Miltenberg-Ost fort

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Miltenberg-Ost fort
Alternative name Burgstadt fort
limes ORL 38a ( RLK )
Route (RLK) Upper German Limes , route 6 ( Main line )
Dating (occupancy) around AD 159/160 to AD
259/260 at the latest
Type a) Middle of the 2nd century. until 233/235: numerus fort
b) then: probably reduction fort until the middle of the 3rd century.
unit Numerus Exploratorum Seiopensium
size 86.37 / 85.90 × 70.88 / 73.83 m (= 0.63 ha)
Construction a) wood-earth
b) stone
State of preservation Overbuilt, destroyed, no traces visible above ground
place Miltenberg
Geographical location 49 ° 42 '17.8 "  N , 9 ° 15' 41.4"  E Coordinates: 49 ° 42 '17.8 "  N , 9 ° 15' 41.4"  E hf
Previous ORL 38 Fort Miltenberg-Altstadt (north)
Subsequently Small fort Haselburg  / ORL 39 Fort Walldürn (south)
The location of the fort at the northern apex of the Front Limes

The Fort Miltenberg-Ost , also known as Fort Bürgstadt became known, was a Roman military camp of the principality , its crew, a number , for security and surveillance tasks at the northern start of the "Front Limes", a section of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage " Obergermanisch- Raetischer Limes ”took over. The fortification, located in the Roman province of Germania superior , also completed the chain of fortifications of the Main Limes in the south. The remains, which the Reichs-Limeskommission (RLK) found almost entirely in the open field in Miltenberg , Lower Franconia in the early 20th century , were later completely destroyed by new buildings. The Miltenberg-Obernburg State Vocational School is located in the immediate vicinity.

location

The grounds of the fort are located on the border with Bürgstadt between Gartenstrasse and Bürgstädter Strasse . Nothing is left above ground. The area is completely built over with private houses. The Miltenberg-Ost fort forms the end of the Main Limes. Behind it, the Limes leaves the Main line and turns south towards Walldürn (route 7). The architect Oskar Winterhelt (1873–1958) had already located the departure of the Limes route from the Main in 1911 with the discovery of watchtower 6 on route 7.

Research history

Scientists and local researchers tried for a long time to identify the last military location of the Main Limes , the caput limitis there, and speculated that the facility was in the area around Miltenberg, the corridor of which was already known as Im Bürglin in the middle of the 17th century . But it was not until 1912 that this knowledge gap was filled with the Miltenberg-Ost fort. Back then, when digging the foundation pit for the new home of a director of studies north-east of Miltenberg, construction remains came to light that were discovered by Winterhelt. Winterhelt, whose studies were published in the Limes Works of the Reich Limes Commission (RLK), then carried out the first excavations from 1912 to 1913 . The results he achieved essentially form the basis for all further research on the terrain. It is no longer possible to check many details due to the subsequent, mostly total destruction of the fort by the construction of private houses. Further investigations inside the fort were possible in 1979 and in the following years with the help of the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation (BLfD). Soundings in the flood area in front of the western front of the fort, which the BLfD carried out in 1984 and 1998, did not produce any findings. In 1998 it was possible to examine the edge of the fort vicus with pottery kilns. Above ground nothing has been preserved from the ancient buildings. In 1998 there was the rare possibility of extensive excavation on the fort area, which the Provincial Roman archaeologist Marcus Jae carried out on behalf of the BLfD. The investigations covered around one sixth of the inner surface in the area of ​​the eastern half including the porta principalis dextra . Access is no longer possible since the now partially built-up areas on which the Roman settlement is located were sold privately. The topography of the fort can no longer be traced either, as the town planners did not incorporate any of the fort's boundaries and streets, which were known at the time, into their conceptions.

Building history

The Miltenberg-Ost fort also came into being when the border was moved to the east to the Vorderen Limes during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161) and the archaeological dating to AD 159/160 . The long-planned change of garrison to the new forts was an organizational masterpiece, as it ultimately affected all military locations along the Neckar-Odenwald-Limes . The particular strategic importance that the Romans attached to this border area is emphasized by the simultaneous construction of two forts in the immediate vicinity and on the same bank of the Main. The Miltenberg-Ost, with its counterpart, the fort Miltenberg-Altstadt to the west , is the southernmost military site on the so-called “Nassen Limes” and at the same time the northernmost fort of the “Front Limes”. The military and trade route from the Main valley to the Rhine and Neckar began at the old town fort.

Period 1

When it was founded around AD 159/160, a wood and earth construction was initially built. Miltenberg-Ost was founded at about the same time as the Miltenberg-Altstadt fort , which was only around 2300 meters northwest.

Period 2

The stone fort that was then built was somewhat asymmetrical in its not quite rectangular floor plan and had rounded corners. The fortification was measured with the dimensions 86.37 / 85.90 × 70.88 / 73.83 meters (= 0.63 hectares).

Building inscription

During excavation work for a new building in 1979 in the upper area of ​​the pointed trench in front of the Porta decumana , the rear gate of the fort, the building inscription made of carefully crafted letters on a fragmented tabula ansata was recovered. The workpiece made of red sandstone showed hardly any signs of weathering:

[Imperatores C] aesares
[L (ucius) Septimius Se] verus Au [g (ustus)]
[et M (arcus) Aurelius An] ton [inus]
[Pius Aug (ustus)…] s faci […]
[…] EP [...]

Translation: "The emperors and Caesars Lucius Septimius Severus Augustus and Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius Augustus ..."

The inscription testifies that the stone fort was built during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus (193–211). His son and successor Caracalla is also mentioned . The information still available allows the text to be dated between AD 198 and 209, when the two ruled together.

