Wallsee Castle

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Wallsee Castle
Alternative name a) Ad Iuvense
b) Loco Felicis
limes Limes Noricus
section Route 1 Noricum
Dating (occupancy) 1st to 5th century AD
Type Auxiliary and naval fort
unit a) Cohors I Aelia Brittonum
b) Cohors V Breucorum
c) Legio I Noricorum (liburnari)
size a) Stone fort: approx. 200 m × 160 m (3.1 ha)
b) Remaining fort: 26 × 29 meters
Construction a) wood-earth fort,
b) stone fort (multi-phase)
State of preservation Not visible above ground,
the foundations of the remainder of the fort were preserved and integrated into the building of the living environment for the deaf and deaf and mute. (Römerwelt Wallsee)
place Wallsee
Geographical location 48 ° 10 ′ 0 ″  N , 14 ° 43 ′ 0 ″  E hf
Previous Fort St. Pantaleon-Stein (west)
Subsequently Watchtowers Ybbs (east)
Limes3.png
Sketch of the location of Roman military and settlement findings and grave fields in Wallsee
Findings sketch 1924-2013
Model of the medieval castle in the Roman Museum
Reconstruction sketch of the late Roman remaining fort, view from the north
Section through the late Roman fort
The exposed wall remains of the remainder of the fort.
E. Hochher , 2011

Link to the picture
(please note copyrights )

Roman world Wallsee
Preserved walls of the remaining fort in the Roman world of Wallsee
Broken bricks from the roof of the fort
Hook-shaped pillar of the arcade
In the fort built spoils
Post foundation
Wallsee town hall
Facsimile of a grave inscription by Aurelius Docimus Römermuseum Wallsee-Sindelburg
Roman relief depicting a dog killing a rabbit
Roman plate, RM Wallsee
Dolichenus Altar, RM Wallsee
Tegula with the incised representation of a fish

The Wallsee fort (possibly to be equated with the ancient Ad Iuvense ) was an auxiliary or naval fort and part of the Danube Limes in Austria , Lower Austria , Amstetten district , Wallsee-Sindelburg municipality .

The fort is now completely built over by the Wallsee town center, but has been archaeologically proven . The remains of a late antique small fort in the SE corner are also still preserved. It was continuously occupied by Roman troops from the 1st to the 5th century. In the 4th century, patrol boats of the Danube fleet were probably stationed here. The late antique remainder of Wallsee's fort, along with the comparable structures of Zeiselmauer , Traismauer and Rusovce, is the best-preserved evidence of a late antique small fortress on the upper Danube Limes. It is also one of the few Roman buildings in Austria from which the masonry still remains. The ruins were restored or preserved until 2018 and - as part of a newly constructed building - made accessible to visitors.

In addition to the fort, this article also deals with the neighboring watchtowers ( Burgus ) of Sommerau-Schweinberg and Au-Rotte Hof / Engelbachmühle.

location

The remains of the fort lie on an almost rectangular rock plateau, an extension of the Strengberge , which at Wallsee reach as far as the southern bank of the Danube. The sandstone cliffs initially drop three meters on the west and east sides, then up to 45 meters to the Danube floodplains below. To the north-west, in a tributary of the Danube, there was probably the Roman port facility, and further to the east there was probably also a ford that allowed the river to be crossed. The elevated location offered a good view of the Machland north of the Danube. In addition, there was a good line of sight to two nearby watchtowers, up the Danube to that of Au-Rotte Hof / Engelbachmühle and down the Danube to that of Sommerau / Schweinberg.

Surname

In older research, this base was generally equated with Adiuvense , where, according to the Norican Dux's list of troops in the Notitia Dignitatum , Liburnarians of the Danube Fleet were also stationed, which is unusual for such a high-altitude fort. According to Rudolf Egger , Ad Iuvense means “the (yoke) located on the mountain ”. This interpretation would also fit well with the location of the fort. Hannsjörg Ubl , however, assumes that the fort in Wallsee actually means Loco Felicis, which is also mentioned in the Notitia Dignitatum . However, both assumptions are controversial and have been discussed controversially for years. Ad Iuvense would as a location for a satellite camp of the legio I Noricorum located little too close to Lauriacum (Enns). Loco Felicis , Lacufelix , or Locus Felix ("the happy place"), which was situated between Lentia (Linz) and Arelape (Pöchlarn), has been considered since 1875.

Research history

Since 1868/69, Friedrich von Kenner suspected that the exposed location of the place would be ideal terrain for a Limes fort. At that time, the collection of the castle in Wallsee also contained numerous Roman-era finds, which came to light after a fire disaster in 1879 during excavation work and were inventoried by the archivist of the Duke of Coburg.

Eduard Nowotny also suspected a fort here in 1924 when he recognized a two-meter-sloping embankment at the south-east corner of the school building as the remains of a rampart that must have been the south-east corner of the fort. The north-east corner of the St. Anna Chapel can still be seen in a step up to seven meters high. These assumptions were only confirmed in 1966 by the local researcher and elementary school director Elmar Tscholl, when the approx. Two meter wide foundations of the fort wall, which were up to 1.50 m thick in the rising masonry, were discovered. The spectrum of ceramics (only partially published) extends from the late 1st century to the second half of the 5th century and speaks for a long occupation of the fort site (90–488 AD). When exactly the early fort was built, it is clear but not yet say with certainty.

