Vindonissa

Coordinates: 47 ° 28 '50 "  N , 8 ° 13' 19"  E ; CH1903:  659050  /  two hundred and fifty-nine thousand one hundred fifty

Vindonissa​

Switzerland

Location of Vindonissa on the DIRL

Vindonissa (for Celtic personal names Vindos or Celtic generic word * uindo- "white", both supplemented by the suffix -is (s) a, so either "place of Vindos" or "Weissenbach") was the name of a military camp of the Romans on the Area of ​​today's municipality of Windisch in the canton of Aargau , Switzerland . Located at the confluence of the Aare and Reuss rivers, the legionary camp controlled important traffic connections, such as the Neckar-Alb-Aare Roman road . It was occupied from 14 to 101 AD by three different legions (the 13th, 21st and 11th legions). This was followed by a longer phase in which no troops were stationed in the settlement. After an Alemannic invasion was repulsed, Vindonissa was part of the chain of castles of the Danube-Iller-Rhine Limes (Castrum Vindonissense) and was again under military occupation from around 270 to the 5th century.

First written mentions

The historian Tacitus already mentions the legionary camp Vindonissa in his work on the events after the suicide of Emperor Nero . Around 300 the name Vindonissa is recorded in the street directory Itinerarium provinciarum Antonini Augusti and in the street map Tabula Peutingeriana . In 310 the Gallic rhetorician Eumenius wrote an eulogy for Emperor Constantine I in Trier and names Constantius Chlorus , who defeated the Alemanni here around 293 . The Castrum Vindonissense is mentioned in the Notitia Galliarum , a directory of the Gallic provinces from around 400 . Archaeological finds were made during the construction of the Königsfelden monastery between 1310 and 1330, as reported by the Chronicon Königsfeldense from 1440.

The chronicler Sigmund Fry, who wrote the Brugger Chronicle in 1530, and other well-known historians of the 16th century Aegidius Tschudi and Johannes Stumpf knew and used these sources. The Bernese chronicler Thomas Schöpf described the Windisch amphitheater in 1577 . The first cartographic representation as rudera amphitheatri can be found in 1660 in a work by Hans Conrad Gyger .

In 1688 Johann Jacob Wagner described finds in the Mercurius Helveticus . In 1817 Franz Ludwig Haller reported extensively on Vindonissa in his work Topography of Helvetia . The founder of Swiss prehistory, Ferdinand Keller , gave important suggestions which, among other things, led Heinrich Meyer to write the history of the 11th and 21st Legion for the first time in 1853.

The prehistorian Jakob Heierli , originally from Zurich, founded the Antiquarian Society of Brugg and the surrounding area in 1897 , now the Society for Vindonissa . The first president was the Bruges district teacher Samuel Heuberger .

Research history

From the point of view of research, the legionary camp and the surrounding civil settlement are considered to be one of the most important Roman sites north of the Alps. Humanists such as Beatus Rhenanus, Sebastian Münster, Aegidius Tschudi and others had known the place since the 16th century and published Roman inscriptions and other finds found there. The history of research and excavation has a tradition going back more than a hundred years, beginning in 1897 at the latest with the establishment of the “Antiquarian Society of Brugg and Surroundings” (today: Society Pro Vindonissa). Since then, the ancient findings and finds have been systematically recovered, evaluated and published in excavations. Today, Aargau Cantonal Archeology is responsible for this work , supported by the Vindonissa Professorship at the University of Basel.

history

Before the arrival of Roman troops, a Celtic oppidum existed at the very tip of the spur between the Aare and Reuss . It was probably created after the defeat of the Helvetii in the Battle of Bibracte (58 BC) and was protected by a neck ditch . After the Alpine campaign of Drusus and Tiberius , the Romans occupied in 15 BC The Central Plateau and built smaller bases. One of them was built on the strategically important spur between Aare and Reuss, with the Romans taking over the fortification of the oppidum. Then Tiberius crossed the Upper Rhine with the 19th Legion and set up the camp near Dangstetten (15-9. BC).

In 14 AD, when the Romans established the Upper Rhine 15 km away as the new northern border of the empire, they abolished the camp of Augusta Vindelicorum (now Augsburg-Oberhausen ). As a replacement, the 13th Legion (the Legio XIII Gemina ) built the base Vindonissa into a legionary camp consisting of wooden buildings. Only a few findings from this period have survived, for example a pointed ditch on the north side of the camp and the remains of crew barracks. Around 21 AD a first expansion to the west was assumed, and around 30 the camp was expanded again and moved to the north and east.

Vindonissa amphitheater

The 13th Legion withdrew around 44/45 AD, and the 21st Legion ( Legio XXI Rapax ) from Vetera (near today's Xanten ) was stationed here. This legion subsequently made profound structural changes and replaced the wooden structures with stone buildings. Thermal baths , valetudinarium and barracks are known from this phase . The layout of the camp at that time is also known. It was 21 hectares in size, formed an irregular heptagon and was surrounded by a wall and ditches. To the south and east of the camp was a civilian settlement (a vicus ), and to the south-west were the forum and amphitheater .