Enclosure, interior of the fort

The preserved lowest layers of the rising masonry on the outer wall of the northwest gate with the protruding base area (1912)

Winterhelt was able to determine that the surrounding wall had largely been preserved and in places still towered five stone layers high above the sloping base area. Without this seven-centimeter-protruding base, the rising masonry was 1.60 meters wide. The very neatly set shell masonry had a backfill made of heavily mortared rubble stones. The Bavarian conservator Georg Hock (1875–1936) informed the provincial Roman archaeologist Walter Barthel (1880–1915) after inspecting the exposed 70 meter long northwest front:

"The masonry with its neatly aligned and well-jointed facing bricks, with its base and cornice profiles corresponds completely to the careful technology of the nearby Brittonen buildings on the Odenwald Limes."

The sandstone blocks of the wall shells were between 0.25 and 0.70 meters long and 0.15 meters high. The joints were spread wide with a good lime mortar and highlighted with a red joint line. The berm in front of the defensive wall was measured at 1.40 meters, the subsequent simple pointed ditch was five meters wide and 1.50–1.70 meters deep in the upper area. During the excavations, the narrow floor reached down to a layer of sand that lay in the groundwater area.

The interior of the facility could be entered through four single-lane gates, three of which each had two flanking, rectangular gate towers. The Porta praetoria , the main gate to the northwest of the fort, was oriented towards the Main and was completely excavated by Winterhelt. The towers of the 4.14 meter wide gateway were built on the inside of the surrounding wall and protruded slightly like a risalit outward. At the north corner of the left gate tower, a stone block had been preserved, which was used to hold a gate wing. The rear south-east gate, the Porta decumana , consisted only of two 0.70 wide tongue walls that jumped into the interior of the camp. Overall, the gate had a width of 3.23 meters and a clear depth of 3.65 meters. From the south-west gate, the Porta principalis dextra , Winterhelt only exposed the northern inner flank of the south tower facing the driveway. There were still three layers of masonry above the protruding base area. One of the gate angular stones also found itself slipped a bit into the ditch. At the Porta principalis sinistra , the north-east gate of Miltenberg-Ost, one or two layers of what rose above the base had been preserved. The towers, protruding slightly from the defensive wall, measured 4.71 meters on the north side and 4.40 meters on the south side. The doorway was 3.04 meters wide and offered the excavators the remains of the former pavement. In the interior of the fort, structural remains have been identified, which presumably originate from the staff building ( Principia ).

Downfall

The excavation results from 1912 to 1913, in connection with the excavations from 1998, show that the fort area was completely restructured after considerable fire destruction and a reduction in the number of crews. For the dating of the demise of the fort in period 1, a pit was important, which the new building of a bathing complex (see below) cut along the edge of the fortification. In addition to massive fire rubble backfilling, numerous burned vessels were found, including sigillates and terra nigra , which made an approximate date possible. So it seems possible that Miltenberg-Ost was already destroyed during the first great Alemannic invasion of 233/235, when the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes was overrun on a broad front.

Period 3

Reduction fort

As the research by Marcus Jae showed, Miltenberg-Ost was probably reduced to a reduction fort during the Late Limes period. The archaeologist documented the most extensive renovations in a fort in the Upper German Limes during the second third of the third century until his excavations in 1998. At the porta principalis dextra a stone carving leaning against the inside of the northern cheek could be observed, which ran over the via principalis . With this transverse wall, half of the gateway was blocked. Similar structural constrictions or blockages of the driveways could be proven at many Limes forts of this period. The massiveness and average width of 1.70 meters of the unambiguously Roman period rolling made of dry-set sandstone fragments and reading stones suggest a wall with a fortification character that once stood above it. Further investigations into this finding indicate that the northern fort area was separated from the rest of the fort in a later phase of use. If a continuous rolling could be proven in the western section, the eastern part had strip foundations, the alignment of which, the similar building material and the stratigraphic location left no doubt as to whether these partial structures belonged together. On the north inner side of the reduction fort, post positions set parallel to the line of the wall and fragmentarily preserved narrow drywall foundations ran , which could indicate a battlement or casemate-like additions. The size of the new small fort remains open due to the fact that Jae can only excavate parts of it. The small fort Miltenberg-Ost, as evidenced by other fort sites, probably only comprised a quarter, in this case the northeast quarter of the Praetentura . This could mean that the reduction fort had dimensions of around 34 × 35 meters. It seems as if the defense of the old numerus fort still existed. This is indicated by the reduction in the size of the doorway at the Porta principalis dextra and the addition of a dry stone wall to the Porta decumana . The interior of the fort area could only be entered through the main gate, the Porta praetoria , the Porta principalis dextra and, if need be, the Porta principalis sinistra , which was only partially excavated .

Younger fort bath

In the south-eastern area of ​​the former Retentura, a new stone bathing building was built intramurally over bar graves and the leveled rubble of burned wooden barracks. The stratigraphically most recent finding on the fort area is attributable to the post-Severe period due to the intersection with a datable pit. A similar finding was observed at the Abusina fort in Raetia . The tapered entrance to the Porta principalis dextra has now led to the sewer of the bathing building. This channel also flushed a latrine. In addition to the fort bath, further use of the rest of the fort area in Miltenberg-Ost can also be proven by means of stratifiable fireplaces and trenches.

