Fort Pfünz

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Fort Pfünz
Alternative name Vetoniana
limes ORL 73 ( RLK )
Route (RLK) Rhaetian Limes,
route 14
Dating (occupancy) around 90 AD
to 230, 233/234 or 240 AD
Type Cohort fort
unit Cohors I Breucorum equitata civium Romanorum
size Max. 189 (187) × 145 (144) m
(= 2.5 ha)
Construction a) wood-earth
b) stone
State of preservation Defensive wall partially exposed and partially preserved, trenches and road route to the south clearly visible.
place Walting -Pfünz
Geographical location 48 ° 53 ′ 2 "  N , 11 ° 15 ′ 50"  E
height 425  m above sea level NHN
Previous Weissenburg Castle (northwest)
Burgus Burgsalach (northwest)
Subsequently Kastell Kösching (east-southeast)
Upstream Small fort Petersbuch (north-west)
Small fort Biebig (north)
Small fort Hegelohe (north)
ORL 73a: Fort Böhming (north-east)
Small fort Güßgraben east-north-east

The Fort Pfünz , in Latin Castra Vetoniana or Vetonianae , is a Roman cohort fort near Pfünz , a district of the municipality of Walting in the district of Eichstätt , Bavaria . It was built from around 90 AD on a 42 meter high Jura spur between the Altmühl valley and the Pfünzer Bach creek. It is part of the 2005 World Heritage Site collected Rhaetian Limes . The remains of the Doppelspitzgraben partly carved into the rock, which is best preserved on the western wall, are historically significant. In 1998 the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation carried out further explorations in the course of building a pressure water pipeline. In addition, the findings and the rich, in part very rare finds from Pfünz to the present day give cause for new studies.

location

The fort with its Limes surroundings
The fort and its immediate surroundings according to the findings of the RLK (1884 to 1900), aerial photographs and geomagnetic measurements from 2000 and 2010. The vicus area is bright red. According to Fischer (2008) there was only one ditch on the south side.

The fort, located around eleven kilometers behind the Limes, followed exactly the north-south direction. The facility was built high above the valley floor of the Altmühl on a north-facing, steep mountain spur of the Alb plateau . In the north-west and east, the towers and defensive walls were able to monitor the Pfünzer Bach, an ancient river crossing that was already there at that time, and the adjacent valley area. There was also a central road crossing in Pfünz, including to the Weißenburg fort in the west and the Böhming fort north on the Limes , which was rebuilt in stone in 181 AD after a wooden predecessor. The German place name Pfünz is derived from the Latin pons (bridge). In addition to these local monitoring tasks , Vetoniana was also responsible for securing the Limes, about 10.2 km away as the crow flies, and perhaps also provided the crew for Böhming.

Research history

In 1806, Pfünz was already known as the intersection of important Roman roads

The field name "Altkirchen-Feld", on which the fort is located, no longer reminds of the old fortification, but refers to the history of a parish church that was later built there from Roman Spolia . A very early scientifically interested excavator on site was the Augsburg government director and founder of the Swabian History Association, Johann Nepomuk von Raiser (1768-1853). In 1809 he excavated "a temple with a well" and "several Roman apartments" and recognized some groups of burial mounds south of the camp village. The inscription stone discovered at that time for Sedatus on the former Nikolauskirche was one of the most cited finds at the time. In 1884 Friedrich Winkelmann , a route commissioner of the Reich Limes Commission (RLK) founded in 1892 , started his work in Pfünz. He owned some land on the historic site. But only the joint investigations with Karl Popp, a Bavarian major general, Friedrich Ohlenschlager (1840–1916) and Hugo Arnold, brought a comprehensive picture of the history of Pfünzer. The excavations were the most extensive in their time in the area of ​​Roman Limes forts and camp villages and did not end until 1900. The best-preserved sections of the fence were restored and made visible after the work was completed. It was not until 1954/55 that these foundation walls were secured, which had become urgently necessary. In 1960 a cautious partial reconstruction was carried out on some components of the enclosing wall, as it is still visible today on the southeast corner tower. The progressive deterioration took a renewed conservation restoration of the North, South and West Gate 1987-1988 with it. In 2000, the geoarchaeologist Helmut Becker examined large areas of the interior of the fort geomagnetically . However, the evaluation of the data did not take place until 2007 and provided valuable clues for later excavations.

Current condition

Attempt to reconstruct the north-western corner tower. In ancient times, this most likely had a tile or shingle roof
Attempt to reconstruct the porta praetoria on the ancient foundations, which is one story too low . View from inside the warehouse to the gate
Reconstructed plastering with painted ashlar masonry at Saalburg Castle

Between 1992 and 1994, the north gate, the north-west tower and the fencing in between were modeled on the stumps of the ancient wall in a large, but “unsuccessful way” without specialist scientific assistance and without modern archaeological research. As with many unsupported initiatives on the Limes to add to an unknown ancient inventory, various findings from other forts that were not made in Pfünz were summarized. Since the actual findings from Pfünz were not taken into account during the reconstruction, the replica now lacks the cornice on the gate and wall that is also common in other forts. The gate and tower were also rebuilt one storey too low and the corner tower will have been equipped with a roof in antiquity, although no evidence was found in the RLK excavation. Thus, this replica only gives a very freely interpreted general idea of ​​a "Roman fort". An essential feature of the appearance of ancient military buildings is also not shown. So the systems had a white plaster, with which a brickwork was simulated with a red joint line.

The interior of the fort is still used for agriculture today.

Building history

Attempt to reconstruct the Porta praetoria based on an idea by Fischer (2008) and information from Johnson / Baatz (1987)
Slightly outdated reconstruction sketch of the fort around 200 AD.
Partially reconstructed southeast corner; The authentically preserved part is clearly recognizable in the lower third of the building structure (as it was in 1993).

Vetoniana was possibly built as a wood and earth fort in the late period of Emperor Domitian around 90 AD as part of the road construction from Fort Kösching (founded in spring 80) to Fort Weißenburg (founded around 90). According to Jörg Fassbinder, the Limes could have run along the new road during this time and Pfünz could have been right on the border of the Reich for a while. At the latest when the Limes was moved forward to its last expansion stage, Pfünz assumed the position of a rear cohort fort on the Limes until its fall. This final demarcation can be located for the province of Raetia in the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117-138).

