Magnis Castle

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Carvoran Castle
Alternative name a) Magnis ,
b) Magna ,
c) Magnae Carvetiorum?
limes Britain
section a) Hadrian's Wall ,
b) Stanegate
Dating (occupancy) a) Flavian ,
b) Hadrianic ,
1st to early 5th century AD?
Type Equestrian and cohort fort
unit a) Legio XX Valeria Victrix (building vexillation ),
b) Legio VI Victrix (building crew),
c) Cohors I Batavorum ,
d) Cohors I Hamiorum sagittariorum ,
e) Numerus Magnesium ,
f) Cohors II Delmatarum
size Area: 135 × 111 meters, 1.50 hectares
Construction a) wood and earth fort,
b) stone fort
State of preservation square floor plan with rounded corners, corner tower NW corner, as well as west and north walls tw. still visible.
place Greenhead / Carvoran
Geographical location 54 ° 59 '2.4 "  N , 2 ° 31' 26.4"  W Coordinates: 54 ° 59 '2.4 "  N , 2 ° 31' 26.4"  W. hf
Previous Aesica Fort (Hadrian's Wall) (east)
Subsequently Small fort Throp (southwest)
(Stanegate)
Upstream Banna Fort (Hadrian's Wall) (west)
Fortresses North Great Britain.png
Aerial view of the fort area
Webaviation

Link to the picture
(please note copyrights )

Coin portrait of Hadrian
Castle sketch by William Hutton, 1802
Castle plan by Henry McLauchlan, 1857
Findings plan of the fort (1st to 2nd century AD)
Remains of the north wall, in the background the building of the Roman Army Museum
Remains of the northwest corner tower
West side of the fort
Figurine of a centurion (1st century) in the Roman Army Museum, below is a Vindolanda helmet plume , the only one that could be recovered almost completely preserved.
Figurine of an auxiliary infantryman (1st century) in the Roman Army Museum
Re-enactment of a cavalryman (late 3rd and early 4th centuries)
Gravestone of Gaius Valerius Tullus
Inscription fragment of Agrippa, soldier of the Hami archer cohort
Building inscription of the Cohors II Batavorum

Magnis was a Roman fort of the auxiliary troops in County Northumbria , in the north-west of England , Parish Greenhead, hamlet ( Hamlet ) Carvoran .

It probably belonged to the fortress chain of Hadrian's Wall ( per lineam valli ), which consisted of a total of 16 forts, and secured its western section. The camp was used by the Roman military from the 1st to the 5th century AD. It was probably laid out in the course of securing Stanegatestrasse and, under Hadrian, was integrated into the chain of castles on his new wall. However, since it does not appear on the Rudge Cup and the Amiens Skill , on which the forts in the western sector of the wall are specified, it is also possible that it was never part of the wall system. At its location is now the Roman Army Museum, which has a comprehensive representation of the life of the Roman soldiers on the northern border of Britain.

Surname

The ancient place name is given in the Notitia Dignitatum and in the cosmography of the geographer of Ravenna as Magnis , which many scholars regard as the locative form of "Magna". He is also known from an inscription inspected by William Hutchinson in 1766 (now lost), in which u. a. there is talk of a " Numerus Magne <c> e (n) s (ium)". Some researchers assume that it is derived from the Latin nominative for Magni , or Magna (= large, mighty), or from the Celtic tribe of the Carvetii , Magnae Carvetiorum (= "the place of the mighty Carvetii"?), Resident in this region . However, this theory does not seem plausible for a relatively small fort like Carvoran. Presumably it comes from the Celtic word Maen , which means "stone" or "rock" (= "the fort on the rock").