Troop

The name of the troops stationed in Miltenberg-Ost, a reconnaissance unit of around 120 men, called the Numerus Exploratorum Seiopensium and subordinate to the commander of the old town fort , could be determined from several inscriptions. One of these documents comes from the Mercury shrine , which belongs to the temple complexes on Greinberg. Up there, on the 500 meter high ridge between the Miltenberg-Ost numerus fort and the Miltenberg-Altstadt cohort fort, the Romans built two verifiable temples within prehistoric ramparts . A large and important sanctuary for the veneration of Mercurius Cimbrianus and Mercurius Avernoricus (Avernus) has been secured since 1845 . On the north-western steep slope there was a second temple, discovered in 1881, as a simple rectangular building. The inscriptions discovered during the excavations at the time also testify to donations to Mercury. South of the more important Merkur temple, the archeology pioneer Wilhelm Conrady (1829–1903) was the first to describe the Toutonen stone discovered there in 1878 . The naming of the number from the great Mercury shrine dates back to the year 212 AD and reads as follows:

In h (onorem) d (omus) d (ivinae)
Mercurio
Ci [mbri] ano
[…] | (centurio)
leg (ionis) p [raeposi] -
tus n (umeri) [expl (oratorum) Sei] -
open [ s (ium) pos (uit)]
duobus [Aspris?]
co (n) [s (ulibus)]

Translation: “In honor of the divine imperial house. Mercurius Cimbrianus ..., Centurion of the Legion, commander of the Numerus Exploratorum Seiopensium, erected (this consecration stone) when the two Asper ( Gaius Iulius Asper and Gaius Iulius Camilius Asper ) were consuls (212 AD). "

Mention should also be made of a dedicatory inscription that was found near Miltenberg in 1865 and has now disappeared, which also documented the standard name:

Gen [i] o
n [u] m (eri) [S] eio [pe] n (sium)
T (itus) Val (erius) Cara [n] t [i] n-
u [s] | (centurio) ex [v] o [t] o
sus [c] ept (o)
l (ibens) [p (osuit)]

Translation: “To the genius of the Numerus Seiopensium. Titus Valerius Carantinus, Centurion, was happy to set up (this consecration stone) because of a vow he had made. "

In addition to this inscription, CIL XIII, 12460 at least two brick stamps document the direct connection between the old town fort and Miltenberg-Ost:

Coh (ortis) I Seq (uanorum) et Rau (racorum)
cur (am) ag (duck) Cl (audio) Iustino
| (centurione) leg (ionis) XXII Pr (imigeniae) et p (raeposito) nn (umerorum)

Translation: "The 1st cohort of the Sequaner and Rauraker under the supervision of Claudius Iustinus, Centurion of the 22nd Legion" Primigenia " and commander of the Numbers."

The legionary centurion Claudius Iustinus is named here as the simultaneous commander of the Cohors I Sequanorum et Rauracorum and the Numerus stationed in the old town fort. One of the stamps comes from an outbuilding at Wp 7/6. The front Limes with its towers was occupied around 159/160 AD. When the annex was built is unknown, but the bath of the old town fort, in which the second stamp was discovered, was certainly built along with the forts and the front limes . If the stamps did not get to their location during a later repair phase, they could attest to Claudius Iustinus as a commander in this region from the very beginning.

Remnants of an honorary inscription with his military career have been preserved in Falerii , today's Civita Castellana in Latium , from an unknown high Roman knight . He, too, commanded the Numerus Exploratorum Seiopensium in Miltenberg:

…] CVM PRA […]
[…] ianor (um) praeposit [o sagittar] -
i (i) s Orrhoenis praepos [ito]
[e] xplorationis Seiopensis [et]
numeri Aurelianensis
praeposito numeri
Britonum praeposito ann [o] -
nae expeditionis [Ger] -
manicae [...

Translation: "... ianor (um), commander of the archers from Osrhoene , commander of the scouts from Seiopa and the number from Aurelianus , commander of the number of the British, commander of the food columns in the Germanic campaign ..."

Border guard commanders of the Cohors I Sequanorum et Rauracorum and the Numerus Exploratorum Seiopensium

There is evidence of troop leaders stationed in Miltenberg

Surname rank Time position comment
Claudius Iustinus Centurio legionis of Legio XXII Primigenia, Praepositus numeri around AD 159/160? Became known through at least two brick stamps. One came from the bath of the old town fort, a second from an outbuilding of the Wp 7/6.
Titus Valerius Caratinus Centurion approx. 159 / 160–250 made a vow to the genius of the Numerus Seiopensium
Sextilius P (...) Centurio legionis of Legio XXII Primigenia 186, 190 or 192 consecrated an inscription with the Cohors I Sequanorum et Rauracorum for Commodus
Mansuetinius Se (...) Centurio cohortis 191 in 191 he dedicated a statuette to Mercurius Cimbrianus on the Greinberg
Caius Valerius Titus Centurio legionis 193-211 Coming from the tribe Quirina, an area around Reate, today's Italian Rieti in Latium , he was Cornicularius consularis former orderly officer of a commander-in-chief. Before his assignment in Miltenberg, he was named as commander in Öhringen between 175 and 177.
... (name no longer legible) Centurio legionis, Praepositus numeri 212 in the year 212 he set a consecration stone for Mercurius Cimbrianus on the Greinberg
Gaius Sempronius Martialis Praefectus cohortis at 230-235 was stationed during the governorship of Sextus Catius Clementinus Priscillianus in the province of Germania superior in Miltenberg; left three preserved dedicatory inscriptions there
... (name no longer legible) Praepositus numeri ? the knight settled in retirement in his native Italy

Militaria

In a pit with fire rubble from period 1, parts of a horse harness and a shield boss were found.

Vicus

The older fort bath of the fort has not yet been discovered. However, sub-areas of the camp village ( vicus ) were found, which took up around two hectares south of the fort and stretched up to 250 meters west of the garrison. Pottery kilns could be examined in the area of ​​the village with its striped houses .

Lost property

Important finds from the Miltenberg-Ost fort and its vicus can be viewed in the Miltenberg City Museum, the Bürgstadt Museum and the Maria Regina Caritas home.