Since the 21st Legion had devastated the Helvetian region in the troubled Four Emperor's year of 69 AD, it was replaced by the 11th Legion ( Legio XI Claudia ), which stayed in Vindonissa until the military finally withdrew. Under Domitian the province Germania superior was established, to which Vindonissa also belonged; at the same time, with the conquest of the Dekumatland, the Roman imperial border was shifted to the north. With this the position lost its military importance. Therefore, the 11th Legion was moved to the Danube by Emperor Trajan in AD 101 to prepare for the campaigns against the Dacians .

Replica Contubernia

Until the middle of the 2nd century the camp remained under the administration of the 8th Legion ( Legio VIII Augusta ) stationed near Strasbourg , which maintained a small outpost here. Over time, however, the civilian population used ever larger parts of the camp for their own purposes. In the years 259/260 the Alemanni conquered the Upper German-Raetian Limes and invaded the Central Plateau. The Romans cleared the Dekumatland and were only able to take possession of the area around Vindonissa again around 270. Since the imperial border was now again marked by the Rhine, the place again acquired a strategic importance and became part of the late antique Danube-Iller-Rhine-Limes . Around 300 the Roman military built a new fortress here, the Castrum Vindonissense, which was abandoned sometime after 406.

buildings

In addition to the buildings in the camp, there is an amphitheater and two aqueducts from the 1st century AD , one of which is partially still in use today. In addition, sanctuaries, the harbor, four cemeteries, a mansio and a very rich rubble hill are known. Many small finds come from this, including writing tablets, which reveal many details from the life of the crew.

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  Roman legionnaires' kitchen

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  The 2.4 km long Roman aqueduct from Hausen to Vindonissa feeds the fountain of the Königsfelden Psychiatric Clinic.

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  Excavation of a pottery on the Roman road to Aventicum and Augusta Raurica (Steinacker area, near Brugg train station )

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  Wall structure of the Roman barracks reconstructed in Vindonissa

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  Contubernia

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  Thermal bath (Vindonissa)

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  South gate: Via et Porta Praetoria

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  Excavations at the aqueduct

Finds and whereabouts

In the cemetery excavated in 2012, bones and remains of grave monuments as well as various grave goods, including glass and bronze jewelry, clay vessels and ointment bottles, were found. They are to be exhibited to the public after the excavation and after conservation and restoration. The exhibits from Vindonissa are displayed in the Vindonissa Museum in neighboring Brugg .

In 2016, the archaeologists made a special find just outside the legionary camp: They dug out a Roman cooking pot that was filled with 22 oil lamps. A bronze coin was carefully placed on each lamp. The 22 lamps show the moon goddess Luna , a defeated gladiator , a lion, a peacock and an erotic scene. The bronze coins are so-called aces , most of which date from the years 66 to 67. The archaeologists suspect that the find has a ritual background.

West gate

West Gate (Vindonissa)

The heavily fortified west gate was the most important for Vindonissa as it connected the camp with the major highways. In front of the gate was the civil settlement in which craftsmen, merchants and members of the legionaries had settled. A legionary camp had four camp gates (portae) through which two main streets led into the camp: the front gate ( porta praetoria ), the rear gate ( porta decumana ) and the two side gates ( portae principales ). Compared to the north and south gates, the west gate in Vindonissa was very elaborate with two large, polygonal side towers. This is explained by its location: here the long-distance roads coming from Gaul , Italy and Germania led into the camp. The two towers preserved in their foundation walls were octagonal and probably reached a height of around 20 meters. In addition to the main passage for the carts, there was a passage for pedestrians on each side.

Inside the west gate (porta principalis dextra) began the west-east running main street (via principalis), one of the two main streets of the camp. This ran to the east gate (porta principalis sinistra) and on the way met the south-north running main road (via praetoria). The Roman road starting from the west gate ran directly under the Königsfelden monastery, later built by the Habsburgs, and under the start / finish building of the legionnaires' path. Outside the west gate, the road continued into the midland to Aventicum , the capital of the Helvetii , and over the Bözberg to Augusta Raurica . In front of the gate was the civil settlement that had developed around the legionary camp over time and continued to exist after the troops had withdrawn from Vindonissa in AD 101. Local and Roman merchants, craftsmen and probably relatives of the soldiers lived in the settlement. In the "Pottery Showroom" in the multi-storey car park of the Northwestern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (Brugg-Windisch Campus), the very well-preserved pottery kilns in a pottery quarter can be viewed freely.

North gate

North Gate Foundations (Vindonissa)

The north gate not only monitored shipping traffic on the Aare, but the steep slope in front of the gate also served as a waste dump. For today's archaeologists this is a real gold mine. The discovery of the north gate ( porta decumana ) in 1905 pioneered early Vindonissa research. Now the last doubts could be dispelled: Vindonissa had actually been a legion camp - and not a civilian settlement. The gate is on the northern edge of the Windischer Plateau, directly above the slope to the Aare. From here you have an impressive view to the north, of the cut of the Aare through the Jura range.