On the basis of Elmar Tscholl's observations (especially ground faults and cracks in the house walls), the BDA was able to significantly expand its knowledge of the construction phases and findings of the fort. Everywhere where the modern superstructure was on the fort wall, noticeable cracks occurred over time. They showed up just above the floor level as fine hairline cracks, which then ran up to the roof and were most noticeable there. After the east wall of the fort had been cut during sewer work between 1966 and 1967, parts of the north wall also came to light when a water pipe was laid in front of house number 47. In the same year, during cable laying work for street lighting, the presence of a second, approx. 15 m in front, weaker wall was found. In 1968 the fort wall was cut again during construction work next to the old elementary school. When a renovation was planned three years later, the ÖAI carried out an emergency excavation. Two exploratory cuts identified three construction phases of the south-eastern fort wall in this area, the last of which belongs to the end of late antiquity. A thick layer of fire rubble indicates violent destruction. In 1969, when water pipes were being laid on the market square in front of house no. 43, a pit (bottom 2.20 m deep, max. Width 2.6 m) was discovered, filled with charcoal and numerous pieces of slag (the so-called "black pit"). In the same year a hypocaust (heating system) was found east of house number 38. During the excavation in 1978, the BDA (H. Ubl) documented the findings of the early wood and earth fort. Hannsjörg Ubl then carried out several excavations in the following years. The remains of the Principia in the area of ​​the main square (right next to the town hall) were uncovered.

In 1986, in the course of the new construction of the Raiffeisenkasse, pieces of the wall of the Principia and an ancient farm building were excavated. In its foundations there was a niche covered with a stone slab and filled with clay, which still contained the remains of a building sacrifice from the second half of the 2nd century AD (several clay vessels, sigillate bowl and an animal horn). From 1987 to 1989 a ditch and a wall were observed in a search cut in front of the east wall. The distance from the foot of the fort wall to the top of the wall was approx. 12.7 m. Several excavations of the Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI) ( Herma Stiglitz ) and the Austrian Federal Monuments Office (Gustav MOSSLER) at the former school building made in this period of time the remains of the southeastern corner tower and a late antique building complex by a so-called. Rest fort to light. The north-west corner of this fort could then be viewed as a "window into the past" on the grounds of the kindergarten. In the course of subsequent construction and excavation work, it was possible to reconstruct its expansion, but also some structural details. In the course of an emergency excavation carried out by the Federal Monuments Office, it was finally possible to precisely determine its location.

In 1999 Elmar Tscholl discovered the remains of a praefurnium in plot No. 88. The soil of the excavation was then examined for Roman finds. Among other things, some coins (Constantinian) and 14 undefined brick stamps ( C PR AV BR , CIAB ) were recovered. Between 1996 and 2000 the market square was renovated and redesigned. Tscholl had the opportunity to observe the excavation activities, to recover numerous finds and to inform the BDA of the findings. In the area of ​​the market square were u. a. numerous stamped bricks and litter finds recovered. In the northern part of the market square, parts of the fort wall were again documented by the BDA. During work in the southern area of ​​the market square, the south wall (house no. 34 and 54) and the south gate of the fort were cut. In addition, the remains of a late antique intermediate tower could be located at house number 55. When the school building was demolished in 2011, the late antique fortifications were found almost 20 cm below today's walking horizon, which was completely exposed between 2011 and 2013. Its structural fabric was preserved and integrated into the ground floor of the newly constructed building of the living environment for the deaf and deaf and mute and designed as a publicly accessible showroom (see Römerwelt Wallsee).

Find spectrum

A ceramic kiln was also found in the area of ​​the civil settlement, which proves that potters also produced their goods here. The wealthy residents used expensive, red-glazed crockery, the so-called terra sigillata , which came from northern Italy (Arezzo) in the 1st century, from southern, central and eastern Gaul (France) in the 2nd century and mainly from the 3rd century the Rhine area ( Rheinzabern , Tabernae ) was imported to Wallsee. From the 4th century on, no more sigillata can be found in Wallsee. Instead, Pannonian goods, which were glazed brown and green, were increasingly used. Remnants of this ceramic are found again and again during excavation work.

The collection in the Roman Museum shows all sigillata vessel types found so far in a restored condition. Mainly, however, cheap, coarse, gray and yellowish fired goods were used for daily use, such as those produced in local pottery. They came mainly from workshops in Enns-Lorch, St. Pölten or Wels. The fragment of an amphora found in 1989 also revealed that even olive oil was imported from Spain to Wallsee. This utility ceramics occurs in large quantities in Wallsee, especially where the remains of houses or entire settlements were to be found, such as B. also in a 10 m long trash ditch on plot No. 150.