The excavators found traces of the early camp under the south and north gates. As a building inscription from the gate association found in 1888 on the Porta principalis sinistra makes clear, the fort was expanded in stone during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161). However, the inscription does not reveal an even more precise date in the traditional state. This time can also be determined on the basis of architectural design features on the central administration building, the Principia . The semicircular apsidia for the flag sanctuary, which were later customary in the Raetian-Germanic area and whose furnishings in Pfünz are still missing, make it possible to roughly date the building for the first half of the 2nd century. International studies show that the Roman fort extension followed a generally applicable standard plan, which was adapted to local conditions, the use and the planned number of crews. The Cohors I Breucorum civium Romanorum , which is proven to be the main occupancy of the Pfünz fort, has not only had its own fort in collaboration with a construction department of the 3rd Italian Legion ( Legio III Italica ) in 181 but also the small Böhming numerus fort in Bavaria after possible destruction rebuilt during the Marcomannic Wars (166–180). After the Legion unit from Regensburg had built gates, towers and defensive walls, the Pfünzer troops took care of the interior construction. The proximity of the Cohors I Breucorum to the Regensburg Legion is documented at least for this year, as a centurion of the Legio III Italica is named as the commander for the Pfünzer unit in the Böhmingen building inscription .

Enclosure

Wheel deflector preserved in situ on the southern gate tower (status 1993)
The double pointed trench carved into the Jura rocks on the west side of the fort
The moat on the south side, in the foreground the partially reconstructed Porta decumana

The Pfünz fort forms a shifted rectangle ( parallelogram ) with dimensions of around 189 (187) × 145 (144) meters and enclosed around 2.5 hectares. This area is still clearly recognizable today as a raised wall. Since the surveyors at that time determined the floor plan slightly shifted, which may be due to device errors, the largely standardized buildings planned for the interior of the fort subsequently had to adapt to the main streets that were shifted cross-shaped towards the center of the camp. In doing so, the excavated buildings were not just turned around, they were also planned at an oblique angle. As usual with the camps belonging to this period, the enclosure had round corners, each with a watchtower. The north-western corner tower, excavated in 1887, was still around 0.50 meters high when it was excavated. Its wall thickness was around 1.2 meters on the outside, on the flanks and on the back facing the camp the excavators measured only 0.85 to 1.00 meters. According to the excavation findings, there was otherwise only one intermediate tower in the southeastern Retentura , the rear half of the camp. All four gates of the complex are equipped with a double entrance, which is flanked by two gate towers. The double pointed trenches surrounding the fort follow the curves of the fort wall and stop at the four gateways. Recent studies have shown that the camp in the south had only one ditch. But it was particularly wide and deep.

Interior development

Of the excavated foundations of the Principia (staff building) in the center of the fort, only slight elevations in the area can be seen today. What is remarkable is the lack of the large, rectangular multi-purpose hall that was otherwise common for staff buildings at the time on the Raetian Limes, which stood across the front of the administrative buildings. The geomagnetic exploration of 2000 was able to supplement the excavated floor plan. The administration rooms, the prison and the armory were grouped around a slightly shifted rectangular inner courtyard. Two rectangular anomalies of almost the same size, lying next to each other, which Becker was able to detect on the open space of this courtyard, are interpreted as post-Roman times. Two heatable rooms in the north and south-west corner are known from the old excavations. The flag sanctuary, which can be found in all forts with independent crews, and which was always in the middle of the rear suite of a staff building, does not yet have a semicircular apse in Pfünz. The design of the sanctuary with apses in the Roman castles, especially in the Germanic area, has only been customary since the middle of the 2nd century, which makes a stone extension of the fort more likely in the first half of the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161). The found building inscription from those years cannot be dated. What is unusual about the Pfünz Principia is the lack of the large vestibule typical of this period in the Germanic provinces and Raetia, which usually stood across the Via principalis , which connected the west and east gates in Pfünz. The development of these lobbies could also have started from Rhaetians. The oldest to date was built in Künzing Fort around 90 AD. A bronze toe fragment comes from the staff building, which could have belonged to an imperial tank statue as it was once placed in the flag shrine. The fragment dates to the first half of the 3rd century.

Two Horrea (storage buildings) are known to the west of the headquarters building ; to the east, the commandant's house ( praetorium ), which is around 25 × 30 m in size, is believed to have been found in its actual structures, however, neither through the historical excavations nor through the magnetic field measurements. The RLK had already identified a large cistern south of the Principia northeast corner. The water reservoir, which was refilled by the excavators at the time with its excavation, is characterized by an extraordinary magnetic field anomaly, which is obviously caused by highly magnetic fire debris. This gives an indication of the violent end of the fort. A very similar irregularity was found in the geomagnetic prospecting of Fort Theilenhofen . There, too, a cistern is suspected in the same place. A 20 × 30 meter large stone building is known to the south of the two storage buildings already mentioned, which still shows the remains of strong wall templates on its east wall, as they are generally known from the Horrea . Between the south-west tower and the Porta decumana was a large stone double barrack, of which the RLK could already see around 40-meter-long base walls. All other accommodations for horse and rider have been built in plastered half-timbered construction. Left and right of Via praetoria , the main street in the front camp ( Praetentura ), two more double barracks could be made out near the Praetorial Front. Between these and the Principa there were two normal crew quarters. Opposite the already mentioned stone barracks in the rear camp ( Retentura ), on the other side of Via decumana , the main street behind the staff building, there was another double barrack made of wood. The head buildings, in which the centurion and possibly other officers, NCOs and staff lived, faced the Via praetoria and the Via decumana . The ground plans have the same dimensions as in Pförring and Theilenhofen, which suggests a very similar troop strength in these forts.

In front of the Porta praetoria (north gate) of the complex, west of the road leading out there, the excavators discovered a 37 × 14 meter large horreum (storage building). In addition to the storage building uncovered in the fort area, Pfünz thus owned an additional warehouse.

