Villa rustica (Holheim)

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View from Riegelberg to the partially reconstructed floor plan of the estate.

The villa rustica near Holheim is a smaller Roman estate that was uncovered between 1975 and 1981. It is within sight of the Ofnet caves, which were already inhabited in the Middle Paleolithic, near Holheim , a district of Nördlingen in the Donau-Ries district , Bavaria . The foundations of the facility were gradually exposed, preserved and made accessible to the public.

Location and research history

Overall view of the villa complex. 1: main house; 2: heated bath; 3–7: farm buildings; 8: courtyard wall; 9: connecting wall.

The manor was built in the Maienbachtal near the southwestern foot of an almost two kilometer long limestone ridge . This rock massif is located on the edge of the crater of the Nördlinger Ries and had an approximately 400 BC on its plateau opposite the Roman villa in the valley. Fortifications erected in BC, whose flattened walls were largely destroyed by modern stone quarries. In ancient times, the Ries was considered to be the granary of the Roman province of Raetia , which can also be proven by the number of more than 70 attested villae rusticae in this region.

Roman finds were discovered below the Ofnet caves as early as the 19th century, but it was not until 1974 that the first remains of the main house of the villa were revealed. In the course of the land consolidation in 1975 and 1976, this main house was initially uncovered and the site secured for further archaeological excavations . Further investigations were carried out in 1980 and 1981. In the process, the entire central villa area with other buildings was uncovered and, in 1983, by decision of the city of Nördlingen, was preserved for visitors. Today the Holheim villa rustica is considered to have been thoroughly researched.

Finding

In addition to the main building, five other structures, including a bathroom and parts of the surrounding wall, were uncovered in the Ofnet corridor. Most veterans of the Roman army built facilities of this kind after their honorable discharge. With their rural work, the former soldiers made a significant contribution to maintaining the prosperity and security of their provinces, as not only the civilian population but especially the army bought their supplies there. An excavated millstone shows that the residents of the villa ground their grain themselves. According to the findings, the Holheim villa was built in the 2nd century AD.

Enclosing wall, bathroom and farm building

The central courtyard area with villa, bathroom and five farm buildings was enclosed by a man-high courtyard wall. Parts of this enclosure wall could be recorded and exposed on the northwest corner and on the south side. Conservation was also carried out in these areas. Hygienic facilities such as a bath were also part of general health care in the provinces. Therefore, without exception, every villa rustica was built with a bathing building, but at least a heated tub. The functional buildings on the site were built as stone or stone pedestals, depending on their function and purpose.

Main house

The main house in Holheim

The main house did not have the typical, the main facade of the building emphasizing projections ; it looks very modest and is one of the Holheim-type courtyards named after him and now internationally known . Jochen Garbsch initially believed that the building, which was later identified as a residential building, was part of a commercial building, as the Holheim villa did not fit into the common building scheme known at the time. The foundations with a rectangular floor plan show an uncovered inner courtyard to which two lateral room sequences adjoined at a corner. The lack of hypocaust heating and a cellar is characteristic of the simple construction . As the finds show, however, the building had glass windows and probably had a shingle roof. This is indicated by the lack of roof tiles. Instead, hundreds of iron nails were found in the rubble of the house. In accordance with the Mediterranean building tradition, the living area ( pars urbana ) in Holheim was also separated from the commercial buildings ( pars rustica ). Following the same guidelines, all the outbuildings could be viewed from the villa building, as it had been erected above them on a gently sloping slope. The part of the house facing downhill was most likely two-story.

The End

In 222/225 AD the court owners erected an altar for Jupiter. But possibly already during the second major incident Alemanni to 242/244 n. Chr., The archaeologist and numismatist Hans-Joerg Kellner based on many coins found in Raetian forts determined, but at the latest with the final Limes case 259/260 n. Chr., Went the Holheim villa complex forever under. A layer of fire in the main house indicates the violent end of the courtyard. As the finds recovered from this layer show, the fire disaster happened around the middle of the 3rd century. In the burned down house, the archaeologists found the remains of its former residents, which had remained unburied in the ruins.

Finds and whereabouts

One of the outstanding finds from the incendiary layer of the main house is the statuette of a satyr whose eyes were made of silver. It is possible that the wind instrument typical of the satyr, the double flute (aulos), was made of silver. The instrument was probably lost in ancient times. Other important finds were two fibulae, such as those carried by the Roman army. Finds from the villa can be viewed in the Nördlingen City Museum .

