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The Western Suburbium in Roman Carnuntum

An integrated spatio-temporal analysis of different archaeological prospection datasets
Mario Wallner, Christian Gugl, Silvia Radbauer et Wolfgang Neubauer
p. 139-141

Résumé

– Infrastructure of Roman settlement deduced from geophysical prospection.

– Spatio-temporal analysis by integrated archaeological interpretation.

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Texte intégral

1The potential of large-scale, non-invasive prospection methods has been widely recognized in archaeology in recent years. In particular, their outstanding possibilities for the exploration of urban centres have been realised early on and applied at selected sites. The ‘ArchPro Carnuntum’ project stands out for its extensive investigation of a Roman provincial capital by the combined application of a wide variety of survey methods (aerial archaeology, magnetometry, ground penetrating radar, extensive field survey) resulting in detailed information on the ancient infrastructure of the Roman metropolis. Within the project, which was set to run for three years (2012-2015), an almost seamless area of approximately 830 ha could be mapped with geomagnetics and an area of just over 240 ha was explored with high resolution ground penetrating radar (Neubauer et al., 2018). In addition, the area had been in focus of aerial archaeology for more then half a century resulting in a detailed understanding of the infrastructure of the military town (Doneus et al., 2013).

2Each dataset of the applied geophysical prospection methods was converted into grayscale raster images, visualising the measured physical values of the soil. After redrawing an archaeologically relevant structure in a GIS environment, a textual description was entered in the corresponding attribute table. In this way each interpreted structure received both a textual description of its geophysical properties and its vectorized archaeological interpretation. In an integrated spatial analysis, the features described and redrawn in the different individual methods were combined to archaeologically relevant units. Thus, geophysical anomalies became archaeological structures (walls, pits, ditches, stones or stone layers), which in turn were combined to larger spatial units such as streets, buildings or burial grounds (Gugl et al., 2019).

3But even the most detailed interpretation of geophysical prospection datasets is not capable of giving an information on the absolute chronological lifespan of an archaeological site. Therefore, extensive fieldwalking surveys were carried out over selected areas. The results of this field walking surveys were also georeferenced and implemented into the GIS project, revealing even more information on land usage and chronological issues.

4The here presented area resembles a typical Roman suburb, as it usually developed along an important traffic axis. This important road, the Roman Limes road coming from the west as an unpaved gravel road, is clearly recognisable in all datasets. Along the road, graves can be identified over a length of about 600 m. Following the Limes road to the east, with a clear demarcation to the cemetery, the extramural settlement begins, which is well visible in the data over a stretch of about 800 m up to the town wall of the civil town of Carnuntum (see Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Integrated interpretative mapping of the Roman landscape around the civil town of Carnuntum.

Figure 1. Integrated interpretative mapping of the Roman landscape around the civil town of Carnuntum.

5The western suburban settlement consists mainly of simple strip houses, narrow stone buildings that are situated perpendicular to the road (Gugl et al., 2019). Approaching the town, the general layout of this extramural area becomes more complex, whereas further away from the town, the buildings were arranged in a single row on both sides of the road. In the rear area of the properties, further parcel delimitations in the form of boundary ditches are observable (Fig. 2).

Figure 2. The extramural settlement to the west of the civil town.

Figure 2. The extramural settlement to the west of the civil town.

6Due to the spatial overlapping of the settlement and a temporary military camp, the chronological sequence of the structures can be deduced. Based on the spatial analysis it becomes evident that the – younger – settlement, which probably started in the early 2nd century AD, overlaps the ditches of the – older – military camp (see A on Fig. 2). The prominent location directly at the scarp of the Danube and the relative chronological sequence suggest that this military camp dates to the 1st century AD.

7South of the settlement, the water supplying infrastructure of the civil town – coming from the west – is clearly recognizable in the geophysical data. Several water-collecting channels form a system of aqueducts outside the town wall (see B on Fig. 2). Closer to the city, the aqueduct passes under the town wall and represents one of the main water supplies of the Roman civil town (see C on Fig. 2).

8The necropolis along the Limes road seems to have been occupied for a rather long period of time. Pottery finds from the fieldwalking surveys suggest that the extramural settlement was occupied at least until the first half of the 3rd century AD. This may also give a clear indication for the occupation period of the necropolis. During the spatial analysis it was observed that some of the graves – among them two remarkable sarcophagus burials – were not located along the Limes road. These burials were orientated towards a structure further to the south, a second – apparently older – arterial road, which led from the pre-municipal settlement to the west (see D on Fig. 2).

9The area presented here, the so-called ‘western suburb’ of Carnuntum, is basically a two-line street village, which was adjoined by a necropolis further outside the city. The temporal development of the settlement is based on the analysis of finds from rescue excavations and surface finds from a field survey carried out in 2017. Through this analysis the settlement can be traced back to the first half of the 2nd century, although sporadically older finds from the 1st century are also already known from this area. After a brief period of prosperity, a process of desertification began and from the first half of the 4th century the western suburbs seem to have been deserted.

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Bibliographie

Doneus, M., Gugl, Ch., Doneus, N., 2013. Die Canabae von Carnuntum. Eine Modellstudie der Erforscgener-appendixhung römischer Lagervorstädte. Von der Luftbildprospektion zur siedlungsarchäologischen Synthese. Der Römische Limes in Österreich, 47, Vienna.

Gugl, Ch., Radbauer, S., Wallner, M., 2019. Archäologische Prospektion 2012-2017 in der Flur Gstettenbreite – ein Beitrag zur Entwicklung vorstädtischer Siedlungszonen in Carnuntum. Carnuntum Jahrbuch 2018. Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna: 47-85.

Neubauer, W., Wallner, M., Gugl, Ch., Löcker, K., et al., 2018. Zerstörungsfreie archäologische Prospektion des römischen Carnuntum – erste Ergebnisse des Forschungsprojekts „ArchPro Carnuntum“. Carnuntum Jahrbuch 2017. Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna: 55-75.

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Table des illustrations

Titre Figure 1. Integrated interpretative mapping of the Roman landscape around the civil town of Carnuntum.
URL http://journals.openedition.org/archeosciences/docannexe/image/9119/img-1.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 2,5M
Titre Figure 2. The extramural settlement to the west of the civil town.
URL http://journals.openedition.org/archeosciences/docannexe/image/9119/img-2.jpg
Fichier image/jpeg, 4,7M
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Pour citer cet article

Référence papier

Mario Wallner, Christian Gugl, Silvia Radbauer et Wolfgang Neubauer, « The Western Suburbium in Roman Carnuntum »ArcheoSciences, 45-1 | 2021, 139-141.

Référence électronique

Mario Wallner, Christian Gugl, Silvia Radbauer et Wolfgang Neubauer, « The Western Suburbium in Roman Carnuntum »ArcheoSciences [En ligne], 45-1 | 2021, mis en ligne le 16 août 2021, consulté le 31 mars 2023. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/archeosciences/9119 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/archeosciences.9119

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Auteurs

Mario Wallner

Corresponding author, LBI ArchPro – Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, VIAS – Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science

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Christian Gugl

Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI) at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW)

Silvia Radbauer

Austrian Archaeological Institute (ÖAI) at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW)

Wolfgang Neubauer

LBI ArchPro – Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, VIAS – Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science

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