Limes course between the Miltenberg-Ost and the small fort Haselburg

Traces of the structures on the Front Limes
ORL Name / place Description / condition
Fort Miltenberg East see above
Wp 7/1 Supposed; not visible
Wp 7/2 Supposed; not visible
Wp 7/3 Supposed; not visible
Wp 7/4 Supposed; not visible
Wp 7/5 Supposed; not visible
Wp 7/6 At the Steigenklinge / Gänsewiese
Wp 7/6
Brick stamp at Wp 7/6

Until 1911, when Wp 7/6 "An der Steigenklinge" was discovered, the location of the Limes connection to the Main was disputed. The discovery at the time in the "Gänsewiese" corridor department came out of the ground purely by chance when a new water pipe was being built to Miltenberg. The stone tower point is at the top of a valley, around 500 meters northwest of it in an area where it is already quite steep. There the foundations of an almost square stone tower measuring 4.75 / 4.82 × 4.82 meters have been visibly preserved. The structure is located on a sloping hill above a deep gully. In addition to the tower, the RLK excavators found two outbuildings, with the foundation walls of the larger, 7.25 / 7.75 × 8.12 / 8.45 meter rectangular building to the west of the tower. A stamped military tile was recovered from the small, 2.35 / 2.40 × 2.70 meter large, invisible outbuilding, which, like the pottery that was also discovered, was discovered in the same form at the Miltenberg-Altstadt fort. A brick stamp with the same inscription was found in fragments in the military bath in the old town, but was later lost. The brick shown here comes from the Cohors I Sequanorum et Rauracorum . With the abbreviations dissolved, the inscription reads:

Coh (ortis) I Seq (uanorum) et Rau (racorum)
cur (am) ag (ente) Cl (audio) Iusti-
no | (centurione) leg (ionis) XXII Pr (imigeniae) et p (raeposito) nn (umerorum )

Translation: "(Stamp) of the 1st Sequaner and Rauraker cohort, under the leadership of Claudius Justinus, Centurio of Legio XXII Primigenia and commander of the Numbers."

Wp 7/7 Presumed tower location. A tower must have stood at the upper valley exit. Here the Limes, which is no longer visible today, bends almost exactly to the south towards the plateau and ran straight to Wp 7/13, where it touched the eastern edge of Wenschdorf directly. In Wenschdorf, a Roman road meets the Limes, which began at the Miltenberg-Altstadt cohort fort. The route leads from the Main Valley on the southwestern flank up the Greinberg and then leads in an arc towards Wenschdorf. Parts of this street can still be seen today.
Wp 7/8 Steigäcker
Wp 7/8

Not far from a crossroads, Wp 7/8 was discovered in the open field on the steep slopes of the Wenschdorf district. The view is free there as far as the Main valley. The tower stood slightly turned in the direction of the gorge from which the Limes border system rose. Conrady found the tower location in 1883 after making inquiries with the property owner. In the previous year, however, the owner had already left two truckloads full of hewn bricks for gravel from his field. The remains of the building were first uncovered in 1899 by Fabricius when he was on site during his investigations into the Limes palisade and the scientific survey work. The archaeologist had the palisade moat located 18.20 meters in front of the tower traced in 15 cuts over a length of 132 meters. The well-preserved foundations of the square tower, which was about 4.80 × 4.80 meters in size, consisted of mostly inclined stones. The southeast corner of the tower was removed after it was measured by Fabricius in order to be able to identify any post pits of a wooden previous building, but nothing was discovered apart from the natural soil.

Wp 7/9 Supposed; not visible
Wp 7/10 Supposed; not visible
Wp 7/11 Heunschhecken-Nord / Hösch- / Hönschhecken A stone tower that remained visible as a flat, elongated hill south of Wenschdorf, which the Provincial Roman archaeologist Wilhelm Schleiermacher (1904–1977) fixed in 1961 only on eruptions and rubble lying around in the forest. At the time of the Imperial Limes Commission, "the tower ruin was easy to recognize from the many hewn stones lying around". Conrady carried out a partial prospect there in 1880. At the north-west corner of the tower, a layer of the rising brickwork had been preserved, which he measured at 0.90 meters. In the foundation, the western wall of Wp 7/11 was still 5.10 meters long. During his investigations, Conrady was still able to perceive a “very flat, about 4 m wide bump” in the area of ​​the actual border wall, which could no longer be traced back to the early 20th century due to the increased forest cover. The Roman provincial archaeologist Dietwulf Baatz was also unable to find any remains of the Limeswall at the beginning of the 1970s. In 1894, Conrady reported that both watchtowers in the Wenschdorfer Hönischhecken, i.e. in addition to Wp 7/12 and Wp 7/11, fell victim to the stone robbery after the investigations.

The pile ditch examined by the Reich Limes Commission at Wp 7/11 contained large charred remains of oak, on which the annual rings could still be seen. However, remnants of the border system were not preserved there above ground. The distance between Wp 7/11 and the subsequent Wp 7/12 is only 320 meters.

