Villa Rustica near Södingberg
The villa rustica von Södingberg in the community Geistthal-Södingberg , Styria probably dates from the beginning of the 2nd century. Finds from the Bronze Age and the La Tène Age suggest that the place was settled early on, but that there was probably no continuity of settlement.
location
The ruins of the villa rustica are located in the village of Södingberg, which belongs to Geistthal- Södingberg . It is located about 50 kilometers northwest of Flavia Solva .
excavation
During an excavation of a Roman homestead in Aichegg carried out by the Federal Monuments Office between 1990 and 1993, similar finds from nearby Södingberg were discovered. In 1993 the Geofyzika Institute Brno carried out the first geomagnetic measurements in Södingberg on behalf of the Federal Monuments Office. With the help of these measurements, an area was determined which was excavated in 1996/97 under the direction of Bernhard Hebert. In 1996, the remains of a post construction from the Latène period and the foundations of three buildings from the Roman period were found. In 1997, two further excavations were carried out, as well as a survey and several geophysical measurements under the direction of Thuri Lorenz and Bernhard Hebert on a field northwest of the first excavation area. The Austrian Archaeological Institute carried out geomagnetic measurements again in 2007, which led to a control excavation in 2008.
description
The buildings from the Roman period are located inside and partly above a double moat, which can be dated to stage C of the Latène period, i.e. to the time between 250 and 150 BC. The Roman buildings, in turn, are dated to the beginning of the 2nd century AD and were at least partially abandoned at the end of the 4th century. The Roman villa rustica consists of six building complexes (A – F), which were surrounded by an approximately square wall.
Building complex A in the north-western part of the complex is regarded as a residential building ( pars urbana ). Complex A is connected to complex D in the north, which served as a connecting corridor to complex E to the south. The building complex E is walled and inside there is a 7.7 by 7 meter room, which is referred to as building B. This room has an elaborate hypocaust complex with a roofed praefurnium in the north and an apse in the south. The room used to be decorated with wall paintings with painted plant decorations, as indicated by the approximately 530 rubble fragments found, and was probably used as living space. To the north of complex E are the remains of a hearth and the remains of a wooden building known as building C.
Building complex C in the western part was presumably an inner courtyard with utility rooms, while complex B to the east has not yet been assigned any function. Complex F, which is regarded as an economic part, is located on the southern perimeter wall and consists of four structures.
literature
- Susanne Lamm, Patrick Marko: Roman-era villas in Styria. In: Schild von Steier 25/2012. Research on the historical regional studies of Styria , Volume 58. Graz 2012, ISBN 978-8-3902095-46-6 , pp. 24–41 ( online ).
Web links
Coordinates: 47 ° 5 ′ 6.6 " N , 15 ° 11 ′ 48.8" E