Fort Riississen

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Fort Riississen
Alternative name Riusiava (controversial)
limes ORL NN ( RLK )
Route (RLK) Rhaetian Limes,
older Danube line
Dating (occupancy) Fort:
Aa) around 45/50 to around 70
A.b) around 70 to around 90/95
B) Successor building (?)
Around 100 to 110
Vicus: around 70 to around 260 AD.
Type Cohort fort
unit unknown
size a) 1.7 ha
b) 1.9 ha
Construction a) wood-earth
b) wood-earth
State of preservation overbuilt
place Ehingen - Rississen
Geographical location 48 ° 16 '6.5 "  N , 9 ° 50' 0.5"  E
height 504  m above sea level NHN
Previous Emerkingen Fort (west-southwest)
Subsequently Unterkirchberg fort (east north-east)

The Riississen fort , whose equation with the ancient Riusiava is controversial, was a former Roman cohort fort of the older Danube line of the Rätischen Limes in the area of ​​today's Ehingen district of Riississen , Baden-Württemberg .

location

The fort is a ground monument in the southeastern, highest part of the village of Riississen. Its administrative center, the Principia (staff building), is located roughly to the west of today's Römerweg, between the water tower and the school.

During antiquity, the garrison was in a strategically and geographically important position. The Roman Donausüdstraße (today's Heer- und Schloßstraße) ran in a west-east orientation directly past it . In this area, another important trade connection led from the Danube to the Lake Constance area to Bregenz ( Brigantium ) and on to Italy . It is believed that the Danube was navigable for flat-hulled Roman river barges ( naves actuariae ) from the mouth of the Riss, i.e. about three kilometers northeast of the fort . Rississen was thus likely to become a strategic loading station for supplies. By evaluating older and more recent archaeological excavations , more recent research in the 1990s came to the conclusion that the Riississen fort was probably a not insignificant point on the supply routes of the Roman army from Gaul and the Germanic provinces Germania inferior and Germania superior to the Balkans depicted.

Research history

Roman traces in the area of ​​Rississen were first archaeologically proven in 1845. Since then, scientific investigations have taken place in this area at irregular intervals. In 1850 a thermal bath was excavated, in 1891 a large building of uncertain purpose. The high volume of Roman coins was particularly striking. In 1912 the former cohort fort was finally located and excavations began between 1912 and 1914. The excavation work was interrupted by the outbreak of the First World War and for a long time not really systematically restarted. Unfortunately, some of the records of the early excavations have been lost over time. All subsequent archaeological measures had the character of emergency excavations , for example in 1959/1960 when the water tower and the school were built and in 1967 when a kindergarten was built. In these, the components of a - presumably complete - Lorica Segmentata were discovered, which were completely destroyed during the improper recovery. It was not until the 1990s that the archaeologist Martin Kemkes systematically took care of the fort, carried out new excavations and ensured that it was adequately represented in the literature, taking into account the newly acquired knowledge. Overall, the Riississen fort, with around two thirds of the excavated area, is one of the best-studied forts in this former border section.

The area of ​​the fort and the vicus is largely built over today. No ancient structures have survived above ground. Only the course of the Roman road can be traced through the partially almost identical, modern road course in the area.

Surname

In the period between the world wars, the Roman provincial researcher Robert Knorr suggested that Riusiava could possibly be equated with the Riusiava mentioned by Ptolemy . The archaeologist Oscar Paret endorsed this hypothesis in the second half of the 20th century, which, however, has recently been contradicted in scientific and popular scientific literature. The prehistorian Rolf Nierhaus and subsequently the archaeologist Thomas Knopf were the first to turn against Knorr and Paret and equate Riusiava with the large Celtic settlement of Heidengraben near Grabenstetten . The prehistoric archaeologist Sabine Rieckhoff rejected this newer thesis in 2005. She stated that the "ancient history-philologically oriented research" adhered to the definition of Riusiava with Heidengraben "contrary to the archaeological findings". The Riusiava myth has now become an integral part of a literature that "negates" the archaeological findings. In her remarks, however, she did not speak to equate Riusiava with Rississen.

Building history

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In the case of the Riississen cohort fort, a total of three construction phases could be verified. A first 1.7 hectare military camp was built in the Claudian era, around the years 45 to 50, as part of a planned and extensive infrastructural expansion of the Danube valley, which at that time also formed the northern border of Raetia. This fort may have been destroyed in connection with the turmoil of the four-emperor year 69, but may also have been burned down by the occupation during a planned retreat at the same time. In addition to cracks, only three other Danube camps ( Hüfingen , Aislingen and Burghöfe (Mertingen) ) were found to have burned layers from this turbulent period of the empire.