Wp 7/12 Heunschhecken-Süd
Wp 7/12
A stone tower that remained visible as a flat hill. In 1961 Schleiermacher saw only eruptions and debris lying around in the forest. Remnants of the actual border system have not been preserved above ground at this place. In the Limeswerk it is reported that this well-preserved tower ruin was willfully destroyed by the landowner after its excavation became known. Conrady recognized the tower location in 1899 from the stones and mortar lying around. After the excavation, he measured the square building with sides 4.80 meters long and 0.85 meters thick walls. The foundation consisted of inclined stones, above which the tower's rise was preserved two to three layers high. The notable finds from the tower include ceramic fragments of a folded cup and fragments of a hand mill made of lava rock. The pile ditch examined by Fabricius at Wp 7/12 20 steps east of the tower site and then measured also contained large charred pieces of oak, from which the annual rings could be recognized.
Wp 7/13 Hagwald
Wp 7/13
This wakefulness point was in a place with a long distance view. Therefore, the place served as a survey point in the 19th century. Only to the north could only be seen up to the tower site Wp 7/11. The barriers of the Roman imperial border coming from the north made a bend to the southeast at Wp 7/13 in a wide curve towards Walldürn and ran north-east of today's Amorbach district of Reichartshausen along the edge of the forest. At Wp 7/13 the palisade trench and the embankment of the large trench were also examined.

The stone tower excavated by Conrady in 1880 was a square structure measuring 4.80 × 4.80 meters, the walls of which consisted of 0.90 meter thick masonry. Inside the tower there was a solid Letten floor . The place has been preserved as an impressive rubble hill overgrown by scrub on the near edge of the forest. In 1961 Schleiermacher could only see eruptions and debris lying around on the ground monument in the forest. In addition to the stone tower, to the northwest, at a distance of 9.50 meters, Conrady recorded an outbuilding with 8.25 meters long side walls. The stone layers were still there five to six layers high in the mortar bond. The wall thickness of the rising was 0.70 meters. After the investigations, the tower site was backfilled. In 1897, the classical archaeologist Georg Loeschcke (1852–1915) tried to find a wooden predecessor at this place, but this was unsuccessful. The Provincial Roman archaeologist Ernst Fabricius (1857–1942) dug at this location again in 1899 with a new question . He examined the palisade trench and the outer edge of the large trench in one section. Then he uncovered two corners of the tower again in order to measure all previous research results on the nearby boundary stones.

Wp 7/14 Strüt The exact location of this stone tower point can no longer be traced today. The entry in a topographical map of Baden published in 1880 was based on advice from Conrady. He had heard that a long time ago a large stone hill had been driven down in the forest department of Strüt for road construction purposes. The excavation carried out at the place mentioned brought to light chunks of brick and ceramic shards. This enabled Conrady to pinpoint the exact location of Wp 7/14. However, with the exception of the map entry that was too imprecise for an exact location, he left no details of the place of discovery.
Wp 7/15 Sour grass
Wp 7/15
The now low rubble hill of the former stone tower was preserved on a small bump in the ground and is now east of the path on the edge of the forest. Its surface shows traces of excavation. At this point Conrady was able to identify a square wall, each 4.70 meters long. The thickness of these foundation walls, which are still between three and six layers high, was 0.95 meters. Inside there was a tamped Latvian floor on which Roman vessel shards, charcoal and ashes were distributed. In 1897 Loeschcke tried in vain to find a post pit in one of the corners of this tower, which indicated a possible wooden predecessor tower. During the investigation of the Limes palisade at this point in the tower, the Imperial Limes Commission was able to observe well-preserved, half-charred wood.
Wp 7/16 White wall
Wp 7/16
Excavation findings from Wp 7/16
In Wp. 7/16 a flat, elongated hill was preserved. At the time of Conrady this inconspicuous elevation, which was called the White Wall , was overgrown with trees. Conrady, who examined this place for the first time in the 1880s, found a house-like, rectangular building with a length of 8.30 meters on the western and eastern sides, 7.20 meters on the south side and 7.30 meters on the north side. Conrady was able to specify the wall thickness as 0.90 meters. At the north-west corner of the building, its foundation, which was set using various techniques, came to light, which in one place consisted of three layers of horizontally laid boulders. Above this, a four-layer high, protruding and sloping base could be identified from the rising masonry, on which another three layers of neatly manufactured bricks had been preserved, some of which were still in the lime mortar bond. At other points the foundation consisted of two to three layers of mostly inclined stones.

In 1897 Conrady once again uncovered the four corners of the building in order to identify any post pits in a wooden tower, but nothing could be found. During this excavation, the surroundings were also examined more closely for traces of towers, but this was also unsuccessful. No screed remnants could be seen inside the building. On the other hand, ceramic shards and numerous smooth-headed nails were found. The structure, which was probably isolated on the Limes, only 209 meters away from the next tower point Wp 7/17, was reminiscent of ancillary buildings as they appear on some of the towers along this route. There was obviously no tower here.

Wp 7/17 Black sutta
Wp 7/17
There was another stone tower here. The Watchtower 7/17 is located 209 meters from Wp 7/16. The tower point, from which a clear mound of rubble has been preserved, is located close to the border between Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The tower ruins were examined by Conrady in 1879 and 1897 and by Fabricius in 1900. During the initial investigation, a square tower with an external dimension of 4.90 meters was found. The masonry was 0.90 meters thick and stood over a 0.35 meter deep foundation made of rough stones. On the north side the rising stood still eleven layers high in the lime mortar bond. The fifth to seventh layers from the top of the terrain showed Opus spicatum . The masonry at the southeast corner was already completely destroyed. The floor inside the tower consisted of rammed earth.

In his second investigation, Conrady looked in vain for post pits at the four corners of the tower. At this place too, he tried to be able to hold a possibly older wooden tower. Fabricius was able to occupy a circumferential trench 0.65 meters deep at a distance of 1.80 to 3.60 meters from the tower. This was filled with fallen rubble from the watchtower, but also with ceramic shards. The archaeologist identified the 0.85 meter deep palisade trench by means of a search cut 18.45 meters in front of the tower. It ran parallel in front of the northeast wall. At the already known distance in front of the palisade there was also the large ditch, which was obviously very shallow. The tower point is at a point where the terrain begins to sink sharply towards the Limes. Possibly for this reason Wp 7/17 was established at this point.

