Szeged Castle

Szeged Castle
Alternative name	Partiscum
limes	Dacian Limes
section	A / I / 5
Dating (occupancy)	2nd century AD
Type	Cohort fort (?)
unit	a) Legio XIII Gemina (?), ; b) Auxiliary cohort (?)
State of preservation	overbuilt remains of Roman buildings in the city center; ; speculative, archaeologically not proven fort site
place	Szeged
Geographical location	46 ° 15 '9.2 " N , 20 ° 9' 1.5" E
height	88 m
Previous	Fort Cenad ; (east, A / I / 4)

Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

Pannonia and the Jazygenland in late antiquity.

Emperor Antoninus Pius

Szeged Castle , also known by its ancient name Partiscum , was a presumed Roman auxiliary troop camp and perhaps part of the outer line in the western fortress chain of the Dacian Limes (limes Daciae) , in the area of the city of Szeged , Csongrád-Csanád County , Hungary .

location

Szeged, which was first mentioned as Partiscum by Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD , is located in southern Hungary and in the southern part of the Great Hungarian Plain on the lower reaches of the Tisza , which flows into the Danube about 120 kilometers south in Serbia / Vojvodina . The Marosch ( Mureș ) flows into the Tisza at the eastern city limits . The Marosch also forms the natural border with Romania here . The remains of Roman buildings discovered in the middle of the Barbaricum , on the soil of the Sarmatic Jazygens , are now built over by the city center. In ancient times, an important traffic connection coming from the west led to Szeged and further over the Maroschtal to Innerdakien. The road connection started from the Lugio / Florentiam fort . This garrison, together with the late antique fortified shipping area, Burgus contra Florentiam, monitored the Pannonian Danube Limes and the border area around the road that meets the Roman Empire. Traces of Roman settlement could be found especially on the west bank of the Tisza under the fortress built in the Middle Ages.

Research history

During the demolition work on the Szeged fortress, which was last restored under the Empress and Queen Maria Theresa , a large number of spoils came to light between 1876 and 1883, a small part of which was of Roman origin. That by the etnographer Cs. Find material published for the first time by Sebestyén Károly (1876–1956) is not expressly of military origin and thus only attests to a settlement with a Roman influence.

During the construction of a canal for the city's sewer system, however, the engineer in charge István Kováts could have cut into the walls of the presumed fort in 1877. He enclosed a sketch with his report:

“During the excavation work, we came to the conclusion that this could be the third fortress in the same place. Proof of this are the 15 walls that were found underground, two of which are also indicated in the drawing, and which are parallel 300 meters apart; one of the walls lies between the fortress and the town hall and is 150 meters from the fortress. The other 13 walls run in different directions. "

The last-mentioned wall in particular attracted the attention of the archaeologist Pál Lakatos, since in this area, which was part of the fortress' bombardment area, not even trees were allowed to be planted until the 19th century. Old plans proved that there was never a building there in the early modern times. But the strength of the two parallel walls, which were found at a depth of 5.70 to 7.60 meters, is extremely strong at three meters for a castle from the Principate's time. In addition, a fort that, with a width of 300 meters, would be almost the dimensions of a legionary camp, would be unimaginable in this place. What these walls belonged to remains unknown without modern excavations. Rather, archaeologists such as Dénes Gabler suspect the Roman military station in the area of a castle palace from the Árpáden period , which was there on the southern defenses before the construction of the large fortress. Roman floor tiles were also discovered in situ in this area (see below). The small castle palace could have taken up structures from the fort. Since the presumed area at the corner of Vár Street and Deák Ferenc Street is now overbuilt, investigations have become impossible.

The area of the former Szeged fortress has not yet been systematically examined. Due to the medieval, early modern and modern overbuilding, no traces of the Roman fortifications have been preserved above ground. The dense concentration of the finds in this zone, however, indicates the location of the presumed fort. A fragment of alabaster relief discovered in the southern Szegedin district of Alsóváros in 1924 could also have reached the site in post-Roman times.

development

According to András Alföldi (1895–1981) the Romans founded a garrison in Szeged during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161) when Rome took its position against the Jazygens living between the Danube and the Carpathians and their north-western allies, the Germanic Quadi , had secured. A treaty between Romans and Jazygen probably secured the establishment of a settlement. As a result, Roman travel began between the Dunaszekcső (Lugio) castle and Dacia. Even after the province of Dacia was evacuated in 271, this highway could have existed. The Ländeburgus Contra Florentiam near Dunaszekcső, which was only built during the reign of Emperor Valentinian I (364–375), may point to this. Finds that would prove the continuity of settlement in Szeged in late antiquity have not yet come to light.