Nothing is known from written sources about the troops stationed here at this time, but the occurrence of finds suggests a combined unit of mounted archers and foot soldiers, most likely members of the legion.

A short time after the destruction, probably in the year 70, the strategically and geographically important fort was rebuilt. A change made to the structure of the fort's interior indicates a change of crew. However, reliable information on the type of troop cannot be made. It only appears certain that the fort fulfilled a primarily logistical task.

At the end of the seventies, large-scale renovations took place, probably in connection with the construction of the road through the Kinzig valley and the construction of the forts on the upper Neckar.

After the Limes was brought forward and shortened around the year 90, the fort became superfluous and was abandoned by the year 95 at the latest.

Only a short time later, probably in connection with the Dacian Wars during the reign of Emperor Trajan (98–117), the fort Riississen once again gained military importance as a logistical transfer point on the supply route from Gaul and the Germanic provinces to the Balkans. Around the year 100 a large warehouse was built within the old fort. Possibly with the end of the Dacian Wars, but no later than the year 110, the military use of the place ends. The final coins from the area of ​​the garrison date from the years 99/103 AD. However, it has been discussed in research whether these coins belonged to the time after the withdrawal of the military. In this case - as the archaeologist Klaus Kortüm found - the end of the fortification could already fall in the reign of the emperors Nerva (96-98) or Domitian (81-96).

First construction phase

The first construction of Fort Riississen took place around 45 to 50 AD using a wood-earth construction method. The four-gate camp was about 1.7 hectares in size and surrounded by a double moat. Inside the fort, a simple principia (staff building), the praetorium (commandant's house), two crew barracks, a horreum (granary) and another magazine as well as a larger building of unsecured use, which probably served logistical purposes, could be detected.

Second construction phase

Only a short time after the destruction around the years 69/70 the fort was rebuilt in a slightly different form. Changes in the building structure of the fort's interior suggest a change of crew. Essentially, however, only the destroyed areas were rebuilt. It was not until the late 1970s that major renovations took place. The double trench system was replaced by a simple trench, and the principia, which had previously been made of wood / half-timbered, was replaced by a representative stone structure.

Third construction phase

Within the ground plan of the abandoned fort, a large, three-aisled, stone warehouse was built around the year 100, including the Principia foundations.

Vicus

As with every Roman military camp, a vicus , a civil settlement consisting of members of the military, traders, craftsmen and innkeepers , formed around the Riississen fort . The vicus von Riississen continued to exist beyond the end of the military use of the square and continued to prosper as a market town, not least because of its favorable geographical location. The settlement was furnished with the typical features of Roman civilization, including a small thermal baths. In addition, the quality of the finds and the stone monuments speak for an above-average wealthy population. The burial grounds were created along the arterial roads of the vicus .

Under pressure from the Alamanni , the vicus - like all Roman areas west of the Iller - was abandoned around the year 260.

Coin molds

Noteworthy are the coin molds that were found in 1920 on the eastern edge of Riississen, 70 meters south of the fort. To this day, researchers have not agreed whether the 267 models, the coins of the Roman emperors Septimius Severus (193–211), Geta (211), Caracalla (211–217), Diadumenianus (218) and Elagabal (218–222) imitate, belonged to a forging workshop or, as evidence from various areas of the Roman Empire suggest, it is an official emergency coinage from times that were troubled in terms of border policy, when a number of areas were temporarily cut off from the supply of fresh money. The ancient historian Karl Christ spoke of a “decentralized production” in this context.

Funerary inscriptions

Coincidental finds from earlier times come from numerous spoils that were already used in the previous building of today's St. Pankratius and Dorothea church and that were rebuilt in the new building in 1784. A total of seven relief stones were set into the outer wall. They probably originate from the burial ground east of the vicus .

Below is an inscription stone from the late period of the civilian settlement with the text:

In h (onorem) d (omus) d (ivinae)
I (ovi) O (ptimo) M (aximo) et Danu-
vio ex vot-
o Primanus
Secundi v (otum) s (olvit) l (ibens) l (aetus)
Muciano et Fabi-
[an] o [co (n) s (ulibus)]

Translation: “In honor of the divine house (= imperial house), the best, greatest Jupiter and Danuvius, based on a vow of Primanus, the son of Secundus. He happily and kindly fulfilled his vows when Mucianus and Fabianus were consuls. ”The consular information means that the stone can be dated to the year 201.

Lost property

The finds from the fort and vicus excavations of Riississen can be found in the Roman Museum in the Riississen primary school , in the Ehingen City Museum and in the Württemberg State Museum in the Old Castle in Stuttgart .