Especially the spolia discovered here are of great cultural and historical value: In addition to dedicatory inscriptions, there were also figural reliefs of once richly furnished Roman tombs, some of which were made of marble. Stylistically and chronologically there is a wide range. While the style of some of the tombstone fragments is still strongly reminiscent of the Celtic traditions of the indigenous population, others, on the other hand, clearly show "classical" Roman motifs. A bricked-up fragment of a consecration altar from the early 3rd century was secured before the 2011–2012 excavation. It consisted of local sandstone, measured 0.37 × 0.51 × 0.35 m and was consecrated by Ulpius Nativos, Decurio of Ala I Thracum , to Iupiter Dolichenus . In addition to the already known brick stamps, a copy of the cohors V Breucorum also appeared for the first time . The 19 coins recovered here can largely be assigned to late antiquity ( Valens , Valentinian I, Constantius II ). In 2017 the grave of Sixtus Sixtinus was discovered, who died in 117. According to the inscription, he was one of the council presidents ( duumviri ) of Ovilava (Wels), which was also the administrative center of Noricum for some time.

development

The middle Danube - before the 1st century a part of the Celtic kingdom Noricum - was founded around 15 BC. First a Roman protectorate and finally a province under Emperor Claudius (41–54 AD) and remained in the union of the Roman Empire for over 500 years. The Danube ( Danuvius ), which was divided into many branches in ancient times , formed the most important west-east trade route on its northern border. Since 1966, experts have been discussing the question of why the fort was built here, especially since another Roman military station, the heavily fortified wall on the Url, already existed about ten kilometers to the southeast.

The main deciding factor for the establishment of another military station was certainly the elevated terrain. In this region, several streams drain into the Danube on its south bank. These are the large and the small Ysper , the Sarmingbach and the Gießenbach . You cross larger valley gorges, which are open like gates from the mountains to the Danube. Exactly opposite was the original mouth of the Naarn, which flows together with the Aistbach from the Mühlviertel to the north bank of the Danube. From Grein to Mauthausen there is also a small plain that is surrounded by the hill country of the lower Mühlviertel. It could have been of certain strategic importance as a meeting place. At Wallsee, the slightly raised edge of the south bank also bends towards the south and in turn leaves room for a small plain between itself and the river. Only at Ardagger does it come close to the Danube again, so that Ardagger and Wallsee are each at the end points of this natural arc.

Excavations in Mitterkirchen in Upper Austria (Machland Nord), exactly opposite Wallsee, also unearthed a large cemetery from the Hallstatt period. It is believed that this was the settlement center of an indigenous tribe for a long time. The fort was also supposed to demonstrate Roman strength and military organization. In addition, it later served as the eastern flank protection for the new legion camps in Albing and Lauriacum (Enns-Lorch). Furthermore, the shipping traffic on the Danube and all activities on the north bank could be observed from this base.

From the late 4th century onwards, the number of crews in the Limes forts was drastically reduced. (Probably around 50 man) was built there for the remaining soldiers in Valentinian time in the south-east corner bearing a reduction or residual Castle ( burgus ). In order to maintain a clear field of fire, before construction of the fortress began, other structures within a radius of 40 to 60 meters were first completely removed and the vegetation burned down. The rest of the stone fort II had previously either been demolished by its crew as planned or destroyed in an attack. The stamps on the roof tiles ( tegulae ) allow the remainder of the fort to be dated to the years 364–375 AD. This falls in the last phase of the construction of Roman fortifications on the Danube Limes. An attempt was made to compensate for the shortage of soldiers with the construction of such small fortresses. The remaining storage area was - as with numerous other Limes forts - left to the civilian population as a settlement area. At this time, Wallsee probably also served as a base for the Danube fleet ( Classis Pannonica ).

Fort

The multi-phase fort (wood-earth fort, stone fort I and stone fort II) was located - somewhat set back - on the rock spur extending from north to south, an almost rectangular plateau under today's old town of Wallsee. The course of

  • St. Anna-Gasse,
  • Old school street,
  • Donauberg and
  • Postgasse

today roughly marks the walled area of ​​the Limes fort. In the north is the castle park, where Roman ceramic shards were also found. In the west there was a late antique burial ground, on the banks of the Danube by the military and privately operated brickworks and the storage area for the bricks produced there on a branch of the Danube. In the south of the fort, the camp village ( vicus ) extended to today's Tiefenweg.

The fort had an irregular, square base area of ​​around 200 m × 160 meters, which is around 3.1 hectares. In the early phase, a wood-earth fort was first built, which was first proven by the excavation in 1978. The reconstruction in stone (stone fort I) carried out in the 2nd century is particularly evident in the 1.5 m wide fort wall, which mainly consists of granite rubble of unsettled origin in a lime mortar bond. The foundation pit was up to 2.1 m thick, excavated one meter deep and filled with hot-mortared rubble stones. The rising quarry stone masonry, which was originally between six and eight meters high, was placed on top. The quarry stones consisted of green and red speckled granite which is not found in and around Wallsee. The extremely resistant mortar lime was obviously burned from Danube gravel. This is also indicated by the finds of numerous quartz-containing rubble stones. The stone fort I measured 175 m (west wall) × 195 m (south wall).

In late antiquity (from the 4th century AD) horseshoe towers were added to the camp walls and fan-shaped towers in the corners to reinforce or better secure the fort. A fan-shaped tower was located north of the Patzalt joinery (market square no. 25) in the area of ​​the northwest corner of the fortification. The corner towers, the northern and southern gates and the horseshoe towers in between, which were probably rebuilt at the time of Emperor Valentinian I or subsequently reinforced (stone fort II), were also examined more closely.