A general renovation of the fort took place around thirty years after the stone was removed. It is discussed whether the buildings were already showing signs of age weakness at this point in time or whether the building inscription for the years 183/184 is not an indication of the removal of severe damage during the Marcomann Wars. The reconstruction of the upstream Limes Fort Böhming , whose stone buildings were erected "above the fire layer of the first buildings" and to which a preserved building inscription from the year 181 seems to belong , obviously took place at the same time .

Building inscriptions

The building inscription from the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius, today in the Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Eichstätt.

The building inscription from the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161) reads:

Imp (eratori) Cae (sari) Tito
Ael (io) Hadr (iano)
Antonino
Aug (usto) Pio
coh (ors) I Br (eucorum) c (ivium) R (omanorum)

Translation: “For Emperor Titus Aelius Hadrianus Augustus Pius. The first cohort of Breuker Roman citizens. "

The original of this inscription is now in the Museum of Prehistory and Early History in Eichstätt.

Cast of the building inscription from the years 183/184

The building inscription created in 183/184 AD from the reign of Emperor Commodus (180 to 192) reads:

[Imp (eratori) Caes (ari)] M (arco) Aurel (io)
[Com [(modo)] Anto-
[nino Pio] Aug (usto) Germ (anico)
[Sarma] tic (o) co (n) s (uli) IIII
[coh (ors) I] Breuc (orum)
[Spicio] Ceriale
[leg (ato) Aug (usti)] pr (o) pr (aetore)

Translation: “For Emperor Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Pius Augustus, the victor over Teutons and Sarmatians, in the fourth consulate. The 1st cohort of the Breuker under Spicius Cerialis , imperial governor with the rank of praetor. "

From a third architectural or honorary inscription, which among other things connects Thomas Fischer with an inspection trip by Emperor Caracalla (211-217) after his victory over the Alamanni in 213, only a few loose bronze letters remained. Stone tablets with letters applied are also known from the Eining , Kösching Faimingen , Steinkirchen , Böbingen , Saalburg and Feldberg , Pförring , Oberhochstatt and Gnotzheim forts .

destruction

The Pfünz excavators had observed two horizons of destruction at the gates, with the older one being attributed to a marcomanni attack. For an unknown reason, at a questionable point in time, an entrance to the Porta principalis sinistra (left western side gate) was walled up. At least the last destruction in the 3rd century - according to earlier unanimous scientific opinion in the period of the first Alemanni storm 233/234 - happened suddenly and as a result of an unexpected attack on the fort. In addition to the younger, thick layer of fire, the finds of three iron shield bosses leaning against the wall in the east tower of the south gate (Porta decumana) are evidence of this surprise . The associated, past shields had probably been placed there and obviously could no longer be reached by their owners. Further remains of the shield are said to have been found in front of the gate and skeletons of presumably slain people lay in the southern gate tower. At the southwest corner of the Principia was an iron chain with a lockable ring in which the lower leg bone of a prisoner was still stuck. Due to the unexpected attack, the person could not be released from prison and she was burned with the staff building. Furthermore, two horse skeletons and four lance tips were recovered from this destruction horizon in the walled-up passage at the west tower.

Pfünz, Osterburken and the Niederbieber fort are considered rare examples where evidence of a fighting demise of the fort crews could be provided. In addition to the Pfünzer fort, its camp village ( vicus ) was also destroyed. A later reconstruction and a new occupation of the fort up to the final fall of the Limes around 259/260 have not yet been proven. While scientists have long assumed the thesis of an all-destructive Alemanni attack, the American historian Lawrence Okamura came up with a new thesis. According to him, a surprise attack on the very exposed Pfünz Castle is unlikely. Even if the Alamanni had come across the camp village on the rocky spur, the guards would still have had time to alert. Apparently this did not happen. According to the findings of a sudden extermination, Okamura assumed that the fort crew may not have recognized their attackers as such and perhaps opened the gate for them themselves. If that were so, then, according to Okamura, the enemy would also have to have been a Roman troop, which in the course of their action would not only have plundered and destroyed the military facilities but also the adjacent camp village. The historian therefore came to the conclusion that this event was attributed to the successful usurpation of Maximinus Thrax in 235. As an active officer, Maximinus, in contrast to the ruling emperor Severus Alexander, was able to bring the majority of the troops behind him. Pfünz may therefore think of internal Roman battles, which were not unusual during the 3rd century. But Okamura's considerations cannot be proven either, as occasionally picked up coins from the camp village until the reign of Emperor Gordian III. (238–244) range. In 2008, Fischer expressed himself more cautiously on the basis of these findings and named the years "around the middle of the 3rd century" as the period of destruction .

Officers and troops

The only troop known from Pfünz is a roughly 500-man strong, partially mounted border guard division of Roman citizens, which consisted of ten platoons , including six infantry groups (Centurien) and a cavalry regiment of four squadrons (Turmae). This troop constellation, typical of the Rhaetian Limes region, was called Cohors equitata in antiquity . The full name of this border protection command was Cohors I Breucorum civium Romanorum equitata from the 2nd century on . At times she held honorary titles such as Valeria victrix and torquata ob virtutem appelata . In some inscriptions from Pfünz it is also called Cohors I Breucorum Antoniniana . The earliest known mention of this association comes from May 13, 86 AD. A very well-preserved military diploma, which was presumably found in Bulgaria and was first published in 2008, names the Cohors I Breucorum - still without an honorary title - as stationed in Raetia. At that time, the Supreme Commander of the Rhaetian Army was Titus Flavius ​​Norbanus.