Monument protection

The Riißissen fort and the ground monuments mentioned are protected as cultural monuments within the meaning of the Monument Protection Act of the State of Baden-Württemberg (DSchG) . Investigations and targeted collection of finds are subject to approval, and accidental finds are reported to the monument authorities.

See also

literature

  • Philipp Filtzinger : Ehingen-Rississen . In: Philipp Filtzinger, Dieter Planck , Bernhard Cämmerer : The Romans in Baden-Württemberg . 3rd edition, Theiss, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3-8062-0287-7 , p. 272 ​​ff.
  • Martin Kemkes: Ehingen-Rississen . In: Dieter Planck (Ed.): The Romans in Baden Württemberg. Roman sites and museums from Aalen to Zwiefalten. Theiss, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8062-1555-3 , p. 65 ff.
  • Martin Kemkes: The Riississen fort and the military security of the Danube in the 1st century. In: Ulmer Museum / Kurt Wehrberger (Hrsg.): The Romans on the Danube and Iller. New research and findings. Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1996, ISBN 3-7995-0410-9 , p. 9 ff.
  • Gerhard Mildenberger: New excavations in Fort Riississen . In: Find reports from Swabia. New series 16. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart 1961, pp. 106–119
  • Günter Ulbert : The Roman Danube Fort Riississen. The finds made of metal, horn and bone . Müller & Gräf, Stuttgart 1970
  • Thomas Fischer: The army of the Caesars. Archeology and history. With contributions by Ronald Bockius, Dietrich Boschung and Thomas Schmidts. Pustet, Regensburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-7917-2413-3 ; 2nd, revised and updated edition 2014, ISBN 978-3-7917-2413-3 .

Web links

  • Martin Kemkes: The Roman Danube Fort Riississen. Dissertation, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, created 1996, published on September 27, 2012. Abstracts German / English and information on the examination (HTML); Text, catalog / tables, enclosures (PDFs); Freiburg Document Server (FreiDok), accessed on August 12, 2014.

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b c Robert Knorr: Rississen, the Riusiava of Ptolemy . In: Germania. Bulletin of the Roman-Germanic Commission of the German Archaeological Institute. Born 16, 1932. De Gruyter, Berlin. P. 143 f.
  2. ↑ a b c Oscar Paret: Württemberg in prehistoric times . P. 402. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1961.
  3. ↑ a b c Rolf Nierhaus: To the topographical information in the geography of Klaudios Ptolemaios about today's southern Germany. In: Find reports from Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart 1981, p. 475 ff, doi: 10.11588 / fbbw.1981.0.26395 .
  4. ↑ a b c Jürgen Meyer: Enigmatic traces on the Alb. Oertel & Spörer, Reutlingen 2007, ISBN 978-3-88627-413-0 .
  5. ↑ Martin Kemkes: The Riississen Fort and the military security of the Danube in the 1st century. In: Ulmer Museum, Kurt Wehrberger (Hrsg.): The Romans on the Danube and Iller. New research and findings. Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1996, ISBN 3-7995-0410-9 , p. 9 ff.
  6. ↑ Martin Kemkes: Ehingen-Rississen. In: Dieter Planck (Ed.): The Romans in Baden-Württemberg. Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8062-1555-3 , p. 65 ff.
  7. ↑ After Jörg Heiligmann: Emerkingen. Pottery. In: Dieter Planck (Ed.): The Romans in Baden-Württemberg . Theiss, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-8062-1555-3 , p. 75 f.
  8. ↑ Thomas Fischer 2012, p. 168
  9. ↑ Sabine Rieckhoff: Where did you go? - On the archaeological evidence of the Celts in southern Germany in the 1st century BC Chr. In: Celtic ideas on the Danube. Files of the fourth symposium of German-speaking Celtologists. Linz / Danube, 17. – 21. July 2005. Konrad Spindler (1939–2005) in memory. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. ISBN 3700136706 . P. 429
  10. ↑ Klaus Kortüm: On the dating of the Roman military installations in the Upper German-Raetian Limes area . In: Saalburg-Jahrbuch 49 , 1998. Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1998, p. 43.
  11. ^ Filtzinger, Planck, Cämmerer: The Romans in Baden-Württemberg . Theiss, Stuttgart 1986, ISBN 3806202877 , p. 163.
  12. ↑ Alfons Senn: The Roman relief stones of Rississen. New observations and interpretations. Museum Society, Ehingen 1987.
  13. ↑ CIL 03, 05863
  14. ^ Haug / Sixt: The Roman inscriptions and sculptures of Württemberg . 2nd supplemented and expanded edition. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1914, p. 50 f.
  15. ^ Inscription stone in the Heidelberg epigraphic database
  16. ^ Museums of the city of Ehingen on their website