Wall and moat

Remains of a wall, a ditch and an earth wall were found in front of the east wall. The function of a slightly narrower wall leading upstream around the SE corner of the camp could not be clarified. In 1994 the St. Anna chapel, which stands exactly above the NE corner of the fort, was renovated. A crack in the east wall of the chapel was observed. Elmar Tscholl discovered during canal construction work in 1995 that the fort wall was running towards the middle of the east wall of the chapel and had caused this crack. Based on these observations, the originally assumed position of the east wall had to be corrected a little further to the west. In 1997, the northern camp wall was cut during sewer work and documented by employees of the Federal Monuments Office. Above the 1.10 m thick foundation, the masonry spreads to about 1.25 m. In front of it was a ditch and a two-meter-wide layer of gravel (road). The course of the north wall was one meter further south than previously assumed. Parts of the transition from the east wall to the north wall and the north-east tower had slipped over the centuries due to erosion. In 1998 the remains of the south wall were discovered. They ran a meter further north than previously thought. After the north wall was uncovered in 1997, the north-south extension of the fort could be specified by 2 m.

Outside the fortress, a pointed ditch ( vallum ) that was 12.5 m wide and about 2.6 m deep at the crown formed an additional obstacle to the approach. Today the old Postgasse (west of the market square) and the old Schulgasse (east of it) mark its course. The house Marktplatz No. 4, at the north end of the square, stands a little lower than the neighboring houses, as it was set directly in the former fortress moat.

Towers

Already during the excavation in 1971 the north-west corner of the fort was suspected at house no. 67, in 1975 Roman-era foundations were discovered on plot no. 5, which were interpreted as a corner tower. A little to the east of it, a late antique reinforcement tower placed against the north wall was uncovered in 1992 on plot No. 56, already a little outside the fort walls, when a stable building was demolished during an emergency excavation by the Federal Monuments Office. Its western wall cantilevered about 5.8 m in front of the fort wall and was preserved in the rising masonry up to a height of about two meters, its width was about 120 cm. The masonry was extremely solid. In an exploratory hole, there was still roof tile collapse ( tegulae ). The late antique tower was probably added to the reinforcement tower between the north gate and the corner tower at the northwest corner. It is unclear whether the intermediate piece (width one meter) was a gate or the tear-out of a previous wall, but it probably belonged to the fort wall. Unfortunately, this finding could not be made publicly available. In 1998, when digging a canal in house no. 57, an approx. 5 m long wall running in a west-east direction came to light. Like the rest of the wall remnants of the fence, it consisted of gray-green speckled granite stones that were connected with hot lime mortar. Presumably it was part of the southwest corner tower.

Interior development

The remains of ancient buildings on the market square were recognized as the camp's principia , to which a building with hypocaust heating and praefurnium adjoins in the east. Sewer works were also carried out in 1967 before the market square was asphalted. To the west of houses No. 38 to 40, 1.85 m wide foundation walls were cut, which were oriented towards NS; In front of the town hall, another 2.5 m wide wall in WO came to light. The observations were documented by Elmar Tscholl and, due to the central location, interpreted as the command building of the camp. It consisted of a larger room, a smaller room with an apse (presumably the flag sanctuary) and two chambers that probably served as writing rooms. The course of its previously excavated walls is now marked with green paint lines on the ground.

The rest of the warehouse area was built on with barracks or farm buildings, mostly made of wood or clay . Much of the fort's masonry was reused as cheap building material in the post-Roman period, first for the Sunilburg, then for the Niederwallsee fortress, the predecessor of the current castle (core structure with up to 5 m thick foundation walls). In the oldest houses in Wallsee, too, evidence from Roman times comes to light again and again after renovations and demolitions.

Warehouse streets

The warehouse area was divided into four quarters by two main warehouse streets ( Via Principalis and Via Decumana ). The route of one of these streets can still be traced in Wallsee using the state road running in a north-south direction across the market square.

The other road leading to it at right angles is no longer so clearly visible. It led to the west and can soon only be followed through a narrow, approx. 1.2 m wide passage between the house at Marktplatz No. 20 and Marktplatz No. 21. After crossing the former ditch in the old Postgasse, it continues as a narrow path steeply over the slope to the west. In 1970 an ancient fork in the road was observed during the construction of house no. The camp outage road turned south towards Burgus von Sommerau, a little further up the Danube. The second branch leading west ended at a late antique burial ground (today house no. 105, Tscholl). Their eastern part is no longer so easy to track. It leads between Hauptplatz No. 10 and Hauptplatz No. 11, first through the courtyard of an inn, then again as a very narrow passage between allotments and ends in Schulgasse (formerly the eastern part of the camp ditch). Its further continuation to the east is no longer visible in the area.

Apron protection

The fort's excellent location on the plateau pushed forward towards the Danube favored its defense. Only in the south had additional obstacles to approach to be created. It was a ditch that was clearly visible on the course of the so-called Tiefenweg until the 1980s. Today the road 6097 leads through it to Ardagger. 40 years ago the “Tiefenweg” was so prominently cut into the terrain that when approaching from the south you could only see the top of the Sindelburg church tower and in the north a slope with pear trees. Only shortly before Wallsee does one get to today's level of the street after crossing a step in the terrain. In 1986 it was filled in with gravel from the Danube power plant construction. Only its eastern part is still preserved today, the house name "Tiefenwegner" reminds of him. The second barrage consisted of an earth wall. It was located in the place of today's Mitterweg, roughly in the middle between Wallsee and Tiefenweg. Shortly after the fire station it branched off to the east. When the site was developed as building land, the remnants of the wall were leveled and its terrain was paved as an access road to the new houses.