location

Magnis is the tenth link in the fortress chain of Hadrian's Wall ( vallum aelium ). It was on a hill sloping to the west, from which one had a good view of the hinterland of the wall, to the north and the valley of the Tipalt Burn, 500 meters to the west. It is the last major watercourse that flows into the South Tyne. Here the wall passed the watershed of northern England. The camp stood at the intersection of Stanegate, a road link through the Pennines to the south to the Coriosopitum ( Corbridge ) supply center in the east and Luguvalium (Carlisle) in the west, with the Maiden Way ( via Puellarum ). He ran 300 meters south of Magnis and led u. a. after Fanum Cocidi (Bewcastle) and Bravoniacum ( Kirkby Thore near Penrith). Two milestones from the 3rd and 4th centuries could also be recovered near the fort. One in 1932 in a pit on Newcastle-Carlisle Road, 400 m west of Fell End Farm, 800 m east of Carvoran (dated 273–275). Presumably he was originally standing at the Stanegate. The other (found around 1716) may also have come from there. Or it could have been on Military Street or Maiden Way (dated 306/307). They were dedicated to the emperors Caesar Lucius Domitianus Aurelianus Pius Felix [Invictus] Augustus and Caesar Flavius ​​Valerius Constantinus Pius . In the late 2nd century the region belonged to the province of Britannia inferior , from the 4th century to the province of Britannia secunda .

Research history

Numerous remains of the fort and its vicus are likely to exist, as the area has never been extensively examined archaeologically. In the future, research hopes to gain some new knowledge about the development of the Roman northern border over the centuries. The remains of the fort are mentioned for the first time by antiquarians who visited it in 1599 and found rising masonry and clearly visible streets within the camp. A trench was located east of Carvoran House in 1985, perhaps belonging to a third fort or marching camp. In 1999, geophysical investigations were carried out in the area of ​​the fort and the civil settlement on a twelve-hectare grid square. Some details of the internal development could be observed. Traces of buildings were observed southeast of the fort, on Stanegate. In 2000 the exact size of the camp could be determined, but not the area of ​​the civil settlement. Excavations in 2002 confirmed the destruction of the south gate and the eastern and western walls by stone robbery. The Vindolanda Trust plans to uncover the fort in the near future; At the moment the excavations in Vindolanda are still busy.

Find spectrum

A Roman short sword ( gladius ), deer antlers, an iron spearhead, a grain measure and altar and gravestone inscriptions are worth mentioning. The spearhead was provided with two barbs, such weapons were often used by Germanic tribes in late antiquity. A spearhead and worked antlers were discovered at a water source within the camp.

Inscriptions

A total of 69 Roman inscriptions are known from Carvoran. The list includes 34 altars and dedicatory inscriptions, 18 building inscriptions (including the centurial stones), nine gravestones and eight others with unspecified content. Unfortunately, there were only four specimens that could be dated exactly. They all came from between the beginning and the middle of the second century AD (117–166). Most of the dedicatory inscriptions from Carvoran, a total of 13 copies, referred to the god of war Veterus, with the exception of one altar. Veterus was equated with the Greco-Roman Hercules. However, the different spellings caused great confusion in research (Veteris, Vitiris, Vetiris, Viteris, Vetirius and Viterinus). One assumes, however, that it is always the same God. Three were dedicated to the god of war Mars-Belatucader. Other altar inscriptions name Iupiter Optimus Maximus, Fortuna, Mercury together with the numen Augusti and the Syrian goddess or Ceres (dated: 163–166, see also section Garrison). Other altars from Carvoran were dedicated to Regina Caelesti ( Queen of Heaven, now in the Museum of Antiquities in Newcastle), Epona , the Hami city goddess (Hammia), the nymphs, Silvanus, the matrons and the genius of arms. In addition to the dedications mentioned above, other interesting inscriptions were discovered that contained either the name of a god or a deified person.

Measure of capacity

In 1915 a truncated cone-shaped bronze vessel for the weighing of grain ( Modii ) was discovered near the northeast corner, outside the fort . It is now in the collection of the Chesters Museum. A similar measure of capacity made of wood was recovered from the Raetian fort Pfünz . There are three spokes on the top. Presumably the holder for a rod on which the vessel could be rotated. This served to smooth out the bulk material that was piled too high over the edge and thus to obtain a "leveled measure". The inscription on it gives the size and weight and the name of the emperor who ruled at the time of its creation. According to them, it dates from the end of the first century, from the time of Domitian's reign . The letters of his name were later hammered out again after he fell out of favor by a Senate resolution in 96 ( damnatio memoriae ). It could be filled with 17.5 sextarii (9.5 liters) and weighed around 12 kg. During a follow-up examination it was found that in reality it held a little more, namely 11.3 liters. Possibly one wanted to use it to take advantage of the farmers in paying their annual tax ( annona ) . Usually such measuring vessels were made very precisely. Traces of rivet holes suggest that part of the modius has been lost, perhaps explaining the extra space. A Roman infantryman received 4 modii of wheat per month (around 27 kg), which meant a daily ration of around 0.9 kg. According to Polybius, a Roman cavalryman was entitled to 12 Modii wheat and 42 Modii barley. With a double ration of wheat they could also provide for the groom ( calo ) assigned to them , while the barley was provided for the horse.