Several officers of the Castra Vetoniana are known by name. On a tombstone from Nassenfels ( Vicus Scuttariensium ) discovered during excavations in 1911 , it is reported that the Pfünz border guard commander ( Praefectus cohortis ) Puplius Crepereius Verecundus carried his wife Valeria Honorata to his grave. The inscription reads:

Dis ma-
nibus
Valeriae
Honora-
tae P (Ubli) Cre
Perei Ve-
recundi praef (ECTI)
coh (ortis) I Breu (corum) uxori

Translation: “To the gods of killing. For Valeria Honorata, the wife of Publius Crepereius Verecundus, the commander of the 1st cohort of the Breuker. "

The inscription does not give a year. The already mentioned building inscription of Kastell Böhming shows that Centurio Aelius Fortis was the cohort leader in Pfünz in 181. Further officers are the Decurio Julius Maximus , who is responsible for a squadron ( tower ) of the troops from the dedicatory inscription mentioned above , the Decurio Flavus Alpinus and the Decurio Flavus Norsanus. Crispus Paternus, who led a centurion , is known for the foot troops . The damaged consecration altar of Decurios Titus Flavius ​​Romanus, which came to light in 1857 during the demolition of the Nikolauskirche, became known beyond the national borders. The officer from the city of Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum , which is now in the Netherlands , with the nickname Romanus (the Roman) served in an Ala I Flavia (1st Flavian cavalry unit). The closest Ala of this name from Pfünz was Ala I Flavia singularium civium Romanorum pia fidelis in Fort Pförring , who was granted Roman citizenship . A bronze armored fitting found during the excavations in the fort in 1900 bore the names of several owners, which can no longer be easily identified. On the left margin: C (enturia) Memoris Cerialis (or Cerini ), on the right margin: C (enturia) Patru (ini) C (enturia) Ma (n) sueti Terti . The piece to be found in Eichstätt today dates to the 3rd century AD. Two translation options : Centurie des Memor, property of the Cerealis; Century of Patruinus; Centurie des Ma (n) suetus, property of Tertius or Centurie des Memor Cerealis; Century of Patruinus; Century of Ma (n) suetus Tertius .

Border patrol commanders of the Cohors I Breucorum civium Romanorum

Surname rank Time position comment
Publius Crepereius Verecundus Praefectus cohortis approx. 106/117 ~ 120/125 his wife Valeria Honorata died in Nassenfels
Marcus Tullius Liberalis Praefectus cohortis approx. 9/254 is mentioned in an epitaph in Asia Minor Tarsus
Caius Geminus Priscus Praefectus cohortis approx. 40/254 is in an honorary inscription in the northern Italian Lomello called
Marcus Aulius Albinus Praefectus cohortis approx. 101/200 AD is mentioned on a statue base or a pedestal from Alvignano in southern Italy
Aelius Fortis Praepositus cohortis and Centurio legionis 181 supervised construction work at Böhming Castle

Dedicatory inscription

From Böhming there is a datable dedicatory inscription from the reign of Emperor Caracallas, which comes from the Cohors I Breucorum in Pfünz and which may have been erected after a successful military campaign. (Reference number: IBR 00290)

] Fo [r] -
[tuna] e Red (uci)
[coh (ors) I Br (eucorum)] Anto (niniana)
v (otum) [s (olvit) l (ibens)] l (aetus) m (erito )
Laeto II co (n) [s (ule)]

Translation: “The returning Fortuna. The 1st cohort of the Breuker has honored their vows gladly, happily and for a fee under the consul Laetus II. "

The established term Fortuna Redux has been handed down on both stone inscriptions and coins. The Romans used it for Jupiter and Fortuna in reference to a happy homecoming given to them by these gods. Quintus Maecius Laetus II was consul with Marcus Munatius Sulla Cerialis in 215. As already mentioned, Emperor Caracalla ruled at this time , who demonstrably undertook his Germanic campaign in the year 213 .

Vicus I

The road running out of the south gate led over Nassenfels to the Danube. The vicus extending to the left and right of the preserved road embankment reached approximately to the edge of the forest today (status 1993).

The excavators paid special attention to the civilian area of ​​the camp village built in the course of the fortification, the vicus , as well as the adjacent burial ground. It was found that the camp village beginning behind the south gate spread out about 400 meters in a southerly direction. 137 objects were recognized, mostly brick remains of the longhouses typical of Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes forts, of cellars, pits and cisterns that lined up along the road to the south. The discovery of three temples was important. A sanctuary, the Dolichenum discussed below, was in front of the south gate. The second temple, a circular complex with three cult niches, was located at the southern end of the camp village. The three deities worshiped there can only be guessed at. To the south-east of the cremation grave field, which was opposite the three-niche temple along the road, the third, rather small temple with vestibule and cella was excavated.

Together with the fort, the vicus and the infrastructure of the square were also destroyed. During the excavation, traces of fire were found everywhere, and burned human bones were found in one of the houses. The sudden, devastating attack meant that the residents did not even find the time to hide their valuables. A looting of the often valuable objects by the attackers took place either only superficially or not at all. In addition to the hoard from the Dolichenum, the excavators discovered complete, partly high-quality militaria (parade armor, riding helmets, weapons), bronze vessels, tools and other jewelry.

By finding the objects mentioned and the fact that hollow bricks and heating tiles for underfloor heating as well as terra sigillata were discovered in the vicus , it could be concluded that there must have been wealthier strata of the population in Pfünz who could afford certain Roman amenities.

Jupiter Dolichenus Sanctuary

The daggerium with entries of some places where important objects were found

A building around 50 meters from the south gate was dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus , a soldier god from Asia Minor. The Dolichenum was excavated in 1888. The almost rectangular temple had a length of 21.10 and 21.45 meters and a width of 18 and 18.20 meters. The 0.90 meter thick enclosing walls of the Holy District were still preserved at a height of between 0.20 and 0.50 meters. The 4.80 × 4.80 meters large cella , which is almost in the axis of the cult area, 1.20 meters from the western perimeter wall , was open to the east. A room built to the north between the cella and the north longitudinal wall was referred to by the excavators as the sacristy. The 1.70 meter deep rectangular pit at the side in front of the cella could have served as a cellar or cistern. The found masonry bases in the Holy District once carried votive stones. During the excavation, two votive tablets made of sheet bronze with the inscription Iovi Optimo Maximo Dolicheno were discovered in the Dolichenum . One was named after the consecrating priest Demittius (= Domitius). On a third piece of bronze plate, the inscription is only illegible.