Late antique remnants of the fort

It was an almost square system (26 × 29 meters) with an outer wall up to 2.40 m thick. The height of the partially still very well preserved rising masonry is up to 1.2 m in places. The walls were made of quarry stone and had a tuff stone panel on the inside. In the inner area of ​​the small fort there was a circumferential archway (arcade), supported on each side on four massive stone pillars. The crew quarters on the upper floor were also arranged around the courtyard, which is open at the top. For the erection of the arcade pillars, fragments of older Roman tombstones and components of buildings ( Spolia ) were reused. They were connected with lead clips and then walled up. In addition, a well shaft was dug inside the fort (former well of the old school). Inside, the remains of a fireplace were observed that still contained fragments of late antique ceramics (kitchen inventory). There was also a sickle with a horn handle, which may indicate that the remainder of the fort was occupied by weir farmers.

The often-expressed view that in late antiquity, due to the slow drying up of grants from Rome for building and repair measures, there were only few funds available and that new buildings therefore had to be built sparingly and only with modest equipment, obviously does not apply to this fort . As the latest findings showed, it was built with a high level of expertise and was of a very high quality. This showed details such as B. the mighty, excellently worked stone blocks in the northwest corner, the advanced tufa facing of the wall inside and outside, a surrounding ledge and the quality of the mortar used in the construction.

A late antique layer of fire, 20-30 cm thick, with remains of Gallic terra sigillata , roof tiles, coins and medieval finds and the still clearly visible fall of the tiled roof prove that it - perhaps - was in use until 470 and then fell victim to a fire. The installation of a smaller wooden building (6th century AD) and a cellar in the Middle Ages suggest that the building was used after ancient times. Possibly traces of descendants of a group of Romans who persisted there even after the end of Roman rule in 488.

garrison

The following occupation units could be verified for Wallsee:

Illustration Troop name comment
a) Legio secunda Italica (the second Italian legion),

b) Legio decimae Gemina Pia Fidelis (the tenth twin legion , dutiful and faithful)

Stamps from the early days of the fort bear the names of the Norican legion, which was then still stationed in the legion camp in Albing, and those of the Legio X Gemina Pia Fidelis. from Vindobona . Their bricks can be proven in Wallsee until late antiquity, when a Dux Ursicinus acted as commander in chief of the Noric provincial army (exercitus Norici) . They probably came into the fort as building material.
Cohors quinta Breucorum (the fifth cohort of the Breuker) The brick stamps found in the storage area mainly indicate the presence of cohorts of the auxiliary troops ( auxilia ). Including that of a troop from the Lower Rhine area . After their (also hypothetical) stationing in Zwentendorf Fort , the further whereabouts of this cohort in Noricum can no longer be determined. According to J. E. Bogar, it remained in the province into the 3rd, or possibly even beyond the 4th century . This is mainly because various brick stamps and a consecration altar presumably moved from Passau to Weihmörting suggest that the unit (next to Wallsee) was relocated to Schlögen or perhaps Passau ( Boiodurum ).
Brick stamp of the Britannian cohort (Roman Museum Wallsee)
 Cohors prima Aelia Brittonum millaria equitata (the first Aelische cohort of Britons , 1,000 strong) Numerous stamps (overprint CIAB) from Wallsee name this auxiliary troop cohort, which apparently came from Britain, where it was recruited under the emperors Hadrian or Antoninus Pius . According to Franz Kainz, the troops came to the Danube under the reign of Marcus Aurelius and were possibly later stationed in Fort Favianis for some time . Albrecht Aign suspects that it was then incorporated into the newly established legio I Noricorum in the course of the Diocletian-Constantinian army reform . For Josef Aschbach it remained as an independent troop on the Noric Danube until the time of Valentinian I.
Legio primae Noricorum militum liburnariorum cohortis quintae (the first legion of the Noricans, the soldiers of the fourth Libunarian cohort) In late antiquity, according to the Norican Dux's list, a division of marines was stationed in Adiuvense under the orders of a prefect . From here they monitored the upper section (pars superior) of the Noric Danube border with their patrol boats .

Road links

The most important traffic and trade route was the Danube, which could be used along its entire length by ships and rafts for the transport of goods and troops. Fort and watchtowers (burgi) in this area were such. B. the Burgus in the Engelbachmühle (near Strengberg ) and the Burgus discovered in 1990 in Sommerau (Sindelburg) connected by developed viae (paths). All-weather roads led from the Limes forts further into the interior, where a large east-west military road (via iuxta Danuvium) ran along the route of today's A1 motorway (in the Wallsee area) . It was built primarily to supply the Limes fort and to transport troops in times of war.

From Wallsee or the north-west corner of the fort, two streets with two adjacent tracks, approx. 1.12 m and 1.20 m wide, carved into the sandstone rock, led between houses No. 68 and No. 72 to the Danube to a brickworks north of the house bank No. 34. You overcame a height difference of 50 m. Presumably they were originally used to transport rubble stones and bricks from the Danube bank to the camp site.

Another Geleisestrasse led in a south-easterly direction from the south-east corner of the fort (kindergarten) past house number 75. It ran west past the "Krautäcker" and cut the Tiefenweg at its eastern end. It should have led further on the eastern slope of the Hummelwald to Burgus von Sommerau, 2.5 km away (see below).

Another street led from the southern end of today's market square (former porta Decumana / south gate) to the former temple district near the current parish church of Sindelburg. The grave field ( steles ) for the soldiers and the civilian population was located along this road . Many of the tombstones in the Roman Museum today come from there. Most of them were reused in post-Roman times as cheap building material for parish churches, castles, schools or houses.