development

Little is known about the history of the fortress. According to the archaeological findings (remains of wood-earth fortifications), the place must have been - temporarily - occupied by the Roman army as early as the 1st century. In aerial photographs, the outlines of a rectangular, approx. 3.2 hectare, presumably late Flavian structure can still be made out under the stone fort . Possibly a first fortified camp (Carvoran I) was built here in the course of the campaigns of Gnaeus Iulius Agricola around 80 AD. Another evidence of the presence of Roman soldiers in pre-Hadrian times was the discovery of the grain measure. In 122 Emperor Hadrian ordered a barrier wall to be built in northern Britain, reinforced by watchtowers and forts, from the Tyne to the Solway Firth, to protect the British provinces from the constant incursions of the Picts from the north. Most of the wall was built by soldiers from the three legions and men of the Classis Britannica stationed in Britain .

The wood and earth fort was probably given up temporarily during the construction of the wall. A reoccupation then took place in the early Cantonese period, between about 136 and 137. The wood and earth fort was demolished and replaced by the somewhat smaller stone fort (Carvoran II). A building inscription found in the camp could be dated between 117 and 138. Two centurial stones also suggest that the construction work was carried out by members of the legions stationed in Britain, in this case by the Centuries of Silvanus and Primus and the Syrian archers. The crew secured the crossing of Stanegate with Maiden Way. Presumably she also monitored the transition at Tipalt Burn. Further renovations were carried out in the years 163–166, under the governor ( legatus augusti pro-praetore ) Sextus Calpurnius Agricola, who held this office at the beginning of the reign of Marcus Aurelius . After the Romans withdrew from the Antonine Wall , Carvoran was reoccupied by the same unit that was housed here under Hadrian.

As the entry in the Notitia Dignitatum suggests, like most other ramparts, it was probably not abandoned by the military until the early 5th century. The last regular units of the Roman army withdrew from Britain around 410. Larger wall sections of the fort were visible until the late 16th century. From 1776, however, this was gradually dismantled through stone robbery and agricultural activities. The nearby Thirwall Castle was z. B. built almost entirely from stones from Hadrian's Wall. By 1837, the last remains visible above ground had finally disappeared.

Fort

The fortress can only be seen in aerial photographs. Structures between the SW corner of the stone fort and the B6318, as well as north-south-east of Carvoran House could be observed from the wood-earth fort. The few visible remains of the Hadrianic stone fort include the north-east corner tower and the foundations of the north and west walls (elevations and moat). In contrast to the cavalry fort in the eastern sector, which protruded over the Hadrian's Wall, Magnis stood a little further south of the wall and was oriented from northeast to southwest. It had the long rectangular floor plan with rounded corners (playing card shape) typical for medieval castles, measured 135 meters from north-south and 111 meters from east-west and thus covered an area of ​​1.5 hectares. Comparable forts were in Chesterholm and Castlesteads. Indications of further construction phases, additions etc. could not be found. The wall was strengthened by four square corner towers attached to the inside, intermediate towers could not be proven archaeologically. One could enter the fort through four gates placed in the north, south, east and west. All of them were probably also flanked by two square towers. Each had two passages, separated by two support pillars ( spina ) on the front and back. The guard rooms were in the flank towers. The gates could be locked with double-leaf wooden gates. In addition, the camp was surrounded by a moat. Little is known about the interior development. The fort probably had all the standard functional buildings of a medieval fort, the principia (administration building), the praetorium (commandant's house), a horraeum (granary), and centuriae (team barracks). Only the remains of a bathhouse ( thermae ) with plastered walls have so far been archaeologically proven within the walls on the southwest corner.