From the rubble of the temple, the excavators unearthed a hoard of closely spaced pieces of jewelry and money: In addition to a clay vessel covered with a slate of slate, two bracelets, a carnelian without a setting, a finger ring with carnelian and 95 silver denars were discovered. Next to it were the remains of a person who might have tried to save the valuables. The oldest piece from the Münzhort, also known as the Pfünzer Münzschatz , was a coinage by Faustina Minor († 176). It ended with six denarii from Julia Mamaea († 235). The three most represented coin types were the emperor Septimius Severus (193–211) with twelve pieces, Elagabal (218–222) with 22 pieces and Alexander Severus (222–235) with 30 pieces. With the exception of the single denarius Faustina Minor, all coins date from the Severan epoch (193–235). The final coin is from the year 232.

In addition to this hoard, two Victoria statuettes made of tin-plated bronze were recovered in the temple area, one of which was found in front of the cella and the other in the entrance area. It turned out that these 0.89 and 0.78 meter high figures, each carrying a laurel wreath and a palm branch, once crowned the tips of votive triangles. Both representations are now considered lost. In the summer of 1997 a walker found another Victoria statuette in the area of ​​the temple, which - standing on a globe - also carried a palm branch and a lost laurel wreath.

In front of the temple area, a 3.5 meter deep cistern was uncovered, which was apparently needed for ritual acts.

The cult's decline began after 235 with the end of the Severan dynasty. Most of the sanctuaries were abandoned or burned down. There is very little evidence of the worship of Jupiter-Dolichenus from the following epoch.

Burial ground

The fire burial ground south of the camp village could be developed over a length of 70 meters. Even further south, two groups of burial mounds, consisting of seven mounds, were interpreted as definitely Roman times.

Vicus II: artisan quarter

The area of ​​the vicus that was no longer included in the publications of the Reich Limes Commission is the craftsmen's quarter. It was located in the east of the fort on the valley floor between Pfünzer Bach and the steep slope leading to the fort plateau. The excavation findings for this excavation sector, which were never fully published, included three pottery furnaces, iron smelting and forging furnaces, building remains, cisterns, wells, waste pits and more. Although the actual camp village area on the 40 meter high mountain spur was ideally suited for defense, the craftsmen could not find the infrastructure they needed there. A constant water supply was important for the many companies, which is why they were founded on the Pfünzer Bachlauf.

Fort bath

The thermal baths examined by Friedrich Winkelmann at the end of the 19th century

North of the iron melt, also in the valley and directly below the east gate, the well-preserved foundations of a large fort bath, the floor of which consisted of high-quality Solnhofen limestone , could be examined, which was accessible from the fort via a serpentine path. After it was uncovered in the 19th century, knowledge of the exact location of this pool, which belonged to the row type, was temporarily lost. The long side of the building was exactly aligned.

A geomagnetic inspection of the pool and its surroundings, which took place in the course of the discovery of a possible mansio in 2010, recorded anomalies between the thermal baths and the slope of the mountain spur, which could indicate buildings that were buried in post-Roman times by debris and earth.

Mansio

The mansio according to aerial photographs and geomagnetic prospection

In the summer of 2010, an aerial photo overflight revealed the structures of a complex, roughly 40 × 34 meter rectangular building south of the thermal baths. The long side of the building, like the bathroom, had an atrium courtyard that narrowed and opened towards the south and a two-meter-wide walkway that was recognizable to the west, east and north and adjoined at least 16 rectangular groups of rooms. The aerial photo exploration was followed shortly after the discovery by a geomagnetic prospecting by the Institute for Prehistory and Protohistory of the Christian Albrechts University in Kiel in cooperation with the Bavarian State Monuments Office. The archaeologists suspect a mansio , a Roman inn with a tensioning station, in the building . Recorded structures of this type with a similar floor plan have been excavated in Great Britain.

Post-Roman development

The inscription for Sedatus

Like many ancient sites, the camp ruin was viewed as an attractive quarry from the Middle Ages to modern times. Among other things, the parish church of St. Nicholas was built from their material 50 meters from the northeast corner of the fort. At the beginning of the 16th century this church was moved to the nearby village. The church fell into disrepair; was completely demolished in the 19th century and its building materials were used again in the village. From the abandoned Nikolauskapelle come not only large-format lime and tuff blocks as well as fragments of tin lids, which served as a secondary foundation, but also a consecration altar, which, after the excavation carried out by Johann Nepomuk von Raiser, lay as a step in front of a Pfünzer house from 1809. It is dedicated to the provincial god Sedatus from Illyria and reads:

Sedato
sacrum
coh (ors) I Bre (ucorum)
ex v (oto) s (olvit) l (ibens)
v (otum) s (olvit) c (uram) a (gente) Iul (io)
Maxim-
o dec (urione )

Translation: “Consecrated to Sedatus. The 1st cohort of the Breuker has happily redeemed its vow after taking a vow under the leadership of Decurios Julius Maximus. "

Important find

Militaria

Various fragments of parade armor salvaged from the fire rubble of the staff building, which most likely got into the ground during the final destruction, are to be emphasized. This includes the fragment of a short neck protector decorated with acanthus tendrils, which once belonged to a mask helmet , as well as a figuratively decorated left chest striking plate from the northwest corner tower, which is dated to the first third of the 3rd century.

Terra Sigillata

Up until the beginning of the 1960s, there were a total of 337 fragments of this set of dishes from the fort, vicus and burial ground, which was not missing in any upscale household in Roman antiquity . They had been compared with the 319 Rheinzabernern picture bowl fragments from Köngen , which were already identifiable at that time . On Terra Sigillata found in Pfünz , stamps of Primitivus (Rheinzabern / Bernhard Gruppe II c), Julius II-Julianus I (Rheinzabern / Bernhard Gruppe III a) of Victor I and the early producer Ianu I ( Drag. 37 ) were identified all had their workshops in Rheinzabern ( Tabernae ). Primitivus goods were also found in other places in Raetia, such as the Schwabegg factory, which opened around 200 on the trunk road from Augusta Vindelicum ( Augsburg ) to Cambodunum ( Kempten ). There even 19 mold key punches of the Rhinelander were molded or adopted. If Pfünz had been finally destroyed in AD 233, the aforementioned sigillata factories would have been in operation as early as the first third of the 3rd century. The archaeologist and specialist in Roman ceramics, Hans-Günther Simon (1925–1991), discovered in 1962 that the productions of the manufacturers Primitivus and Julius II-Julianus I probably extended beyond the time of the destruction of Pfünz. Sigillata of a Dagodu (b) nus was also found in Pfünz . Its production facility is still unknown and could either be in Lezoux near Clermont-Ferrand in Gaul or in Rheinzabern . Both were manufacturing centers for sigillata production. Dagodubnus goods also appear in Regensburg , Kösching and Great Britain. The probable end of general production in Rheinzabern was in the past in the years 260/270 AD. Four vessels of Victor I or those of an imitator are regarded as “final sigillates” for Fort Pfünz , whereby in this case it is assumed that the date of destruction or abandonment of the garrison location was after 240 AD.