Vicus

The camp village ( vicus ) extended south of the fort to about the road to Ardagger. Craftsmen, traders and the families of soldiers and veterans lived here. Some of them had evidently achieved a certain level of prosperity, as they could afford well-appointed stone houses with plastered walls, brick-rhombic pavement floors, and hypocaust heaters . In the excavation plans only the sites of houses that had stone foundations were entered. Most of the houses in the Wallseer vicus were mainly made of wood or clay, and their remains could only be uncovered through careful archaeological excavations. Heatable residential or farm buildings with partial basements were also identified, and pottery and blacksmiths' workshops could be identified at craft businesses. The position of the burial ground from which the grave monuments kept in Wallsee Castle originate is still not clear.

Commercial establishments

In 1978 the civil vicus made the most spectacular discovery. During excavation work for House No. 83 at Wallsee, a cellar with industrial ceramics came to light. The shape of the vessels led to the conclusion that a milk processing company might have existed here in ancient times. The remains of huge clay bowls almost 1 m in diameter, in which curd cheese and cheese may have been made, were also found here. Vessels for storing whey, as interpreted from the findings, could also have been used to make cheese. Its owner was obviously very wealthy, in that, in addition to a hypocaust heater, he could afford three different types of terrazzo floors, wall paintings and a beautifully crafted marble statue depicting a deity. Another giant bowl was also found elsewhere (house no. 150).

Another company building, in which the raw material for the production of terrazzo screed, brick chippings, was produced, was found during the excavation of house No. 96 in the Josefsiedlung. Under the humus were u. a. large quantities of finely sifted brick chippings.

In the north-west of the fort there was a large brick kiln with a storage area that was used by a private producer, Petronius, and by the army (plot of land on bank no. 34). Tegulae (roof tiles) were mainly produced in the kilns , since only brick-roofed buildings offered effective protection against enemy fire projectiles. Large, thick brick slabs were therefore produced for the military buildings (so-called later : 45 × 33 × 5 cm or semilater : 22 × 33 × 5 cm). According to the finds, they were only used in Wallsee for floors in military buildings, to cover the top of the fort wall and in the brickworks itself. Small square tile tiles (18 × 18 × 3 cm) were used as vault tiles. A specialty were the tubular heating bricks (tubules) - made from a clay mixture mixed with mica - which were used for smoke ducts in hypocaust heating systems.

Cult and religion

In Roman times there was almost certainly a sanctuary or temple area outside the Wallsee fort. However, it is not known which deity was worshiped there. In cities and military camps, the gods Jupiter , Juno and Minerva were usually worshiped. However, oriental cults have also spread on the Noric Limes since late antiquity. Since a Dolichenus altar was found in the remainder of the fort, it has been known that this deity was also worshiped by the Wallsee garrison. Another popular cult among the castle garrisons was that of Mithras . This god of light, originally from Persia, was preferably worshiped in natural or artificial caves (mithraea). There is a shallow cave in a sandstone rock on plot 79/2. In the 1960s, the older women of the village went there every year in May to pray at a statue of the Virgin Mary. Here the assumption arises that this Christian place of worship could originally have housed a Mithras shrine. It has not yet been possible to clarify whether two pillar foundation stones made of Wallsee sandstone that were recovered in 1989 belonged to a tomb or perhaps to a temple at the location of today's parish church in Sindelburg.

The discovery of a Roman-era roof tile from the camp village with the carving of a fish could be an indication that supporters of Christianity also lived in the vicinity of the fort very early. The fish symbol as their distinguishing mark is archaeologically proven for the 1st century AD. The bricklayer had scratched two fish swimming to the left with his finger. Even the traces of his fingernails can still be seen in deeper lines. Of the two fish shown, only half of one and only the pelvic fins of the other have been preserved. The fish has a pointed head that is slightly separated from the body by the suggestion of a gill cover. The fish body is covered with scales. Judging by the fins, they are both swimming in the same direction. After the official recognition of Christianity, a Christian baptistery was presumably built in place of the pre-Christian shrine at what is now the parish church of Sindelburg. The patronage “St. John the Baptist ”is another strong indication of this assumption.