Wp 7/18 Supposed; not visible, well built over, an Erasmus chapel is at the presumed location.
Wp 7/19 Supposed; not visible, the site is now used as a meadow.
Wp 7/20 Wolf hedge
Wp 7/20
The stone tower was discovered by Conrady in 1880 and partially excavated. In 1892 and 1897, he came back to this watchtower site for further investigation. Fabricius followed in 1899 with a new question about the course of the palisade line. He also had the tower, which was filled in again, partially uncovered for a photo. The various examinations gave a clear picture. The outer wall lengths of the almost square tower were measured in the northwest with 5.05 meters, in the northeast and southeast with 4.90 meters and in the southwest with 4.80 meters and were built from neatly crafted stones in lime mortar over an embroidered foundation. When it was first found, three layers of the rising were partially preserved. The brickwork was 0.85 meters on the north side and 0.75 meters on the south side. No traces of fire could be detected inside the tower. During the excavations in 1897, which were devoted to the exploration of previous wooden buildings, no post pits could be discovered at this tower location either. In ancient times, the land could be seen from afar from the place of the tower. Fabricius made a section to examine the palisade trench 18 meters in front of the tower. Another two cuts followed at a distance of 50 meters and 195 meters. In the first section of the tower, the well-known charred stumps made of oak could be documented, while in the other two only large remains of oak emerged from the ground, on which, however, the annual rings could still be read. In 1924, the rubble hill of the tower, which was located in the arable land and overgrown with bushes, could still be seen. Today nothing remains above ground on the square. The area is used agriculturally as a meadow.
Wp 7/21 Hollerstock Conrady conjectured the location of the tower based on a stone concentration in an otherwise stone-free field, which the landowner at the time had indicated to him. The exact location of the point designated by Conrady was later unclear. Today nothing is visible here and is subject to agricultural use.
Wp 7/22 Stream corridor For this stone tower, according to the considerations of the Reichs-Limeskommission, "a terrain wave that intersects the Limes in the brook area" was considered. In 1899, a small deserted area with stones was found at its place in a field. It was already plowed over in 1924, but in 1970 Baatz could still see a small increase in the field. Today none of this is visible and is subject to agricultural use.
ORL Walldürn- Reinhardsachsen

Monument protection

The Miltenberg-Altstadt fort is a ground monument under the inventory number D-6-6221-0052 "Fort of the Roman Empire" according to the Bavarian Monument Protection Act (BayDSchG). Investigations and targeted collection of finds are subject to approval, and accidental finds are reported to the monument authorities.