Capacity vessels ( Modii )

Since its discovery in 1885 in the 9 × 23 meter large Horreum near the Principia , an iron rod on which an isosceles, once rotatable cross sat, has always been interpreted as a field survey device ( groma ). After all, the considerations of the archaeologist Dietwulf Baatz were decisive in considering the iron object as a fragment of a modius (bushel), a Roman grain measure of around eight liters, from the early 3rd century. The fact that the equipment was found during the excavations of the RLK in the Horreum also fits this statement . The Modius was used as a measure of capacity for dry bulk material, for example grain. In Pfünz it consisted of a cylindrical or truncated cone-shaped wooden body, which was assembled from individual barrel staves. The iron rod obtained was attached to the center of the base plate. The rotating cross was used to wipe off the bulk material that was piled too high over the edge and thus to obtain a "streaked measure". A comparable mode of the late 1st century, but made entirely of metal and provided with quantities, was found on Hadrian's Wall at Magnis Castle (Carvoran). As a monthly ration , an infantryman received 4 Modii wheat, (around 27 kg), which meant a daily ration of around 0.9 kg. The soldiers in the crew quarters independently ground the grain on a small hand mill and processed it into bread or porridge. 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. Today, research assumes that this and all similar metal finds have always been the remains of a measuring vessel ( Modius ).

Everyday items

Hans-Jürgen Eggers assigned two saucepans in the system he set up to level B 2 and a bucket and three ladles (or sieves) to level B 2 or C 1.

Lost property

Finds from the fort and vicus can be found in the Museum of Prehistory and Early History at Willibaldsburg in Eichstätt and - like the inscription for Sedatus - in the Roman Museum in Augsburg . The permanent collection of the Roman Museum Augsburg in the Dominican Church has been closed since December 2012.

Monument protection

Fort Pfünz and the facilities mentioned have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage as a section of the Upper German-Rhaetian Limes since 2005 . In addition, they are protected as registered ground monuments within the meaning of the Bavarian Monument Protection Act (BayDSchG) . Investigations and targeted collection of finds are subject to authorization, accidental finds must be reported to the monument authorities.

See also

literature

General

  • Dietwulf Baatz : The Roman Limes. Archaeological excursions between the Rhine and the Danube . 4th edition, Gebr. Mann, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-7861-2347-0 , p. 308 ff.
  • Thomas Fischer , Erika Riedmeier-Fischer: The Roman Limes in Bavaria. Pustet, Regensburg 2008. ISBN 978-3-7917-2120-0 .
  • Thomas Fischer in: Wolfgang Czysz among other things: The Romans in Bavaria. Nikol, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-937872-11-6 , p. 500 f.
  • Thomas Fischer: forts Ruffenhofen, Dambach, Unterschwaningen, Gnotzheim, Gunzenhausen, Theilenhofen, Böhming, Pfünz, Eining . In: Jochen Garbsch (Ed.): The Roman Limes in Bavaria. 100 years of Limes research in Bavaria . Exhibition catalogs of the Prehistoric State Collection 22, 1992, p. 37 ff.
  • Günter Ulbert , Thomas Fischer: The Limes in Bavaria . Theiss, Stuttgart 1983, ISBN 3-8062-0351-2 , p. 94 ff.

Individual studies

  • Dietwulf Baatz: Groma or Modius? A find from the Limes Fort Pfünz. Bavarian history sheets 59, pp. 73-83, Beck, Munich 1994.
  • Wolfgang Czysz: A pottery of Terra Sigillata vessels near Schwabegg, Augsburg district, Swabia. In: The Archaeological Year in Bavaria , 1980.
  • Jörg Fassbinder: New results of the geophysical prospection on the Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes . In: Andreas Thiel (ed.): New research on the Limes . 4th specialist colloquium of the German Limes Commission 27./28. February 2007 in Osterburken. Theiss, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-8062-2251-7 (= contributions to the Limes World Heritage Site, 3), pp. 155–171, especially pp. 163–167.
  • Thomas Fischer: A bronze foundry in the camp village of the Roman fort Pfünz, Gde. Walting, district of Eichstätt, Upper Bavaria. In: Bavarian History Leaflets 49 , 1984, 299 f.
  • Horst Herzog: The Pfünzer Coin Treasure. In: Collective sheet of the historical association Eichstätt 86. Eichstätt 1993. S. 7–61.
  • Carsten Mischka : The newly discovered mansio in the outer settlement of Fort Pfünz . In: The Limes. News bulletin of the German Limens Commission . 5th year 2011, issue 1, pp. 8-13. ( also online ; PDF; 3.9 MB)
  • Friedrich Winkelmann : The fort Pfuenz. In: Ernst Fabricius , Felix Hettner , Oscar von Sarwey (ed.): The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes of the Roemerreiches B VII No. 73 (1901).
  • Friedrich Winkelmann: The excavations at Pfünz in 1891 . In: Collective sheet of the Historical Association Eichstätt 6, 1891, pp. 67–75.
  • Friedrich Winkelmann: The excavations at Pfünz in 1890 . In: Collective sheet of the historical association Eichstätt 5, 1890, pp. 71–80.
  • Friedrich Winkelmann: Results of the excavations at Pfünz in 1889 . In: Collective sheet of the historical association Eichstätt 4, 1889, pp. 93–98.
  • Karl Zecherle: Ex ruinis extruxit: the reconstruction of the Roman fort Pfünz near Eichstätt. In: Schönere Heimat 81, 1992, pp. 82–86.