Hadrian's Wall

The wall can only be seen in this section as a slight elevation about two meters wide. To the northwest - within sight of the camp - stood the mile fort 46 . It lay under the crest of a westward slope overlooking the Tipalt Burn valley. To the west of the mile fort there is a 0.3 meter high wall remnant. From the fort one could see the Gillalees signaling station, from which one could also contact the outpost Fanum Cocidi (Bewcastle). The wall and its southern moat ( vallum ) run 220 meters and 160 meters north of the fort. In this section it is still around three meters deep and ten meters wide and describes an arch around the fort that protrudes ten meters to the north, since in earlier times there was either a moor there or, more likely, it around the larger wood and earth fort had to be shown around. The fortification of the camp was not connected to the wall. At Holmhead, the wall crosses the Tipalt Burn. The military road ran from Carvoran to Carlisle; it has probably existed in this sector since 160.

garrison

The presence of legionaries at Carvoran, especially Legio XX, is attested by two inscriptions. However, the legions were not assigned to garrison service on the border, but sent special forces for the more demanding construction projects on Hadrian's Wall. Magnis hosted several cohorts of auxiliary troops ( auxilia ) during its existence . In late antiquity, the castle's occupants were among the Limitanei . The following units either provided the crew for the fort or could have stayed there for a limited time:

Time position Troop name description
2nd century AD Legio vicesimae Valeria Victrix ("the twentieth Valerian legion, the victorious") A tombstone discovered near Carvoran was set for Gaius Valerius Iullus, a legionnaire from Faventia in northern Italy , metropolis of the Voltini civitas . It dates from the late second century. But this does not have to mean that the entire legion was stationed here. It is possible, however, that one of their vexillations in the late Hadrian period was there to support the Syrian archers (see below).
2nd century AD Legio sextae Victrix ("the sixth legion, the victorious") One of the fortune altars discovered in Carvoran was donated by a centurion named Romanus. He served one after the other in the VI., XX. and II. Legion . The centurions were usually the most experienced fighters and often served temporarily as commanders in an auxiliary force unit. This usually happened during the training phase of the troops and served to pass on his tactical skills to the command staff or possibly also technical knowledge in construction projects. Sometimes a legionary centurion took over command of an auxiliary force unit for a longer period of time. This could also have been the case in Magnis .
2nd century AD Cohors primae Batavorum ("the first cohort of the Batavians ") The presence of the approximately 500-strong troop in Carvoran is attested by two building inscriptions. Presumably they provided the first garrison for the stone fort. Their soldiers originally came from the Rhine-Maas Delta area . At the end of the 2nd century she was stationed in Camboglanna (Castlesteads), from the 3rd century in Brocolitia (Carrawburgh).
2nd century AD Cohors primae Hamiorum sagittariorum ("the first cohort of archers from Hama ") The archers, who originally came from the province of Syria , were also in Housesteads , the exact time is unknown. They are likely to have occupied Magnis from the late Hadrian period . Around 158 they were moved to Fort Bar Hill on Antoninuswall , and under Marcus Aurelius they returned to Magnis . The unit is known for Carvoran by two consecration altars, one for Fortuna and one for Ceres . They were donated by the prefects Titus Flavius ​​Secundus (from 136-138) and Licinius Clemens (from 163-166). Two other heavily damaged altars, which were set up by members of this unit, name [Iul] ius Agrippa and Sabinus as donors. An honorary inscription, which was found in the NE corner of the fort in 1816, was the "Syrian goddess", probably meant by Julia Domna , the wife of Emperor Septimius Severus , who also came from this province , dedicated (193-211). The commissioner of the inscription, Marcus Caecilius Donatianus , was probably the commanding officer of the unit at this time.
2nd to 3rd century AD Numerus Magnesium ("the unit in Magnis ") The force may have been in Carvoran during the late second or early third century. It is only known from a badly damaged inscription. Presumably it was a kind of civil militia, which was recruited from indigenous Britons from the area around the fort and residents of the vicus. These fighters were supposed to strengthen the Dalmatian cohort in times of crisis, the number of which had been greatly reduced over time due to death, retirement, detachments, etc. It is not mentioned anywhere else. It is therefore likely that this unit will be used later in the u. G. Dalmatian cohort rose, as this is still listed in the late antique Notitia Dignitatum .
3rd century to 5th century AD Cohors secundae Delmatarum ("the second cohort of the Dalmatians ") In the third century, members of the Dalmatian tribes occupied the Carvoran. These settled on the Adriatic coast of today's Croatia. The unit has been known in Britain since 105 ( military diploma ). Your presence will u. a. attested by an inscription on an altar for the god Veteris, which cannot be precisely dated and was commissioned by Julius Pastor, standard bearer ( imaginifer ) of the troops. Presumably it dates from the third century. An epona altar could also have been donated by members of this garrison unit. From the Notitia Dignitatum (list of troops of the Dux Britanniarum ), the rank of their commanding officer at the time, a tribunus , is known. Since the troops still appear in this late antique document (4th century), they could have stood there until the dissolution of the provincial army.