Web links

literature

  • Wilhelm Conrady: Miltenberg. [Border marking, continuation of No. 88] . In: Limesblatt. Communications from the route commissioners to the Reichslimeskommission 13, (December 20, 1894). Sp. 382-387.
  • Wilhelm Conrady: Limes near Wenschdorf (continuation to no. 87) . In: Limesblatt. Communications from the route commissioners to the Reichslimeskommission 12, (November 29, 1894). Sp. 358-359.
  • Wilhelm Conrady: To explore the Roman Limes down the Main from Miltenberg . In: West German Journal for History and Art 1, 3rd year (= Pick's monthly 10th year), 1884, pp. 266–287.
  • Wilhelm Otto Keller, Jürgen Leuner (editor): 750 years of the city of Miltenberg, 1237–1987. Contributions to the history, economy and culture of a Franconian town , Stadt Miltenberg, Miltenberg 1987. Therein:
  • Willi Beck, Dieter Planck : The Limes in Southwest Germany . 2nd edition, Theiss, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-8062-0496-9 , pp. 40-41.
  • Bernhard Beckmann: The Romans in Miltenberg , pp. 35–74.
  • Bernhard Beckmann: Walehusen-Wallhausen, a medieval city on Roman ruins , pp. 75-100.
  • Marcus Jae: A surface excavation in the Miltenberg-Ost numerus fort . In: The Archaeological Year in Bavaria 1998, 1998, pp. 80–82.
  • Marcus Jae: A surface excavation in the numerus fort Miltenberg-Ost on the area of ​​the market town of Bürgstadt in 1998. First insights into the internal structure of the fort . In: Contributions to archeology in Lower Franconia 2, 2000, pp. 103–146.
  • Bernhard Overbeck: A building inscription from the Limes fort Miltenberg-Ost . In: Chiron. Communications from the Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy of the German Archaeological Institute , 12, 1982, pp. 445–447.
  • Christoph Rytka: New finds in the Roman fort Miltenberg-Ost . In: Bayerische Prognistorblätter 52, 1987, pp. 255-267.
  • Oskar Winterhelt : No. 38a. The Miltenberg-Ost fort. In: Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roman Empire . Section A, Volume 4. Lines 7 to 9, Petters, Berlin / Leipzig 1929.
  • Ingrid Jütting, Alexander Lebeda, Jo Wernard: The newly discovered vicus of Miltenberg, district of Miltenberg . In: Contributions to archeology in Lower Franconia 2000 (= Mainfränkische Studien 67), pp. 147–163.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Guide to prehistoric and early historical monuments - Miltenberg, Amorbach, Obernburg, Aschaffenburg, Seligenstadt vol. 8, von Zabern, Mainz 1967, p. 75.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Bernhard Beckmann: The Romans in Miltenberg . In: Wilhelm Otto Keller, J. Leuner (editor): 750 years of the city of Miltenberg, 1237–1987. Contributions to the history, economy and culture of a Franconian city, Stadt Miltenberg, Miltenberg 1987, p. 47.
  3. ^ Bernhard Beckmann: The Romans in Miltenberg . In: Wilhelm Otto Keller, J. Leuner (editor): 750 years of the city of Miltenberg, 1237–1987. Contributions to the history, economy and culture of a Franconian city, Stadt Miltenberg, Miltenberg 1987, p. 38 f.
  4. ↑ a b Peter Endrich: Pre- and early history of the Bavarian Lower Maing area (= publications of the history and art association Aschaffenburg 4) Pattloch, Aschaffenburg 1961, p. 143.
  5. ↑ Hans-Jörg Kellner , Bernhard Overbeck , Mechthild Overbeck: The coins found in the Roman period in Germany , Bavaria. Department 1: Bavaria, Volume 6: Unterfranken, Mann, Berlin 1975, p. 127.
  6. ↑ a b c d Oskar Winterhelt : No. 38a. The Miltenberg-Ost fort. In: Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roman Empire . Section A, Volume 4. Lines 7 to 9, Petters, Berlin / Leipzig 1929, p. 1.
  7. ↑ Ingrid Jütting, Alexander Lebeda, Jo Wernard: The newly discovered vicus of Miltenberg, district of Miltenberg . In: Contributions to archeology in Lower Franconia 2000 (= Mainfränkische Studien 67), pp. 147–163.
  8. ↑ a b Markus Scholz : Ceramics and history of the Kapersburg fort - an inventory. In: Saalburg-Jahrbuch 52/53, 2002/2003, von Zabern, Mainz 2003, pp. 9–282; here: p. 90.
  9. ↑ Hans Schönberger : The Roman fort Öhringen-West (Bürgkastell) . In: Report of the Roman-Germanic Commission 53, 1972/1973, pp. 233–296; here: p. 291.
  10. ↑ Claus-Michael Hüssen: The Roman settlement in the area around Heilbronn. Theiss, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8062-1493-X , p. 145.
  11. ^ Bernhard Albert Greiner: The contribution of the dendrodata from Rainau book to the Limesdatierung. In: Limes XX. Estudios sobre la frontera Romana. Ediciones Polifemo, Madrid 2009, ISBN 978-84-96813-25-0 , p. 1289.
  12. ↑ Bernd Becker: Felling dates of Roman construction timbers based on a 2350 year old South German oak tree ring chronology . In find reports from Baden Württemberg . Volume 6, Theiss, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-8062-1252-X , p. 386.
  13. ^ Dieter Planck, Willi Beck: The Limes in Southwest Germany . 2nd edition, Theiss, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-8062-0496-9 , p. 82 u. Fig. 84.
  14. ^ Dieter Planck, Willi Beck: The Limes in Southwest Germany . 2nd edition, Theiss, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-8062-0496-9 , p. 82 u. Fig. 39.
  15. ^ Dieter Planck, Willi Beck: The Limes in Southwest Germany . 2nd edition, Theiss, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-8062-0496-9 , p. 82 u. Fig. 40.
  16. ↑ a b Bernhard Beckmann: The Romans in Miltenberg . In: Wilhelm Otto Keller, J. Leuner (editor): 750 years of the city of Miltenberg, 1237–1987. Contributions to the history, economy and culture of a Franconian town, Stadt Miltenberg, Miltenberg 1987, p. 36.
  17. ↑ AE 1982, 00717 .
  18. ^ Walter Barthel : The exploration of the Upper German-Raetian Limes in the years 1908-1912. In: Report of the Roman-Germanic Commission 6, 1910/1911 (1913), pp. 114–181, here: p. 153.
  19. ↑ Oskar Winterhelt : No. 38a. The Miltenberg-Ost fort. In: Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roman Empire . Section A, Volume 4. Lines 7 to 9, Petters, Berlin / Leipzig 1929, p. 2.
  20. ↑ a b c d Markus Scholz : Ceramics and history of the Kapersburg fort - an inventory. In: Saalburg-Jahrbuch 52/53, 2002/2003, von Zabern, Mainz 2003, pp. 9–282; here: p. 91.