Monument protection

The ancient buildings and other facilities are ground monuments according to the Bavarian Monument Protection Act (BayDSchG). Investigations and targeted collection of finds are subject to approval, and accidental finds are reported to the monument authorities.

literature

  • Rainer Christlein , Otto Braasch : Underground Bavaria - 7000 years of history and archeology in the aerial photo . 3. Edition. Theiß, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-8062-0855-7 , p. 202.
  • Wolfgang Czysz , Andrea Faber u. a .: The Roman estate of Nördlingen-Holheim, district of Donau-Ries . In: Reports of the Bavarian Monument Preservation 45/46, 2004/2005, pp. 45–172.
  • Wolfgang Czysz in: Wolfgang Czysz, Lothar Bakker (Hrsg.): The Romans in Bavaria . Theiß, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3806210586 , pp. 415-538; here: p. 460.
  • Wolfgang Czysz: The Roman estate in the Maienbachtal near Holheim . In: Rüdiger Krause : From Ipf to Goldberg. Archaeological walks on the western edge of the Ries (=  guide to archaeological monuments in Baden-Württemberg 16), Theiss, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3806210209 , pp. 129-136.
  • Wolfgang Czysz: The villa rustica by Holheim . In: The Romans in Swabia. Anniversary exhibition 2000 years Augsburg , Lipp, Munich 1985, pp. 168–174.
  • Wolfgang Czysz: Roman manor in the Maienbachtal near Holheim . In: Günther Krahe , Hans Frei (Hrsg.): Archaeological walks in the Ries. Guide to archaeological monuments in Bavaria, Schwaben 2. Theiss, Stuttgart 1979, ISBN 380620568X , pp. 131-134.
  • Jochen Garbsch : Holheim - Roman manor (villa rustica) . In: The Roman Germania from the air . 2nd Edition. Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 1983, ISBN 3-7857-0298-1 , p. 37.
  • Günther Krahe: The restoration of the Roman villa at Holheim im Ries and the Roman bathing building near Schwangau im Allgäu . In: Preserved History? Ancient buildings and their preservation . Theiß, Stuttgart 1985, ISBN 3806204500 , pp. 164-170.
  • Günther Krahe: The Roman manor of Holheim, city of Nördlingen, district of Donau-Ries, Swabia . In: The archaeological year in Bavaria 1981 (1982), pp. 138-139.

Web links

Commons : Villa rustica (Nördlingen-Holheim)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ Dietwulf Baatz: Guide to prehistoric and early historical monuments. Volume 41. Nördlingen, Bopfingen, Oettingen, Harburg. Part 2: excursions . Guide to prehistoric and prehistoric monuments. Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1979. ISBN 3-8053-0310-6 . P. 62.
  2. ↑ a b c Jochen Garbsch: Holheim - Römischer Gutshof (villa rustica) . In: The Roman Germania from the air . 2nd Edition. Lübbe, Bergisch Gladbach 1983, ISBN 3-7857-0298-1 , p. 37.
  3. ↑ a b Wolfgang Czysz: The civil life in the province . In: Wolfgang Czysz, Lothar Bakker (Hrsg.): The Romans in Bavaria . Theiß, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3806210586 , pp. 177-308; here: p. 222.
  4. ↑ Wolfgang Czysz in: Wolfgang Czysz, Lothar Bakker (ed.): The Romans in Bavaria . Theiß, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3806210586 , pp. 415-538; here: p. 460.
  5. ↑ Wolfgang Czysz, Lothar Bakker (ed.): The Romans in Bavaria . Theiss, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3806210586 . P. 221.
  6. ↑ Lorenzo Dal Ri, Stefano Di Stefano: Littamum: Una Mansio nel Noricum / Eine Mansio im Noricum , British Archaeological Reports, 2005, ISBN 1841717290 , p. 272; Veszprém Megyei Múzeumi Igazgatóság (ed.): Balácai közlemények , edition 9, Veszprém 2004, p. 167
  7. ^ Wolfgang Czysz: The civil life in the province . In: Wolfgang Czysz, Lothar Bakker (Hrsg.): The Romans in Bavaria . Theiß, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3806210586 , pp. 177-308; here: p. 220.
  8. ^ Wolfgang Czysz: The civil life in the province . In: Wolfgang Czysz, Lothar Bakker (Hrsg.): The Romans in Bavaria . Theiß, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3806210586 , pp. 177-308; here: p. 325.
  9. ^ Dietwulf Baatz: Roman roads in the Ries. In: Guide to the prehistoric monuments 41. Volume 2. Nördlingen, Bopfingen, Oettingen, Harburg. von Zabern, Mainz 1979. p. 264; Robert Roeren : On the archeology and history of southwest Germany in the 3rd to 5th century AD. In: Yearbook of the Roman-Germanic Central Museum Mainz. 7th year. Habelt, Bonn 1960. p. 217; Thomas Fischer, Michael Altjohann: The Roman provinces. An introduction to their archeology . Theiss, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8062-1591-X , p. 132; Hans-Jörg Kellner : The Roman settlement near Pocking (Lower Bavaria) and its end. In: Bavarian history sheets 25. 1960. S. 132-164.
  10. ↑ Wolfgang Czysz in: Wolfgang Czysz, Lothar Bakker (ed.): The Romans in Bavaria . Theiß, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3806210586 , pp. 415-538; here: p. 460.
  11. ↑ Günther Krahe: The restoration of the Roman villa at Holheim im Ries and the Roman bathing building near Schwangau im Allgäu . In: Preserved History? Ancient buildings and their preservation . Theiss, Stuttgart 1985, ISBN 3-8062-0450-0 , p. 164.

Coordinates: 48 ° 49 ′ 1 ″  N , 10 ° 26 ′ 53 ″  E