Limes course between legion camp Albing and Burgus Ybbs

Surname Description / condition Illustration
Burgus Wallsee north slope On plot 356/1 (Buchmayer), which is approx. 20 m above the Danube, there is a 5.7 m × 4.0 m square wall made of rubble stones, which was used as a cellar. Between 1995 and 1997, the house owner found some Roman coins in and outside of it that came from the time of Domitian (81–96), Gallienus (253–268), Claudius II (355–363) and Valens (364–378). He later also reported on a large amount of Roman roof tiles / tegulae that were discovered during excavation work and reused for a new building. Elmar Tscholl suspected that it was a Burgus that covered and monitored a blind spot in the view of the Danube.
Burgus Sommerau This Burgus is another example of the reuse of ancient buildings in the Middle Ages. The tower is located on a spur that slopes steeply to the north, west and south over the Danube, which slopes towards the Danube valley in the north and the Igelgraben in the west. In the SE of the Rotte Sommerau there is a 10 m high hilltop, which is cut out of the area by the Danube on the one hand and the Schweinbergbach on the other, directly above an oxbow lake (now fish ponds). Through the discovery of Roman brick fragments up to the middle of the 20th century, one became aware of the Roman past of this location. It is not mentioned in ancient sources, only the Summerauer Burgstall , which later took over the Burgus , is mentioned in medieval sources. Due to these circumstances, the Federal Monuments Office (Hannsjörg Ubl) initiated an exploration of the area in question in 1992. However, ancient building stock could no longer be identified, only coins and small finds confirmed the location. A total of three exploratory cuts were made. The first - at the top of the castle hill - showed that it must have been artificially piled up. The location of the Burgus was therefore assumed to be further southeast. The exposed location and brick stamp of the Legio II Italica , the Grenzgeneral (Dux) Ursicinus and the Auxiliares Lauriacenses indicate a military facility, probably a late antique signal or watchtower. Its remains were completely absorbed in the medieval castle, which has also completely disappeared today. It was probably built at the same time as the Au-Rotte Hof Burgus . The facility was part of the late antique border security system of Ufernoricum.
Burgus Au-Rotte Hof The tower site belongs to the municipality of Strengberg in the Au-Rotte Hof / Thürnbach district. The late antique Burgus is located at the so-called Engelbachmühle above the floodplain of the Danube on a raised foothill of the Strengberge between the legionary camp Lauriacum and the Wallsee fort. It is bounded in the north by the Engelbach and slopes in the east and west towards the banks of the Danube. A ditch is still clearly visible in the south. Relevant find reports for St. Pantaleon and Strengberg have been available since the 19th century (ceramics and brick stamps of Legio II Italica , Dux Ursicinus). According to K. Kramler, "... two tower-like round masonry were violently destroyed" during the gravel extraction . Later, the site was repeatedly ransacked by robbery graves and the terrain spur increasingly dredged to extract soil. An emergency excavation (Hannsjörg Ubl) initiated by the Federal Monuments Office in 1979 was able to find the remains of a late antique burgus, which was built of stone and which over time probably fell victim to the stone robbery. The square building measured 9 × 9 m and probably had a tiled roof. The brick stamps suggest that the Burgus was built by members of the Legio II Italica (on behalf of Dux Ursicinus) who were stationed in Lauriacum . The tower belonged to the Valentinian border security chain Ufernoricums (time frame 350–400), it is not mentioned in the known ancient sources.

Hints

Today the fort is completely built over by the town center. The course of some areas of the fort wall is marked on the market square or main square on the pavement with painted green lines. The "Römerwelt Wallsee" is located in the basement of the building of the living environment for deaf and deaf and dumb people. An automatic opening system gives you access at any time. A token must first be purchased from the municipal office or innkeeper. This is thrown in at the entrance and opens the door. Afterwards, a multimedia show can be started at the push of a button, with which the history of the fort is conveyed to the visitors. The Sistine tombstone, on which the deceased and his wife are depicted, can also be seen in the exhibition. All excavation finds are housed in the Roman Museum, which was opened in 1997, in the so-called "Salt House". Wallsee is located directly on the Danube cycle path, which also leads around the castle keep. The location of the Sommerauer Burgus can be reached from the Wallsee-Ardagger road via a cul-de-sac to Schweinberg. The Burgus of Au-Rotte Hof can be reached via the B1 and a spur road that branches off west of Strengberg to the north.

Monument protection

The facilities are ground monuments within the meaning of the Austrian Monument Protection Act . Investigations and targeted collection of finds without the approval of the Federal Monuments Office are a criminal offense. Accidental finds of archaeological objects as well as all measures affecting the soil must be reported to the Federal Monuments Office (Department for Archaeological Monuments).

