx. 1.9 ha Hofheim II : approx. 2.15 ha Hofheim III : 4.6 ha |
| Construction |
Hofheim I : wood and earth fort Hofheim II : stone fort Hofheim III : wood and earth fort |
| State of preservation |
Soil monuments are no longer visible above ground because they have been built over or agriculturally transformed |
| place | Hofheim am Taunus |
| Geographical location | 50 ° 4 '50.8 " N , 8 ° 27' 3.2" E |
The Hofheim Fort is a multi-phase Roman fort on the so-called Hochfeld , around one kilometer southeast of the city center of Hofheim am Taunus on the Rhine-Main plain . Above ground there are no more traces of the facilities - partly due to the current overbuilding.
location
The location of the systems on the high field about 60 m above the bank of the Main ensured a good view of the Main lowlands. There was a line of sight to the Roman watchtower on the nearby Kapellenberg . In addition, the location made it possible to control shipping traffic on the north bank of the Main, as well as the important nearby Taunus passes of the Schwarzbachtal and Medenbachtal. Since the settlement was supplied with fresh water by an aqueduct about two kilometers long , one was not dependent on the water of the Schwarzbach.
Today there are residential and park facilities on the former site of the wood and earth fort. The district building with the associated parking spaces was built above the stone fort , and Frankfurter Strasse also runs over the fort area. A monument on Frankfurter Strasse reminds of the Roman past of this square. Two street names ( Römerstraße and Am Römerlager ) also refer to the forts. The third military camp, discovered in 2007 through prospecting for the planned B 519 and examined in 2016/2018, is located about 750 meters southwest of Hofheim I and II.
The castles
Wood-earth period
Hofheim I
The older camp to the west, the so-called Erdkastell , is now overbuilt by the Hofheimer Römerstraße . The camp did not correspond to the typical Roman rectangular shape. Rather, it had an irregular, almost pentagonal outline. It was also surrounded by three pointed trenches, an outer one with a width of 3.60 m and 2.0 m deep and an inner double trench with a total width of around 9.0 m and 1.80 m deep. The facility had three main streets and three gates. The linear distance between the gates was around 150 m. At the west, south and north gates, two wooden flank towers measuring 3.0 mx 3.0 m each and an intermediate tower on the east side could be detected. The trenches in front of the gates were once spanned by wooden bridges. The defensive wall consisted of turf and had a parapet made of wood. The Praetorial Front (front) was oriented to the north.
The staff building (principia) formed the center of the camp . In the south-facing part of the building, five rooms were lined up. The room in the middle served as a camp shrine (aedes) . To the east of the headquarters building was the commandant's house (praetorium) with an open courtyard . North of the Principia , on both sides of the road leading to the north gate, there was a storehouse (horrea) . To the west of the Principia , workshop buildings were found, while the barracks and accommodations were built in the southwest. In the northeast there were presumably stables and other accommodation structures. Only one of the buildings examined was made entirely of stone; most of the other houses were built using timber frame technology . In professional circles it is assumed that this must have been the storage bath . As expected, no water source or well system was found on the site. A number of cisterns and basins made it possible to collect and store water.
The name and origin of the crew stationed here from this period have remained unknown due to the lack of relevant finds. The only thing that is certain is that a crew of cohorts (500 men) can be expected. Based on some finds it is assumed that the unit may have come from the Danube region and was probably of Illyrian origin. In addition to these auxilliary troops, some horsemen were also stationed in the fort.
The numerous finds recovered from the earth fort are still considered to be one of the most significant cross-sections through the military equipment and armament of auxiliary troops from the Claudian - Neronian times.