Initially, the fort suspected here could have been occupied by a legionary vexillation. Since the peace treaty of 175, dictated by the emperor Marcus Aurelius (161–180), Roman officials have also been on the territory of the always restless and rebellious Jazygen. As security for the Romans, the Jazygen had to take hostages according to the terms of the contract at the time.

In modern research there is still controversial discussion as to whether the Romans under Marcus Aurelius occupied the entire Tisza basin in order to establish two new provinces ( Sarmatia and Marcomannia ) there. The stratigraphic investigations of the archaeologist Sándor Soproni (1926–1995) on the Limes Sarmatiae , which was massively developed in late antiquity and which has been around the Jazygen region since then, seem to confirm this assumption. Soproni was also able to determine that work had already taken place - at least partially - in the area of this border wall under Marcus Aurelius. It is also clear that the Jazygen area should from now on act as a military buffer zone to relieve the Danube border with Pannonia . For the victory over the Sarmatians, Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus received the honorary title Sarmaticus (Maximus) in autumn 175 . Relevant finds suggest that Attila or Bleda temporarily set up their residences here in late antiquity (see also below).

function

At the latest with the establishment of the Roman province of Dacia after the Second Dacian War (105-106 AD), the direct road connection from Pannonia via Szeged to Dacia became even more important for Rome. Transports and troop contingents could be quickly shifted along their route without having to take the long detour along the Danube. In addition, in Szeged, where the Marosch / Mureș (lat .: Marisus ) from Transylvania flowed into the Tisza and ultimately into the Danube, shipping traffic could also be controlled at a prominent point. The auxiliary cohort, perhaps later stationed here, was also responsible for monitoring and securing the road connection to Micia , which ran on the southern bank of the Mureș in a south-easterly direction.

Mainly salt, gold and wood were transported on the water and land routes converging at Partiscum . The function of the ancient Partiscum as an important trading center is also illustrated by the consecration stone of a Roman official for road affairs, which is described in more detail below. The inscription shows that Partiscum must have been a stage for the state courier service - the Cursus publicus .

After the expansion of the Limes Sarmatiae, Szeged was almost exactly in the middle of this region stretching between the Danube and the Great Plain . The border fortifications bear witness to centuries of Roman attempts to get a grip on the Jazygens, who were difficult to control. Military outposts along the Limes Sarmatiae should also serve this purpose. In addition to the unfinished Valentine fortress Göd-Bócsaújtelep near the border, which was supposed to be at the beginning of the northern section of the Sarmatian Limes, the construction of the Hatvan-Gombospuszta castle began around two days' march (40 Roman miles ) east of the Danube and the large fort . The Ländeburgus Bács in the south of the lowlands was also built during this expansion phase .

Important finds

The research made it clear that the Roman finds made in the early modern fortress showed no connection to Jazygian material.

Votive altar

Szeged has been a strategically important border fortress since the Middle Ages, but after the Turkish wars , which had been devastating for Hungary, it became less and less important from 1686 onwards. When the fortress was demolished, several Roman finds came to light, including a votive altar built as a spoiler, which names a praefectus vehiculationis (superintendent for road traffic) as a dedicator :

[...]

cond (uctoris) p (ublici) p (ortorii)

et praef (ecti)

ve] hicul [o]

rum

Mercato (r)

vili (cus)

v (otum) s (olvit) l (ibens) m (erito)

According to Alföldi, the stone, which is heavily carved for secondary use, was created during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161).

Brick stamp

It is said that 38 Roman bricks were discovered in the fortress during the demolition work, but only seven of them were taken to the Ferenc Móra Museum in Szeged. Today only one remains. As far as was known, it is the only one to have a brick stamp with the brand IMP - probably for Imperator - and was therefore possibly burned in a brick factory that was under imperial administration. The archaeologist János Szilágyi (1907–1988), who became famous for his extensive work on the Roman brick stamps, dated this brick to the reigns of the Emperors Caracalla (211–217) or Elagabal (218–222). Other scientists assume that it was formed in the 2nd century AD.

Antefixum

Front tile with palmette and spiral lines on an ancient building.