See also

literature

  • Herwig Friesinger, Fritz Krinzinger (ed.): The Roman Limes in Austria, Guide to the Archaeological Monuments , Verlag der Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1997, pp. 195–202.
  • Elmar Tscholl: Archaeological mosaic stones from Wallsee. Observations, findings, excavations and excavations in the area of ​​the Danube auxiliary fort. Part B: New finds from the Wallsee fort area, 1979–1999 . In: Hannsjörg Ubl on his 65th birthday . Römisches Österreich 23/24, 2002, p. 113 ff. (R).
  • Elmar Tscholl: A Roman Limes Fort in Wallsee. 10 years of observations on the Limes fort at Wallsee (1966–1976) . In: Römisches Österreich , 5/6, 1977/78, p. 109 ff.
  • Elmar Tscholl: Excavations in the Roman Wallsee (fort and vicus) . In: Yearbook of the Upper Austrian Museum Association 134/1, 1989, pp. 63–66.
  • Elmar Tscholl: The late antique remainder of Wallsee's fort . In: Yearbook of the Upper Austrian Museum Association 135, 1990, pp. 35–55,
  • Elmar Tscholl: The Limeskastell Adiuvense , updated 2nd edition, 2001.
  • Elmar Tscholl: Archaeological mosaic stones from Wallsee, observations, findings, finds and excavations in the area of ​​the Danube Limes auxiliary fort, part B. New finds from the Wallsee fort area, 1979–1999 , in: Römisches Österreich 23/24, 2000–2001, p. 113 -203.
  • Elmar Tscholl: Finds in the excavation of a cellar on parcel 35/2 KG Wallsee, District Authority Amstetten , in: Römisches Österreich, annual publication of the Austrian Society for Archeology No. 7, 1979, pp. 111–118.
  • Kurt Genser: The Austrian Danube Limes in Roman times. A research report . Publishers of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1986, ISBN 3-7001-0783-8 (The Roman Limes in Austria, 33), pp. 184-196.
  • Manfred Kandler, Hermann Vetters (ed.): The Roman Limes in Austria. A leader . Vienna 1989, pp. 140–141,
  • Sándor Soproni : Post-Valentine fortresses on the Danube Limes . In: Studies on the military borders of Rome III , Stuttgart 1986, p. 405.
  • Heimo Czerny: Roman Wallsee. 25 years ago a lay archaeologist discovered the last Limes fort in Austria . In: Lower Austria Culture Reports / History , July / August 1991, pp. 20–21,
  • Hannsjörg Ubl: The Austrian section of the Danube Limes. A research report (1970–1979). In: William Hanson, Lawrence Keppie (eds.): Roman Frontier Studies No. 12 (Papers presented to the 12th internat. Congress of Roman Frontier Studies) . Oxford 1980, p. 587.
  • Rene Ployer: Wallsee - Adiuvense (?) / Locus Felix (?). Fort - vicus. In: Verena Gassner, Andreas Pülz (Hrsg.): The Roman Limes in Austria. Guide to the archaeological monuments. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2015, ISBN 978-3-7001-7787-6 , pp. 184–187.
  • Rene Ployer: Au - Burgus. In: Verena Gassner, Andreas Pülz (Hrsg.): The Roman Limes in Austria. Guide to the archaeological monuments. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2015, ISBN 978-3-7001-7787-6 , p. 183.
  • Rene Ployer: Sommerau - Burgus. In: Verena Gassner, Andreas Pülz (Hrsg.): The Roman Limes in Austria. Guide to the archaeological monuments. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2015, ISBN 978-3-7001-7787-6 , pp. 187–188.
  • René Ployer: The Norwegian Limes in Austria. Find reports from Austria, Materialhefte series B 3, Österr. Federal Monuments Office, Vienna 2013.
  • Harald Lehenbauer: The Roman brick production in the Fort Locus Felicis (Wallsee-Sindelburg) - A preliminary report of the brick stamps from the brickworks of Petronius. pdf

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Tscholl 1978, p. 113.
  2. ↑ Kurt Genser: 1986, p. 191.
  3. ↑ Notitia Dignitatum Occ. 34, 40.
  4. ↑ Notitia Dignitatum occ. 34, 33.
  5. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 2002, p. 200.
  6. ↑ Eduard Nowotny: 1925, p. 112.
  7. ↑ Erwin M. Ruprechtsberger : 1980, p. 22, Hanns-Jörg Ubl 1980, p. 590 Kurt Genser, 1986, p. 195.
  8. ^ Find reports from Austria: Volume 9, 1966-1970, p. 81.
  9. ↑ Kurt Genser: 1986, p. 187
  10. ^ Find reports from Austria : Volume 10, 1971, p. 87, Elmar Tscholl: 1978, p. 146.
  11. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 1978, p. 165.
  12. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 1989, p. 64.
  13. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 1990, Find reports from Austria : Volume 27, 1988, p. 316.
  14. ↑ Tscholl 1978, p. 168.
  15. ^ Find reports from Austria : Volume 36, 1997, p. 31, Elmar Tscholl: 2002, p. 134 f.
  16. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 2002, p. 141.
  17. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 2002, p. 139 (finds p. 161).
  18. ↑ Inscription (5 lines): I (ovi) O (ptimo) M (aximo) DOL (icheno) ULP (ius) NATIVOS DEC (urio) AL (ae) IT (hracum) .
  19. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 1990, p. 44.
  20. ↑ Kurt Genser: 1986, p. 196.
  21. ↑ Sandor Soproni: 1986, pp. 409/15.
  22. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 2002, p. 190
  23. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 2002, p. 136.
  24. ^ Find reports from Austria : Volume 37, 1998, p. 41.
  25. ↑ Kurt Genser: 1986, p. 194.
  26. ^ Find reports from Austria : Volume 37, 1998, p. 40.
  27. ^ Find reports from Austria : Volume 10, 1971, p. 87.
  28. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 1978, p. 146.
  29. ^ Find reports from Austria : Volume 10, 1971, p. 87, Elmar Tscholl: 2002, p. 136.
  30. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 2002, p. 138
  31. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 1978, p. 151.
  32. ↑ E. Tscholl: 1990, p. 38.
  33. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 1990, p. 41.
  34. ↑ CIL 3, 5613
  35. ↑ See also Willem Zwikker: Studies on the Markus Column , Allard Pierson Stichting, Universiteit van Amsterdam 1941, diss., P. 110.
  36. ↑ A. Aign, in: Ostbairische Grenzmarken. Passauer Jahrbuch für Geschichte, Kunst u. Folklore , No. 6, 1965, p. 21.
  37. ↑ ND occ. XXXIIII / XXXX
  38. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 2002, p. 183
  39. ↑ Ellmar Tscholl, 2001.
  40. ↑ Elmar Tscholl, Römisches Österr. No. 5/6, 1977/78, p. 216
  41. ↑ Elmar Tscholl: 2002, p. 195
  42. ↑ a b Elmar Tscholl: 2002, p. 193.
  43. ↑ Hannsjörg Ubl in: Friesinger - Krinzinger, 2002², p. 201.
  44. ↑ Kurt Genser: 1986, p. 181
  45. ↑ Hannsjörg Ubl, 1980.