Hofheim III
Hofheim III, which has also been proven to be a wood-earth warehouse, is currently only known through prospecting and short-term excavation campaigns. It is rectangular and oriented with the longer side SW-NE, which is about 270 meters; the short side is 170 meters long. The geomagnetic investigation shows, in addition to the circumferential moat, four gates and definitely in three of the four gate areas an upstream titula (upstream "gate ditch" that runs parallel to the fort ditch) to protect the gate areas. The complex, which has so far only been excavated at the fort ditch in the area of the north-western gate, shows hardly any findings. An interior development or a defense with towers has not yet been found. Without geomagnetic prospecting, the facility would hardly have been discovered even during excavations, since the probe section could only grasp the trench with difficulty. The newly discovered military camp is probably the youngest, but the timing is currently (as of November 2018) completely uncertain. The find allows speculation as to whether there were other military camps in the Hofheim area , as in the Roman Nida .
Stone period
Hofheim II
About 90 m east of the older earth fort were the remains of a typical, rectangular, multi-phase stone fort. A total of three construction periods could be distinguished. It is assumed that during the first two construction periods the fence still consisted of a sod wall, while in the third construction period both the fence and all 29 towers were made of stone. The fort measured 135.6 m on the north-south side and 158.4 m on its east-west side. It was surrounded by a double pointed ditch 18 m wide and 4.5 m deep.
There is also no written information about the team allocation for this period. From a size of 2 ha one can speak of a cohort fort. The number and structure of the accommodations suggests the stationing of a larger and mixed crew. It is believed that it was composed of an auxilliary troop and a legionary vexillation . Numerous finds with the incised Roman or Italian names of their former owners support this view. There is also evidence of a gun department , which also speaks in favor of the stationing of legionnaires in the fort, as such special departments were usually reserved for legionaries at this time. It is very likely that another cavalry unit belonged to the crew of the stone fort.
The stone fort was not used exclusively for military purposes, however; in addition to tools that were used to build the camp and its fortifications, there were also tools used by other craftsmen on its site. These included metal foundries, blacksmiths, carpenters, joiners, stonemasons, shoemakers, and hairdressers.
History and findings
The older earth fort (Hofheim I) was built in 39/40 AD during Caligula's campaign in Germania . It was originally assumed that the fort was burned down when the Chatti invaded in 50/51 AD, the more recent studies indicate that this catastrophic fire did not occur until 69 AD. The find situation suggests armed conflicts, which may be related to the confusion of the throne after Nero's death. After its destruction it was rebuilt, but probably only used for the time the stone fort was built.
From 72 AD on, the stone fort (Hofheim II) was built in three phases. At the same time, a camp village ( vicus ) was built from 88 AD . In 96 AD the wooden buildings in the stone fort burned down again. It can be assumed that violent clashes broke out here as a result of Domitian's murder . Originally this fire was associated with the Saturnin Uprising . As a result of the fire disaster, the stone fence was rebuilt. In 110 AD the stone fort was cleared and razed as planned, since with the establishment of the Upper German Limes there was no longer any need for fortifying Hofheim. The use of the Vicus ended contrast, only with the task of the Upper Germanic Limes in 260 n. Chr.
The third Roman military camp in Hofheim, identified in 2007 through geomagnetic prospection, could only be examined superficially in 2016 and in 2018 through a short excavation campaign. Only further investigations will allow a better classification here.
In 1841, at the instigation of Friedrich Gustav Habel, archaeological excavations were carried out on the high field , in the context of which the stone fort was found. Further planned explorations in the area of the stone fort were carried out in 1894 on behalf of the Reich Limes Commission under Georg Wolff . The remains of the older earth fort were also found here. Wolff also published the first scientific treatise on the two systems in 1897.
Large parts of the earth fort were excavated from 1902 to 1910 under the leadership of Emil Ritterling . The presentation of the finds, especially the ceramics, represents one of the most important complexes of the 1st century AD and is therefore still frequently cited. Several forms of terra sigillata and heavy pottery are named after Ritterling's excavations in the Holz-Erde-Kastell of Hofheim .
It was not until 1955 to 1967 that major excavations followed under Helmut Schoppa , which was essentially limited to the vicus. In cooperation with the Hessian State Office for Monument Preservation , under the direction of Hans Ulrich Nuber, another in-depth investigation was carried out at the stone fort from 1967 to 1981, before the fort was finally destroyed in the course of the modern development.