  21. ↑ Susanne Biegert, Bernd Steidl : A ceramics dealer in the "vicus" of the Limes fort Ober-Florstadt. Terra sigillata and local groups of goods from the 3rd century AD. In: Bernd Liesen (Ed.): Terra Sigillata in the Germanic provinces . Xanten Colloquium, 13.-14. November 2008, von Zabern, Mainz 2011, ISBN 978-3-8053-4345-9 , pp. 221-332; here: pp. 290–291.
  22. ↑ Marcus Jae: A surface excavation in the numerus fort Miltenberg-Ost on the area of ​​the market town of Bürgstadt in 1998. First insights into the internal structure of the fort . In: Contributions to Archeology in Lower Franconia 2, 2000, pp. 103–146; here: pp. 138–143.
  23. ↑ a b Susanne Biegert, Bernd Steidl : A ceramic dealer in the "vicus" of the Limes fort Ober-Florstadt. Terra sigillata and local groups of goods from the 3rd century AD. In: Bernd Liesen (Ed.): Terra Sigillata in the Germanic provinces . Xanten Colloquium, 13.-14. November 2008, von Zabern, Mainz 2011, ISBN 978-3-8053-4345-9 , pp. 221-332; here: p. 290.
  24. ↑ CIL 13, 06603 .
  25. ^ A b Britta Rabold , Egon Schallmayer , Andreas Thiel : Der Limes. The German Limes Road from the Rhine to the Danube . Theiss, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8062-1461-1 , p. 72.
  26. ↑ a b CIL 13, 06604 .
  27. ↑ CIL 13, 06600 .
  28. ↑ CIL 13, 12460 .
  29. ↑ a b c Georg Hock : New Roman finds from the Bavarian Lower Maing area . In: Korrespondenzblatt des Gesamtverein der deutschen Geschichts- und Altertumsvereine 61, 1913, pp. 111–112; here: p. 111.
  30. ↑ a b CIL 11, 3104 .
  31. ↑ CIL 13, 12460 .
  32. ↑ CIL 13, 06600 .
  33. ↑ CIL 13, 07325 .
  34. ↑ CIL 10, 06604 .
  35. ↑ CIL 13, 06598 .
  36. ↑ CIL 13, 06542 .
  37. ↑ CIL 13, 06543 .
  38. ↑ CIL 13, 06597 .
  39. ↑ CIL 13, 06608 .
  40. ↑ AE 1977, 00593 .
  41. ↑ ORL = numbering of the Limes structures according to the publication of the Reich Limes Commission on the O bergermanisch- R ätischen- L imes
  42. ↑ Wp = W oh p east, watch tower. The number before the slash denotes the Limes section, the number after the slash denotes the respective watchtower.
  43. ↑ Wp 7/6 at 49 ° 41 '18.22 "  N , 9 ° 17' 16.09"  O .
  44. ↑ annexe at Wp 7/6 at 49 ° 41 '17.87 "  N , 9 ° 17' 14.44"  O .
  45. ↑ Miltenberg . In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde 20, de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2002, ISBN 3-11-017164-3 , p. 32 ff .; here: p. 35.
  46. ^ Walter Barthel : The exploration of the Upper German-Raetian Limes in the years 1908-1912. In: Report of the Roman-Germanic Commission 6, 1910/1911 (1913), pp. 114–181, here: p. 156.
  47. ↑ a b Wilhelm Schleiermacher : The Roman Limes in Germany. An archaeological guide for road trips and hikes. Mann, Berlin 1961, p. 141.
  48. ↑ Dietwulf Baatz : The Roman Limes. Archaeological excursions between the Rhine and the Danube. Gebr. Mann, Berlin 1993, ISBN 3-7861-1701-2 , p. 221.
  49. ↑ CIL 13, 12460 .
  50. ↑ a b c d e f Wilhelm Schleiermacher : The Roman Limes in Germany. An archaeological guide for road trips and hikes. Mann, Berlin 1961, p. 142.
  51. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Dietwulf Baatz : The Roman Limes. Archaeological excursions between the Rhine and the Danube. Gebr. Mann, Berlin 1974, ISBN 3-7861-1064-6 , p. 183.
  52. ^ Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roemerreich . Section A, Volume 4. Lines 7 to 9, Petters, Berlin / Leipzig 1929. p. 26.
  53. ^ Wilhelm Conrady: To explore the Roman Limes down the Main from Miltenberg . In: West German Journal for History and Art 1, 3rd year (= Pick's monthly 10th year), 1884, pp. 266–287; here: p. 286.
  54. ^ Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roemerreich . Section A, Volume 4. Lines 7 to 9, Petters, Berlin / Leipzig 1929. P. 62.
  55. ↑ Wp 7/11 at 49 ° 40 '24.19 "  N , 9 ° 17' 23.04"  O .
  56. ^ A b Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roemerreich . Section A, Volume 4. Lines 7 to 9, Petters, Berlin / Leipzig 1929. P. 64.
  57. ^ Wilhelm Conrady: Limes near Wenschdorf (continuation to no. 87) . In: Limesblatt. Notices from the route commissioners to the Reichslimeskommission . 12 (November 29, 1894). Sp. 358-359; here: col. 358.
  58. ^ A b c Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roemerreich . Section A, Volume 4. Lines 7 to 9, Petters, Berlin / Leipzig 1929. p. 27.
  59. ↑ a b c d Willi Beck, Dieter Planck : The Limes in Southwest Germany . 2nd edition, Theiss, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-8062-0496-9 , p. 41.
  60. ^ Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roemerreich . Section A, Volume 4. Lines 7 to 9, Petters, Berlin / Leipzig 1929. p. 19.
  61. ↑ Wp 7/12 at 49 ° 40 '11.45 "  N , 9 ° 17' 21.41"  O .
  62. ^ Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roemerreich . Section A, Volume 4. Lines 7 to 9, Petters, Berlin / Leipzig 1929. p. 15.
  63. ↑ Wp 7/13 at 49 ° 39 '51.34 "  N , 9 ° 17' 20.43"  O .
  64. ↑ a b c d e f Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roemerreich . Section A, Volume 4. Lines 7 to 9, Petters, Berlin / Leipzig 1929. p. 65.
  65. ↑ Wp 7/15 at 49 ° 39 '28.2 "  N , 9 ° 17' 52.7"  O .
  66. ↑ Wp 7/16 at 49 ° 39 '16.37 "  N , 9 ° 18' 7.77"  O .
  67. ^ A b Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roemerreich . Section A, Volume 4. Lines 7 to 9, Petters, Berlin / Leipzig 1929. p. 66.
  68. ^ A b Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roemerreich . Section A, Volume 4. Lines 7 to 9, Petters, Berlin / Leipzig 1929. p. 46.
  69. ↑ Wp 7/17 at 49 ° 39 '11.75 "  N , 9 ° 18' 15.6"  O .
  70. ↑ Erasmus band (Wp 7/18?) At 49 ° 38 '59.33 "  N , 9 ° 18' 32.25"  O .
  71. ^ Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roemerreich . Section A, Volume 4. Lines 7 to 9, Petters, Berlin / Leipzig 1929. P. 68.
  72. ^ A b Ernst Fabricius, Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roemerreich . Section A, Volume 4. Lines 7 to 9, Petters, Berlin / Leipzig 1929. P. 69.
  73. ↑ fortlet Haselburg at 49 ° 38 '0.02 "  N , 9 ° 19' 49.08"  O .
  74. ↑ Bavarian List of Monuments Miltenberg