Villa rustica (Biberist-Spitalhof)
The Gutshof von Biberist-Spitalhof is a Roman villa rustica near Biberist in the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland .
location
The economic part ( pars rustica ) of the complex was exposed by the canton archeology in the 1980s, as it is on the route of the national road 5 . It is located on a terrain terrace sloping slightly to the northeast on the south bank of the Aare about 1.5 kilometers southwest of the ancient vicus Salodurum , today's Solothurn .
investment
The complex has three phases, initially a one hectare farm from the 1st century AD. Around 80 AD a five hectare complex of the axial villa type was built. The ruins of the unexplored main building ( pars urbana ) in the south are faintly visible through the concentration of stone and brick. Along the outer wall of the pars rustica there were now several smaller buildings that can be addressed as residential houses of tenant families (see colony ). After it was destroyed in the middle of the 3rd century, the estate continued to exist in a significantly reduced size in the 4th century.
Grave complex
On the central axis of the courtyard in the central courtyard there was a 24 by 28 meter walled square that can be seen as a grave garden. In the middle of the west wall of the building was a grave pit, the filling of which showed clear traces of fire. In the pit there was a 60 centimeter high limestone pillar , probably a secondary architectural part. Another limestone cube measuring 88 by 64 centimeters had a 15 liter hollow in which there were several calcined bone fragments. Together with the bone finds from the grave pit, the considerable amount of 3 kilograms of corpse burn was recovered. The complex is dated to the 3rd quarter of the 2nd century AD.
The grave is a typical bustum . A well-nourished man around 50 and a newborn were buried. A young woman may still be buried, which is indicated by anthropological evidence and few additions. The burial was later disrupted, presumably to steal gifts made of jewelry or the like.
Outside the grave complex, indications of offerings were discovered in several pits to the east and north, including burnt nutshells and fruit remains. In a pit measuring 60 by 84 centimeters, 35 centimeters deep east of the facility, a burned, complete cattle skull was found. It may have been placed at the entrance based on a bucranion , for which there are occasional parallels on stone monuments.
More bone finds
In the storage facility on the northern edge of the property there was a pit with slaughterhouse waste. It was rectangular, 6.4 square meters and three feet deep. The pit, originally paneled with wood, was probably used until the first half of the 3rd century. 108 animal bones were found in the pit, of which 80 are certain and 26 are possibly cattle bones. The remaining bones are from a pig and a sheep / goat. Apart from four scapula fragments, all bovine bones should belong to partial skulls of at least three adult animals. These are incomplete, right sides of the skull. Two skulls have well-preserved horn cones, so that it was established that they come from male, perhaps castrated animals ( ox ). The larger horn cone has an approximately 2 centimeter large, artificial hole in the middle and cuts at the base. Maybe it was hung on a nail or stake.
literature
- Bruno Kaufmann, Christine Hillenbrand-Unmüssig: Biberist / Spitalhof, anthropological processing of the skeletal remains from the excavations 1986-1989. In: Archeology and Monument Preservation in the Canton of Solothurn 3 (1998), pp. 31–43.
- Caty Schucany : The Roman villa of Biberist-Spitalhof / SO. (Excavations in 1982, 1983, 1986-1989). Investigations in the economic section and considerations about the surrounding area. Publishing house Bernhard Albert Greiner. Remschalden 2007. ISBN 3935383908 .
- Caty Schucany: The Roman estate of Biberist-Spitalhof. A preliminary report. In: Yearbook of the Swiss Society for Prehistory and Early History 69 (1986), pp. 199–220 doi: 10.5169 / seals-116995 .
- Caty Schucany: A grave complex in the Roman estate of Biberist-Spitalhof. In: Archäologie der Schweiz 18 (1995), pp. 142–154 doi: 10.5169 / seals-15356 .
- Caty Schucany: Old streets in Biberist-Schöngrün SO. In: Archäologie des Kantons Solothurn 6 (1989), pp. 119–130.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ For the grave complex see Caty Schucany: A grave complex in the Roman estate of Biberist-Spitalhof. In: Archäologie der Schweiz 18 (1995), pp. 142–154.
- ↑ a b For the bone finds, see Sabine Deschler-Erb in: Archeology in Switzerland 23 1999/2, pp. 100-103
Coordinates: 47 ° 11 '44.4 " N , 7 ° 31' 56.2" E ; CH1903: 607,097 / 227195