Web links

Commons : Kastell Pfünz  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b Jörg Fassbinder: New results of the geophysical prospection on the Upper German-Raetian Limes . In: Andreas Thiel (ed.): New research on the Limes , Volume 3, Theiss, Stuttgart 2008. ISBN 978-3-8062-2251-7 . P. 163.
  2. ↑ 48 ° 56 '46 "  N , 11 ° 21' 39"  E
  3. ↑ a b c d Thomas Fischer, Erika Riedmeier Fischer: The Roman Limes in Bavaria . Pustet, Regensburg 2008. ISBN 978-3-7917-2120-0 . P. 139f
  4. ↑ a b CIL 03, 05918 .
  5. ^ A b Walter E. Keller, Walter Grabert: The Romans on the Limes . 5th revised edition, Keller, Treuchtlingen 1998, ISBN 3-924828-49-0 , p. 71
  6. ^ A b Karl Zecherle: History of Fort Pfünz near Eichstätt . In: Schönere Heimat , No. 2/92. Membership magazine of the Bavarian State Association for Home Care, 1992. pp. 82–86.
  7. ↑ Jörg Fassbinder: New results of the geophysical prospection at the Upper German-Raetian Limes . In: Andreas Thiel (ed.): New research on the Limes , Volume 3, Theiss, Stuttgart 2008. ISBN 978-3-8062-2251-7 . P. 164.
  8. ↑ Hartwig Schmidt : Archaeological Monuments in Germany - Reconstructed and rebuilt , Theiss, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8062-1395-X . P. 109.
  9. ^ Britta Rabold, Egon Schallmayer , Andreas Thiel: Der Limes , Theiss, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8062-1461-1 . P. 136.
  10. ↑ a b CIL 03, 11930 .
  11. ^ Anne Johnson (German adaptation by Dietwulf Baatz ): Römische Kastelle . von Zabern, Mainz 1987, ISBN 3-8053-0868-X , p. 112.
  12. ^ Anne Johnson (German adaptation by Dietwulf Baatz): Römische Kastelle , von Zabern, Mainz 1987, ISBN 3-8053-0868-X , p. 58.
  13. ^ Anne Johnson (German adaptation by Dietwulf Baatz ): Römische Kastelle , von Zabern, Mainz 1987, ISBN 3-8053-0868-X , p. 54.
  14. ↑ Jörg Fassbinder: New results of the geophysical prospection at the Upper German-Raetian Limes . In: Andreas Thiel (ed.): New research on the Limes , Volume 3, Theiss, Stuttgart 2008. ISBN 978-3-8062-2251-7 . P. 165.
  15. ^ Anne Johnson (German adaptation by Dietwulf Baatz ): Römische Kastelle . von Zabern, Mainz 1987, ISBN 3-8053-0868-X , p. 152.
  16. ^ Anne Johnson (German adaptation by Dietwulf Baatz ): Römische Kastelle . von Zabern, Mainz 1987, ISBN 3-8053-0868-X , p. 145.
  17. ↑ Martin Kemkes : The image of the emperor on the border - A new large bronze fragment from the Raetian Limes . In: Andreas Thiel (Ed.): Research on the function of the Limes , Volume 2, Theiss, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-8062-2117-6 , p. 144.
  18. ↑ a b Jörg Fassbinder: New results of the geophysical prospection on the Upper German-Raetian Limes . In: Andreas Thiel (ed.): New research on the Limes , Volume 3, Theiss, Stuttgart 2008. ISBN 978-3-8062-2251-7 . P. 166.
  19. ^ Anne Johnson (German adaptation by Dietwulf Baatz ): Römische Kastelle . von Zabern, Mainz 1987, ISBN 3-8053-0868-X , p. 188 ff.
  20. ↑ Jörg Fassbinder: New results of the geophysical prospection at the Upper German-Raetian Limes . In: Andreas Thiel (ed.): New research on the Limes , Volume 3, Theiss, Stuttgart 2008. ISBN 978-3-8062-2251-7 . P. 167.
  21. ↑ Britta Rabold, Egon Schallmayer, Andreas Thiel: Der Limes , Theiss, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8062-1461-1 , p. 135
  22. ↑ CIL 03, 14370 .
  23. ↑ Hans-Jörg Kellner : Raetien and the Marcomann wars . In: Bavarian History Leaves 30, 1965, pp. 154-174; the same in: Richard Klein (ed.): Marc Aurel (=  ways of research 550) Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1979. ISBN 3-534-07802-0 , pp. 226-260; here: p. 227.
  24. ↑ CIL 03, 11933 .
  25. ^ Günter Ulbert , Thomas Fischer: The Limes in Bavaria. Theiss, Stuttgart 1983, ISBN 3-8062-0351-2 ; Barbara Pferdehirt : The ceramics of the Holzhausen fort . (=  Limesforschungen 16), Mann, Berlin 1976. ISBN 3-7861-1070-0 , p. 18; The bronze letters from the excavations of the Imperial Limes Commission in the archaeological image database of Arachne ; Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  26. ^ Günter Ulbert, Thomas Fischer: The Limes in Bavaria . Theiss, Stuttgart 1983, ISBN 3-8062-0351-2 , p. 99.
  27. ↑ Thomas Fischer, in: Thomas Fischer, Wolfgang Czysz , Karlheinz Dietz , Hans-Jörg Kellner: The Romans in Bavaria . Theiss, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8062-1058-6 . P. 501.
  28. ^ Günter Ulbert, Thomas Fischer: The Limes in Bavaria . Theiss, Stuttgart 1983, ISBN 3-8062-0351-2 , p. 98 ff.
  29. ↑ a b Frank Unruh: castles at the end. Teutons or Romans. Raids on Pfünz and Niederbieber. In: Hans-Peter Kuhnen (Ed.): Stormed - Cleared - Forgotten? The Limesfall and the end of Roman rule in southwest Germany. Württembergisches Landesmuseum, Stuttgart 1992. ISBN 3-8062-1056-X . Pp. 67-68; here: p. 67.
  30. ↑ a b Thomas Fischer, Erika Riedmeier Fischer: The Roman Limes in Bavaria . Pustet, Regensburg 2008. ISBN 978-3-7917-2120-0 . P. 141.