Vicus

According to the reports of John Horsley (1732), a civil settlement ( vicus ) spread to the south and west of the glacis of the fort . The latest findings suggest that its core developed along the Stanegate. The houses there probably served as workshops, warehouses and for residential purposes. At the east gate one came across two larger buildings, one of which also had an inner courtyard. No traces of buildings could be found north of the fort. The civil settlement is also mentioned in some dedicatory inscriptions for the god Vitiris. There are no remains to be seen today.

Burial ground

Soldiers and civilians buried their dead in a burial ground east of the fortress, around the Stanegate, as the finds of tombstones attest. Aerial photos showed a group of (possible) Roman burial mounds in the northeast. In the 18th century a stone vessel was found there that contained organic remains and two gold rings. In 1856 a cremation and several gravestones were discovered, in 1964 a relief with the inscription DUVIANUS. One was built by Lucius Senofilus for his niece Lifana, whose parents were apparently also dead when she died. Another was donated by Aurelia Pusinna for her sorely missing sister Aurelia. Centurion Aurelius Marcus placed a tombstone for his obedient and virtuous wife Aurelia Faia, a native of Salonae , a man named Baibus Duianus for his wife Mammea, daughter of Victoria.

Roman Army Museum

The museum, founded by the archaeologists Robin and Pat Birley, is located near the castle ruins and is operated by the Vindolanda Trust. It was modernized in 2011 and then reopened. The exhibition offers a wealth of information about the Roman army and is dedicated to the representation of the daily life of the Roman soldiers using the example of an eight-man strong contubernium . In addition, finds (weapons, tools) from the excavations and reconstructions (including a fort wall at original height) are shown. A 3D animation gives a good impression of the appearance of Hadrian's Wall in Roman times. Artifacts from Vindolanda are also on display , including the only Roman helmet bush that has so far been found.

See also

literature

  • JC Bruce: Handbook to the Roman wall. 1863.
  • Eric Birley: Research on Hadrian's Wall. 1961.
  • Robin Birley: The fort at the rock: On Hadrian's Wall: Magna and Carvoran. Vindolanda Trust, 1998. ISBN 1-873136-56-0 .
  • Antony Birley: Vindolanda research reports, new series. The excavations of 2001 and 2002: Civilian settlement, second-century forts, and the pre-Hadrianic occupation, with a report on the trial excavations at Carvoran. Bardon Mill. 1, 2003.
  • Guy de la Bédoyère : Hadrian's Wall: history and guide. Tempus, 1998, ISBN 0-7524-1407-0 .
  • John Collingwood Bruce: Roman Wall. Harold Hill & Son, 1863, ISBN 0-900463-32-5 .
  • Frank Graham: The Roman Wall, Comprehensive History and Guide. 1979, ISBN 0-85983-140-X .
  • Barri Jones, David Wolliscroft: Hadrian's Wall From the Air. Tempus, Stroud 2001.
  • Ronald Embleton, Frank Graham: Hadrian's Wall in the Days of the Romans. Newcastle 1984, pp. 187-192.
  • Robin George Collingwood, Richard Pearson Wright: The Roman Inscriptions of Britain. Oxford 1965.
  • Britannia XXXII, 2001, pp. 330-331 and Fig. 10, p. 332.
  • Britannia XXXI, 2000, p. 391.
  • Stanley Ireland: Roman Britain - A Sourcebook. Routledge, New York 1986.
  • Joan Liversidge: Britain in the Roman Empire. London 1968.
  • Albert Lionel Frederick Rivet, Colin Smith: The place-names of Roman Britain. 1979.
  • J. Collingwood Bruce, Charles Daniels: Handbook to the Roman Wall with the Cumbrian coast and outpost forts. 1978.
  • J. Biggins, D. Taylor: Article in Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies Britannia: a journal of Roma-British and kindred studies. Timescape Surveys 32, 2001, pp. 330-332.
  • Nick Hodgson: Hadrian's Wall 1999-2009. 2009.
  • David Devine: The Northwest Frontier of Rome. 1969, pp. 124-126.
  • Nic Fields: Hadrian's Wall AD 122-410. Osprey, Oxford 2003, ISBN 1-84176-430-2 .
  • Society for Promotion of Roman Studies. The journal of Roman studies. No. 9, 55, 1965.
  • Ian Archibald Richmond , JC Bruce: Handbook to Roman Wall. 11th edition, 1957.
  • Dietwulf Baatz: Groma or Modius? A find from the Limes Fort Pfünz. Bavarian history sheets 59, C. H. Beck, Munich 1994.
  • Margot Klee : The Roman Limes in Hessen. History and sites of the UNESCO World Heritage . Pustet, Regensburg 2009. ISBN 978-3-7917-2232-0 .
  • Marcus Junkelmann: Panis militaris - The food of the Roman soldier or the raw material of power. P. von Zabern, Mainz 1997. ISBN 3-8053-2332-8 .
  • Armin Mase: Rome ends here. Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Verlag Ott, Thun 1995, pp. 126-127, ISBN 3-7225-6411-5