The Romans had already recognized the excellent strategic location of the plateau at the confluence of the Aare , Reuss and Limmat rivers and close to the important Aare breakthrough to the north. The excellent geographical location at the moated castle in Switzerland made it possible to transport large quantities of goods and people for military purposes quickly and cheaply. The waterways tied Vindonissa into the great Roman long-distance trade network. Good connections for troop movements and supplies for the soldiers were a central instrument of power in the Roman Empire. The embankment sloping towards the Aare was probably too steep for carts , which is why the north gate served another purpose in addition to its function as a guard post: large amounts of rubbish were carted through the gate and deposited on the north slope until a huge pile of rubble was created. This mound of rubble is of inestimable value for archaeological research, as thousands of objects, especially those made of leather and wood, have been preserved in it - including the fragments of around 600 wooden writing tablets. These unique witnesses of the daily life of the legionnaires in Vindonissa can be seen today in the Vindonissa Museum in Brugg .

Rubble mounds

The debris hill of Vindonissa is one of the largest sites of small Roman finds made of wood. The organic materials have been so well preserved here because they were shielded from the air and remained humidified throughout. The rubble hill lies in front of the north gate of the legionary camp, where garbage was apparently poured down over the natural embankment. The rubble mound measures approx. 200 m in width and is about 18 m high. It is believed that the rubble mound was raised over the course of 70–75 years.

Legionnaires' Path

Since summer 2009, everyday Roman history has been conveyed along the Vindonissa Legionnaires' Trail at original excavation sites in the municipality of Windisch. The legionnaires' path developed by the canton of Aargau is designed as an experience space for archeology and history. A Roman barracks with Roman tools was rebuilt based on excavation plans. The main attraction is the Contubernia, two crew quarters that have been faithfully reconstructed, in which school classes and other groups can spend the night “like the legionaries”. The Legionnaires' Trail has been affiliated with the Aargau Museum since autumn 2010 .

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  Legionnaires' trail signet

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  Station III: Cloaca Maxima

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  Station IV: North Gate

See also

• List of forts in the Danube-Iller-Rhein-Limes
• Vindonissa water pipes

literature

• Jürgen Trumm: Vindonissa. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Martin Hartmann, Hans Weber: The Romans in Aargau . Verlag Sauerländer, Aarau 1985. ISBN 3-7941-2539-8 .
• Martin Hartmann: Vindonissa. Oppidum - Legionary Camp - Castrum. Windisch, 1986
• Pro Vindonissa publications, Volumes I – XVII, the most recent of which are:
  • Ch. Unz, E. Deschler-Erb: Catalog of the militaria from Vindonissa. (1997, vol. 14).
  • Ch. Meyer-Freuler: Vindonissa-Feuerwehrmagazin 1976. Investigations in the middle area of ​​the legionary camp. (1998, vol. 15).
  • M. Bossert: The figural sculptures of the legion camp of Vindonissa. (1999, vol. 16).
  • D. Hintermann: The south cemetery of Vindonissa. (2000, vol. 17).
  • A. Hagendorn: In the early days of Vindonissa. (2003, vol. 18).
  • R. Fellmann: Roman small finds made of wood from the legion camp Vindonissa (2009, vol. 20)
  • S. Benguerel / V. Engeler-Ohnemus, among others: For the expansion of the warehouse in the northwest of Vindonissa. Evaluation of the excavation Windisch-Zentralgebäude 2004, supplemented by the excavations Windisch-Königsfelden (P3) 1975–1976 and Windisch-Königsfelden (P2) 1989–1994 (2010, vol. 21)
  • J. Trumm / M. Flück, Am Südtor von Vindonissa (2013, Vol. 22)
  • Annual reports of the Pro Vindonissa Society, volumes 1906/1907 to 2010 as pdf from the ETH Library, accessed on August 15, 2014.
• Jürgen Trumm: Vindonissa - State of Research (2010/11)
  • I. Prehistory, Celtic Period and the Military Complex (pdf - accessed September 21, 2013)
  • II. The civil complex (pdf - accessed on September 21, 2013)
• Legionnaires Trail Roman Camp Vindonissa
  • West gate
  • North gate

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Lexicon of Swiss municipality names . Edited by the Center de Dialectologie at the University of Neuchâtel under the direction of Andres Kristol. Frauenfeld / Lausanne 2005, p. 970 f.
2. ↑ Martin Hartmann: Vindonissa. Oppidum - Legionary Camp - Castrum . Ed .: Effingerhof. Brugg 1986.
3. ↑ Media release from November 14, 2016 by the Department of Education, Culture and Sport of the Canton of Aargau .
4. ↑ Rudolf Fellmann: Roman small finds made of wood from the legion camp Vindonissa . Ed .: Society Pro Vindonissa. Brugg 2009, ISBN 978-3-9523105-3-3 .

Web links

Commons : Vindonissa  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Information on the Roman excavations
• Digital archeology
• Official website of the Legionnaires' Trail in Vindonissa
• Roman road Neckar-Alb-Aare
• Legio XI website with numerous illustrations and a description of the LL
• "Pottery showroom" in the multi-storey car park of the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW (Brugg-Windisch Campus)