Villa Rustica (Munzach)

Information board

The Villa Rustica von Munzach (in Roman times Montiacum ) is the remains of a Roman estate near the former village of Munzach ( medieval Monzacha ) in the area of today's Liestal in the canton of Basel-Landschaft in Switzerland . In Roman times it was only about an hour's walk from the colony town of Augusta Raurica . The site is now a cultural asset of national importance with the KGS number 1464.

history

The first Roman remains were observed as early as 1765 when the Munzach church was demolished. Excavations took place in 1950, 1952, 1954 and 1955. Parts of the ruins have been preserved. Only sparse written records of the excavations are known, but over a thousand color slides by the rediscoverer Theodor Strübin (1908–1988). Further excavations followed until 1970. Another mosaic was found in 1974. Further investigations followed in 1994, 2007 and 2011 in the economic area of the estate. A total of around 60,000 found objects are known.

description

The building complex is located on an area of around 320 × 160 meters. The mansion is at the center of the complex. The building is about 55 meters long and 15 meters wide. The building had a portico on the east side . On the south side, the manor house was given an almost equally large wing facing east in a further construction phase, which also housed a bathroom. In the east in particular, various commercial buildings were built along a wall. Further commercial buildings stood along a wall in the north. The manor house in particular was once richly furnished. There were figural mosaics and rooms with hypocausts . This strengthens the interpretation that villa rustica can be viewed as a special form of villa urbana . Two wells , one of them made of Carrara marble and decorated with fruit-bearing ivy tendrils, were located near the walls of the estate.

Six large mosaic areas with a total area of over 425 m ² were excavated, the two named mosaics I and V are over 45 meters long and marked by black and white checkerboard-like squares. Mosaic III contains a peacock whose assignment to an everyday scene or to a mythological representation of Orpheus is unclear. Mosaic IV is characterized by the representation of a chariot race ( quadriga ).

Various rooms were clad with Jura marble, colored plaster could be proven. The manor was inhabited from the beginning of the first century until around 350 AD. Among the special finds an almost 50 centimeters high and eight kilograms heavier heard gargoyles in the form of a dolphin from bronze , discovered in 1974 in a corner of the wall of the mansion, perhaps once a fountain adorned the yard. Two gravestones found reveal evidence of a cemetery.

Some of the ruins can be visited.

Villa Rustica from Munzach
Mosaic, Villa Rustica von Munzach
Villa Rustica from Munzach
Villa Rustica from Munzach
Villa Rustica from Munzach
Villa Rustica from Munzach
Villa Rustica from Munzach

literature

Rudolf Laur-Belart , T. Strübin: The Roman villa of Munzach near Liestal. In: Ur-Schweiz 17, 1953, pp. 1ff.
T. Strübin: Monciacum. The Roman estate and the medieval village of Munzach near Liestal. Photo report on the excavations in Munzach 1950-1955. In: Baselbieter Heimatblätter 20, 1956, p. 386ff.
M. Joos: The Roman mosaics of Munzach. In: Archeology of Switzerland 8, 1985, p. 86ff.
Walter Drack , Rudolf Fellmann : The Romans in Switzerland. Theiss, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8062-0420-9 , pp. 430-434.
Debora Schmid: Luxury in the Country: The Roman Mosaics of Munzach , Volume 52 Writings of Archeology Baselland (formerly: Archeology and Museum ), Schwabe Verlag, Basel 2016, ISBN 978-3-7965-3642-7 . 113 pages

Web links

Commons : Villa Rustica - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Liestal-Munzach - The most important Roman estate behind Augusta Raurica

Individual evidence

^ Theodor Strübin was a Liestaler and worked as a teacher and career advisor. The alpinist , poet and ancient and local researcher was a passionate photographer. He is to be thanked for the extensive photo documentation of the Munzach excavation. His Strübin archive is now in the Baselland Archeology Museum .
↑ Debora Schmid: Luxury in the country: The Roman mosaics of Munzach , p. 7
↑ ^a ^b Debora Schmid: Luxury in the country: The Roman mosaics of Munzach , p. 21
↑ Debora Schmid: Luxury in the country: The Roman mosaics of Munzach , P. 52-57
↑ Debora Schmid: Luxury in the country: The Roman mosaics of Munzach , p. 19

47.48862 7.7202Coordinates: 47 ° 29 '19 " N , 7 ° 43' 12.7" E ; CH1903: 621 221 / 259 800

[1] Theodor Strübin was a Liestaler and worked as a teacher and career advisor. The alpinist , poet and ancient and local researcher was a passionate photographer. He is to be thanked for the extensive photo documentation of the Munzach excavation. His Strübin archive is now in the Baselland Archeology Museum .

[2] Debora Schmid: Luxury in the country: The Roman mosaics of Munzach , p. 7

[luxus-3] Debora Schmid: Luxury in the country: The Roman mosaics of Munzach , p. 21

[4] Debora Schmid: Luxury in the country: The Roman mosaics of Munzach , P. 52-57

[5] Debora Schmid: Luxury in the country: The Roman mosaics of Munzach , p. 19