  31. ↑ CIL 03, 11935 ; CIL 03, 06530 .
  32. ^ Werner Eck: Bureaucracy and Politics in the Roman Empire. Administrative routine and political reflexes in the civil rights constitutions of the Roman emperors . Springer VS, Wiesbaden 2012, ISBN 978-3-531-18742-6 , pp. 83-85.
  33. ↑ Karlheinz Dietz : Comments on inscriptions from Nassenfels, district of Eichstätt, Upper Bavaria . In: Bavarian History Leaves 71 (2006), pp. 36–37.
  34. ↑ CIL 03, 11938 .
  35. ↑ CIL 03, 11939 .
  36. ↑ CIL 03, 11937 .
  37. ↑ CIL 03, 05918b .
  38. ↑ AE 2000, 01869 ; CIL 03, 13558 ; Jochen Garbsch (ed.) With contributions by Hans-Jörg Kellner, Franz Kiechle and Maria Kohlert: Roman parade armor , exhibition catalog of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg and the Prehistoric State Collection Munich, Beck, Munich 1978, ISBN 3-406-07259-3 . P. 79; Heinz Menzel: Roman bronzes from Bavaria , Augsburg 1969. p. 48.
  39. ↑ CIL 03, 13622 .
  40. ↑ CIL 05, 06478 .
  41. ↑ CIL 10, 04619 .
  42. ↑ Alison E. Cooley: The Cambridge Manual of Latin Epigraphy . Cambridge University Press, 2012, ISBN 978-0-521-84026-2 , p. 476.
  43. ↑ Monika Hörig, Elmar Schwertheim : Corpus cultus Iovis Dolicheni (CCID). Brill, Leiden 1987. ISBN 90-04-07665-4 . P. 305.
  44. ↑ CIL 03, 11926 ; CIL 03, 11927 .
  45. ↑ Monika Hörig, Elmar Schwertheim: Corpus cultus Iovis Dolicheni (CCID). Brill, Leiden 1987. ISBN 90-04-07665-4 . P. 306.
  46. ↑ CIL 03, 11928 .
  47. ↑ a b Monika Hörig, Elmar Schwertheim: Corpus cultus Iovis Dolicheni (CCID). Brill, Leiden 1987. ISBN 90-04-07665-4 . P. 308.
  48. ↑ Péter Kiss, Réka Mladoniczki, Jörg Scheuerbrandt, Eszter Harsányi: The Colonia Claudia Savaria from the middle of the 1st to the 3rd century AD Colonia Claudia Savaria a Kr. U. 1. sz. közepe és a 3rd sz. között. In: On behalf of the eagle. A római sas szolgálatában. Publius Ferrasius Avitus. Book accompanying the German-Hungarian special exhibition 2012. ISBN 978-3-00-037759-4 . P. 90.
  49. Jump up ↑ Britta Rabold, Egon Schallmayer, Andreas Thiel: Der Limes , Theiss, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8062-1461-1 , p. 120.
  50. ↑ Carsten Mischka : The newly discovered mansio in the outer settlement of Fort Pfünz. In: The Limes. Issue 1. 5. Volume 2011. News bulletin of the German Limes Commission. Munich 2011. p. 13.
  51. ↑ Carsten Mischka: The newly discovered mansio in the outer settlement of Fort Pfünz. In: The Limes. Issue 1. 5. Volume 2011. News bulletin of the German Limes Commission. Munich 2011. pp. 8–13.
  52. ^ Philipp Filtzinger, Dieter Planck, Bernhard Cämmerer : The Romans in Baden-Württemberg. Theiss, Stuttgart 1976. p. 205.
  53. ↑ Marcus Junkelmann: Horsemen like statues made of ore . von Zabern, Mainz 1996, ISBN 3-8053-1819-7 , p. 36.
  54. ^ Hermann Born, Marcus Junkelmann : Roman combat and tournament armor. Collection Guttmann Berlin. von Zabern, Mainz 1997. ISBN 978-3-8053-1668-2 . P. 74.
  55. ↑ Hans-Günther Simon : Terra sigillata from Köngen. In: Hartwig Zürn : Festschrift Wolfgang Kimmig , Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1971. ISBN 3-510-49019-3 , p. 258; Sigillata finds from the excavations of the Reichs-Limeskommission in the archaeological image database of Arachne ; Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  56. ↑ Barbara horse shepherd: The ceramics of the castle Holzhausen . (=  Limesforschungen 16), Mann, Berlin 1976. ISBN 3-7861-1070-0 , p. 20.
  57. ↑ Barbara horse shepherd: The ceramics of the castle Holzhausen . (=  Limesforschungen 16), Mann, Berlin 1976. ISBN 3-7861-1070-0 , p. 20 ff.
  58. ^ Find reports from Baden-Württemberg , Theiss, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8062-1727-0 , p. 724.
  59. ^ Andrea Faber: The Roman Auxiliary Fort and the Vicus of Regensburg-Kumpfmühl , Beck, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-406-35642-7 , p. 372, marginal note.
  60. ↑ Werner Zanier : The Roman fort Ellingen . Zabern (Limes Research Series, Volume 23), Mainz 1992, ISBN 3-8053-1264-4 , p. 124.
  61. ↑ Markus Scholz : Ceramics and history of the Kapersburg fort - an inventory . In: Saalburg-Jahrbuch 2002/2003, 52/53, pp. 9–282; here: p. 38.
  62. ↑ Dietwulf Baatz: Groma or Modius? A find from the Limes Fort Pfünz. Bavarian history sheets 59, pp. 73-83, C. H. Beck, Munich 1994.
  63. ↑ Marcus Junkelmann: Panis militaris - The nutrition of the Roman soldier or the basic material of power , von Zabern, Mainz 1997. ISBN 3-8053-2332-8 . P. 90 ff.
  64. ^ Margot Klee : The Roman Limes in Hesse. History and sites of the UNESCO World Heritage. Pustet, Regensburg 2009. ISBN 978-3-7917-2232-0 . Pp. 41-42.
  65. ↑ Hans-Jürgen Eggers: Chronology of the Imperial Era in Germania . In: Rise and Fall of the Roman World. Volume 5.1 . de Gruyter, Berlin 1976. ISBN 3-11-006690-4 . P. 27.