Also from the overburden of the fortress came two fragments of an antefixum , a decorated front brick, of which only a part is preserved today. The piece made of red, hard-burnt terracotta shows a palmette and spiral lines. Due to the fine elaboration of the piece, it is unlikely to have been made after the end of the 2nd century AD.

Brick floors

During the demolition of the fortress, two Roman floors made of small bisque-shaped and octagonal bricks were discovered in situ . The first-mentioned group of stones, which was found near the castle courtyard, was yellow-brown in color, the two octagonal bricks still preserved today are brick-red and gray. The octagonal floor tiles also include a square tile when viewed from above, which once filled the gaps in the ornamental floor made from the octagonal tiles. Biscuit-shaped floor tiles were found in the Dacian Tibiscum ( Caransebeş ) and in Sarmizegetusa ( Grădiştea de Munte ). They also came to light on the Pannonian settlement sites in Siscia ( Sisak ), Aquincum ( Budapest ) and on Brigetio ( Komárom ). The floor of a room in the palaestra and in the amphitheater of the civil town of Aquincum , on the other hand, had floors made of octagonal bricks. János Reizner (1847–1904), who became known as a local historian, mentioned that what was apparently at least partially complete Roman soil made of biscuit-shaped stones was destroyed by the demolition workers and that many officials used the broken bricks as file weights. The differences between the two groups of bricks indicate two different rooms in which they were laid.

Possibly the floors belonged to a mansio (street station), where the travelers could recover from the exertions and spend the night.

Sculptural jewelry

In the area of the fortress and city of Szeged, some antiquities, some of which are of higher quality, were discovered, which may have arrived here in the 18th century. One of Emperor Karl VI's has become known. (1711–1740) commanded a three-ship convoy with ancient art treasures that had been collected in Transylvania and were to be brought to Vienna. The ships were on the Marosch in the direction of Tisza when one sank near Szeged. An attempted recovery failed. It is possible that a well-worked bust of a Roman discovered in the 20th century at the mouth of the Marosch came from this cargo. Other pieces could also have found their way to Szeged in the course of time, so that a clear localization of various finds from Szeged that did not come to light in situ will be impossible in many cases.

In 1877, during the excavation work on the canal already mentioned above, a marble man's head from the 2nd century AD was recovered at a depth of around 7.60 meters inside the fortress, which was released for demolition. The piece belonged to a relief, as its back is correspondingly flat and unfinished. Kováts reports that the remaining parts of this relief were also found, but that the workers threw these pieces back into the excavation. The depth of the site is explained by the many fortification works and modifications that the fortress of Szeged has undergone over the centuries. It also suggests that this relief could have been in Szeged as early as Roman times.

Coin treasure

As the scholar and Piarist monk András Dugonics (1740–1818) reports, large amounts of silver coins from the reign of Emperor Mark Aurel (161–180) were discovered in 1794 next to the provisions house near the fortress . It remains unknown whether this could have been a deposit that was found in the soil during the Marcomannic Wars (166–180).

The Szeged-Nagyszeksös hun treasure

This hoard is the largest collection of Hunnic gold objects ever known. Before the First World War it was found in a vineyard in Nagyszéksós, which formerly belonged to Szeged and is now part of the Rösz district. Before reporting to the authorities, a large number of the treasures disappeared, some of which have been lost to this day. By 1966, the number of gold objects in museums and private collections had reached 200 pieces.

Only specimens from catacomb tombs discovered in 1904 on the Kerch peninsula are approximately comparable with the late antique hoard from Nagyszéksós . There is not a single item among the Nagyszéksós finds that could be used to pinpoint the period of their creation or concealment to within a decade. The archaeologists interpreted the Nagyszéksós find for a long time as a cremation or as the remains of a burial mound that had been eroded by natural forces. However, this assumption was later rejected because there is currently no knowledge that the Huns also cremated their dead.

Inventory:

These are mostly broken, defective or bent pieces or small remnants of jewelry objects that are difficult to interpret today. Some of the finds from Nagyszéksós show significant traces of fire and are accordingly deformed because strongly fused gold nuggets and gold drops were also found in the find inventory. On the other hand, no traces of fire were found on other objects. Completely intact are z. B. the incorporated gemstones on the buckles, the strap tongues, the sword strap fittings and also the jewelry pressed or cut out of thin sheet gold. Obviously, only a part of the find inventory was previously exposed to strong heat, but it is not known exactly how many, as attempts by the finders and temporary owners at the time cannot be ruled out.