Web links

Remarks

  • RIB = Roman inscriptions in Britain, CIL = Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum
  1. Guy de la Bedoyere 1998, p. 94.
  2. ^ RIB 1825 , F & C 130, Edmund McClure, p. 331, Roger JA Wilson, 2002, Rivet / Smith, 1979.
  3. RIB 2309, RIB 2310 , Guy de la Bedoyere 1998, p. 93.
  4. JC Bruce 1863, pp. 187-191, Eric Birley 1961, pp. 192-196, Antony Birley 2003, N. Hodgson 2009, pp. 124-127.
  5. Veterus: RIB 1792–1805 , Belatucader / Mars: RIB 1775 , RIB 1784 , RIB 1776 , RIB 1778 , Epona: RIB 1777 , RIB 1779 , RIB 1786 , RIB 1787 , Iupiter: RIB 1782, RIB 1783 , Merkur / NA: RIB 1786, RIB 1787 , Minerva or Neptune: RIB 1788 , Syrian goddess / Ceres: RIB 1791, RIB 1792 , Regina Caelesti: RIB 1827 , Hamish goddesses: RIB 1780 , nymphs: RIB 1789 , Silvanus: RIB 1790 , RIB 1781 , RIB 1807 , mother goddesses: RIB 1785 .
  6. Liversidge 1968, p. 177, Bruce / Richmond 1966, p. 154, Dietwulf Baatz 1994, pp. 73-83, Margot Klee 2009, pp. 41-42. Marcus Junkelmann 1997, p. 90 ff. Inscription: IMP .... CAESARE | AVG GERMANICO XVCOS | EXACTVS AD S XVIIS | HAVE XXXIIX
  7. RIB 1808 , RIB 1818 , RIB 1820 , Guy de la Bedoyere 1998, p. 94, JC Bruce, IA Richmond 1966, pp. 152-154.
  8. Eric Birley 1961, pp. 193-196 and 266-267
  9. RIB 1826
  10. ^ RIB 1779
  11. ^ RIB 1823 , RIB 1824
  12. RIB 1778 , RIB 1780 , RIB 1792 , RIB 1810
  13. RIB 1825
  14. CIL 7, 1194 , RIB 2401  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , RIB 1795 , ND Occ. Xl.43: Tribunus cohortis secundae Dalmatarum, Magnis .@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / romaninscriptionsofbritain.org  
  15. JC Bruce 1863, pp. 187-191, Eric Birley 1961, pp. 192-196, Antony Birley, 1, 2003, N. Hodgson 2009, pp. 124-127
  16. ^ The journal of Roman studies. No. 9, 55, 1965, p. 222, Eric Birley 1961, p. 193, Richmond / Bruce 1957, p. 164, RIB 1828 , RIB 1829 , RIB 1830
  17. Armin Mase 1995, pp. 126-127.