Some emergency rescues were carried out in 1985 by Günter Rühl and Hans-Günter Rühl after construction began on the district building. In 1987 the district house was finally opened.
During the construction of the waterworks in 1977 in the nearby Kriftel , a previously unknown Roman ditch was found. Subsequent excavations by Hans Ulrich Nuber did not reveal any findings. Accordingly, it is unclear whether and, if so, how there is a connection to the Hofheim castles.
Finds from other eras
- In 1969, during the excavations at the stone fort, Paleolithic tools were found that are believed to be over 75,000 years old.
- Some litter finds are assigned to the Michelsberg culture . The local focus here is on the Kapellenberg .
- During the excavations in 1969 and 1977, graves from the Adlerberg culture (early Bronze Age ) were also discovered. The dead were buried in tree coffins. There were also references to domestic animals (sheep, goats, cattle).
- In 1908, during excavations at the earth fort, a body burial from the Middle Bronze Age was discovered.
- In the vicinity of the fort, on the high field, six cremation graves from the middle Hallstatt period were found in 1908/09.
Lost property
Exhibits from the excavations are shown in the Hofheim City Museum .
Monument protection
The Hofheim fort is a protected ground monument within the meaning of the Hessian Monument Protection Act , but is not located directly on the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes, which was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2005 . Investigations and targeted collection of finds are subject to approval, and accidental finds are reported to the monument authorities.
It was included in the list of cultural property which is to be specially protected according to the Hague Convention .
gallery
Exhibition of finds in the Hofheim City Museum
Local information board
Area of the former vicus seen from Frankfurter Strasse
The area of the old earth fort
Overview of the findings from the Roman era
See also
literature
- Hans Ulrich Nuber : The Roman forts at Hofheim am Taunus, Main-Taunus-Kreis. Published by the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in Hesse . Wiesbaden 1983, ISBN 3-89822-029-X ( Archaeological Monuments in Hesse 29 )
- Hans Ulrich Nuber: Hofheim am Taunus. MTK. Military plants and civil branches. In: Dietwulf Baatz and Fritz-Rudolf Herrmann (eds.): The Romans in Hessen . 3. Edition. 1989. Licensed edition Nikol, Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-933203-58-9 , pp. 350–357.
- Emil Ritterling : The early Roman camp near Hofheim i. T. excavation and find report. Wiesbaden 1905 (annals of the association for Nassau antiquity and historical research 34, 1904).
- Emil Ritterling: The early Roman camp near Hofheim in the Taunus . Text and chalkboard. Bechtold, Wiesbaden 1913 (Annals of the Association for Nassau antiquity and historical research 40, 1913) Online .
- Roman fort near Hofheim am Taunus . Published by the City of Hofheim to accompany the 1986 exhibition.
- Harald Christian Schaeff: Hofheim I. Weapons, bronze and lead finds from “Steinkastell” and the camp service. With a contribution by Hans Ulrich Nuber and Gabriele Seitz. Rahden / Westphalia 2011 ( Freiburg contribution arch. And business of the first Jtd. ).
- Daniel Burger : The Romans in the Main-Taunus-Kreis. Roman military and rural settlement between Taunus and Main from 1st to 3rd century AD Wiesbaden 2011, pp. 19–24 ( Topics of Hessen ARCHAEOLOGY 3 ).
Excavation report of the Reich Limes Commission :
- Georg Wolff : The Hofheim fort and the other fortifications there. In: Ernst Fabricius , Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roemerreiches / Abt. B, Vol. 2.3. The castles No. 24–31 Petters, Heidelberg, Berlin and Leipzig 1897, No. 29.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Markus Scholz, Daniel Burger-Völlmecke: A temporary Roman camp in Hofheim and its historical classification , lecture hessenARCHEOLOGIE -Tag 2018, Hofheim im Taunus, 10 November 2018
- ^ City Museum Hofheim ( Memento from April 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Cultural property in Hofheim and Wallau is marked - press release of the city of Hofheim from March 17th, 2009 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
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