The most interesting example is a solidly crafted gold neck ring weighing around 407 g, which by far exceeds the numerous gold and silver neck rings that are mainly known from the graves of Hunnian subordinates from eastern Kazakhstan to the Danube region. The former wearer of this neck ring surpassed all previously known Hunn nobles of the Carpathian Basin in dignity and rank.

The so far known finds can be roughly assigned to the following items of clothing and equipment:

Belt, sword strap and boot buckles with cell decoration,
Belt tongues with cell decoration for belts for weapons and dignitaries,
boots adorned with straps and pendants,
dresses ( damask ) or coats embroidered with gold tinsel and interwoven with gold thread ,
golden handle and scabbard fittings for one or more swords,
gold-plated sword straps and
two gold scabbards for a larger and a slightly smaller dagger.

Other fragments may have been used to decorate arrow quivers. Two gold sheet fittings decorated with scales come from two (or more) wooden saddles, a bit of a bridle fragment with a gold-plated toggle from a harness and gold strap fittings with cell ornamentation and pendants. The strength and power of Hunnic leaders is symbolized by a gold-plated whip handle.

Ornamental vessels and fragments indicating such were also among the finds: For example, an electronic bowl, the eight-leaf flower setting of which was once adorned with inlaid glass, and an oriental-style electronic bowl, which was originally decorated with round glass or gemstone plates on its openwork sides. Several gold ribbons that were probably attached to wooden vessels such as bowls. A larger disc with cell ornamentation may have previously decorated the bottom of a gold bowl.

Lost property

The Roman finds recovered during the demolition of the early modern fortress are now in the Ferenc Móra Museum in Szeged.

Monument protection

The monuments of Hungary are protected under the Act No. LXIV of 2001 by being entered in the register of monuments. The State Office for Cultural Heritage (Kulturális Örökségvédelmi Hivatal; KÖH) in Budapest is responsible. As archaeological sites according to § 3.1, the Limes complex is a nationally valuable cultural asset. According to § 2.1, all finds are state property, regardless of where they are found. Violations of the export regulations are considered a criminal offense or a crime and are punished with imprisonment for up to three years.

literature

Doina Benea: The economic activity in the village branches between Theiss, Marosch and Danube. In: Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica 9 (2003), pp. 299-318.
Istvan Bona: Das Hunnenreich , Theiss, Stuttgart 1996, pp. 187-189, ISBN 978-3806208979 , ( scan on www ).
Gerhard Bott (Ed.): Germanic Huns and Avars. Treasures of the Migration Period , Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg, 1988, in it: Bela Kürti: Princely finds from the Hun period from Szeged Nagyszeksös , p. 163.
Nandor Fettich: La trouvaille de tombe princière Hunnique a Szeged-Nagyszéksós (ArchHung 32, 1953).
Dénes Gabler: Szeged - maybe Parthiscum. In: Jenő Fitz (ed.): The Roman Limes in Hungary. Fejér Megyei Múzeumok Igazgatósága, 1976, p. 127.
Nicolae Gudea : The Dacian Limes. Materials on its story . In: Yearbook of the Roman-Germanic Central Museum Mainz. 44,2 (1997), p. 25 ( PDF ).
Nicolae Gudea: Limesul Daciei romanc de la Traianus la Aurelianus. In: Acta Musei Porolissensis 1. 1977. p. 109 (Romanian).
Nicolae Gudea: The Limes Dakiens and the defense of the Upper Moesian Danube line from Trajan to Aurelian. In: Rise and Fall of the Roman World . Part II, Volume 6, de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1977, ISBN 3-11-006735-8 , p. 871 (12th list of military camps) .
Pál Lakatos: Finds from Roman times from the area of the Szeged fortress. In: A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve 1964-65. Szeged, 1966. pp. 65-81.
József Lehossék: The excavations at Szeged-Öthalom in Hungary. In particular, the skeletons found in the ancient Magyar, ancient Roman and Celtic graves, etc. Wilhelm Braumüller University Publishing House, Vienna 1886.
Liviu Mărghitan: Decebal. Editura Militară, Bucharest 1978, pp. 106-112.
Andreas Mócsy, Realencyclopedia of Classical Classical Antiquities (RE), Supplementary Volume IX 1962, Sp. 2045; Tabula Imperii Romani L 34, p. 87.
K. Approx. Sebestyen: Dolgozatok-Szeged. 2, 192, pp. 144-157.
Dumitru Tudor: Corpus monumentorum religionis equitum danuvinorum (CMRED). The monuments . Volume 1. Brill, Leiden 1969, pp. 57-58.

Web links

Wilkes, J., R. Talbert, T. Elliott, S. Gillies: Places: 207331 (Partiskon) . Pleiades. Retrieved on January 22, 2013 8:04 pm.

Individual evidence

^ Zsolt Visy: The Pannonian Limes in Hungary . Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3806204888 , p. 124.

^ András Mócsy : The late Roman ship landing in Contra Florentiam. In: Pannonia and the Roman Army. Selected essays. Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3515061037 , p. 223.

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Pál Lakatos: Finds from Roman times from the area of the Szeged fortress. In: A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve 1964-65. Szeged, 1966. pp. 65-81; here: p. 72.

↑ Pál Lakatos: Finds from Roman times from the area of the Szeged fortress. In: A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve 1964-65. Szeged, 1966. pp. 65-81; here: p. 65.

↑ ^a ^b ^c Pál Lakatos: Finds from Roman times from the area of the Szeged fortress. In: A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve 1964-65. Szeged, 1966. pp. 65-81; here: p. 78.

↑ ^a ^b Dénes Gabler: Szeged - perhaps Parthiscum. In: Jenő Fitz (ed.): The Roman Limes in Hungary. Fejér Megyei Múzeumok Igazgatósága, 1976, p. 127.

↑ ^a ^b Pál Lakatos: Finds from Roman times from the area of the Szeged fortress. In: A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve 1964–65. Szeged, 1966. pp. 65-81; here: p. 80.

↑ Doina Benaea: 2003.

↑ Dénes Gabler: 3. Szeged - Perhaps Parthiscum. In: Jenö Fitz (ed.): The Roman Limes in Hungary. Fejér Megyei Múzeumok Igazgatósága, 1976.

^ Jan Filip (Ed.): Actes du VIIe Congrés International des Sciences Prehistoriques et Protohistoriques. Prague, 21–27 août 1966 . Prague 1970, p. 1015.

↑ Pál Lakatos: Finds from Roman times from the area of the Szeged fortress. In: A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve 1964-65. Szeged, 1966. pp. 65-81; here: p. 76.

^ Edit B. Thomas , László Vértes: Archaeological finds in Hungary. Corvina-Verlag, Budapest 1956, p. 276.

↑ Marcelo Tilman Schmitt: The Roman Foreign Policy of the 2nd Century AD. Securing Peace or Expansion? Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-515-07106-7 , p. 163.

↑ ^a ^b Inscriptiones Daciae Romanae 3, No. 281 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .@1@ 2

^ Zsolt Mráv : Hatvan-Gombospuszta fortlet. In: Zsolt Visy (ed.): The Roman army in Pannonia. Teleki Lázló Foundation 2003, ISBN 963-86388-2-6 , pp. 207-209; here p. 207.

^ Sándor Soproni: The late Roman Limes between Esztergom and Szentendre. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest 1978, ISBN 963-05-1307-2 , p. 85.

↑ ^a ^b ^c Pál Lakatos: Finds from Roman times from the area of the Szeged fortress. In: A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve 1964-65. Szeged, 1966. pp. 65-81; here: p. 66.

↑ Inscriptiones Daciae Romanae 3, No. 282 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .@1@ 2

↑ Pál Lakatos: Finds from Roman times from the area of the Szeged fortress. In: A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve 1964-65. Szeged, 1966. pp. 65-81; here: pp. 68–69.

^ Marietta Horster : Building inscriptions of Roman emperors. Investigations into inscription practice and building activity in cities of the western Roman Empire during the Principate's time. Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3515079513 , pp. 116–117.

↑ ^a ^b Pál Lakatos: Finds from Roman times from the area of the Szeged fortress. In: A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve 1964-65. Szeged, 1966. pp. 65-81; here: p. 68.

↑ Pál Lakatos: Finds from Roman times from the area of the Szeged fortress. In: A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve 1964-65. Szeged, 1966. pp. 65-81; here: p. 67.

↑ Istvan Bona: 1996