Jahreshefte des Österreichischen Archäologischen Instituts in Wien, Band 82/2013

Ground-penetrating radar measurements were performed to investigate buried structures in the Roman city Claudium Aguntum in Tyrolia. Shielded antennas were used to cope with distortions from a significant infrastructure. A relatively low central frequency of 250 MHz was selected to penetrate a thick and complex overburden resulting from repeated flooding events. Measurements were conducted in four areas ranging from 70 to 625 m². Despite difficult conditions, several foundation structures could be identified down to 3 m depth, including parts of the Thermae and the Forum. Measurements over the supposed location of the deeply buried remnants of the city wall indicate a portal at » 5 m depth. The interpreted structures contribute towards a better understanding of the only antique city in Tyrolia, and they will facilitate future excavation campaigns.

Schlagworte:

This interim report presents the main results of three seasons of building survey and limited excavation work carried out at a monumental domus above the Theatre of Ephesos. The building, partially excavated in 1929 and 1930, takes up a commanding position on Mount Panayırdağ and was in use from the 2nd century B.C. to the 6th century A.D. at least. As the preliminary results are indicating, the structural history of the house is characterised by least three main building phases, which are all reminiscent of contemporary palatial architecture. Exclusive features of the building, such as a huge apsidal hall that was built during the 2nd century A.D., suggest an exceptional function beyond that of a private house. Moreover, during the Roman Imperial period several other buildings nearby appear to have been functionally associated with the domus. According to the available evidence it may be cautiously suggested that the building might have been the residence of a Roman Imperial official.

Schlagworte:

The most important results of the 2012 excavations at Aigeira are the discovery of the LH IIIC fortification wall of the acropolis and the unambiguous proof of a ›lower town settlement‹. At this time, the LH IIIC Middle/Late fortifications are amongst the latest newlyconstructed Bronze Age fortifications on the Greek mainland. They were built after a disastrous fire, represented by a massive destruction horizon on the acropolis. The stratigraphic sequence already recovered at the fortification wall and in selected parts of the ›lower town settlement‹, even before the completion of the excavations, permits a clearer and more detailed definition of the LH IIIC through Early Iron Age (MG/LG) occupation of these sectors of the site. Geophysical measurements on the eastern plateau of the acropolis were conducted, in order to examine the extent of the LH and Early Iron Age settlements. Numerous linear structures, presumably walls, were measured, the most interesting of which is a ca. 7 × 10 m large rectangular anomaly in the central plateau. In the area of the Hellenistic theatre the study and reorganisation of the finds from the old excavations were continued and already permit a clearer and better picture of the chronology of the various buildings. Geophysical research in this area showed building activity between Naiskos F and the Tycheion, whereas the area in front of the theatre does not seem to have been occupied. Most important for the topography of the theatre area is the unambiguous identification of Building C. Its exact location was unknown since the building was reburied after O. Walter’s partial excavation.

Schlagworte:

The results of an extensive surface survey, in the course of which large regions of the urban area of Ephesos were recorded, formed the basis for the survey of finds carried out in 2003 in the western section of the Upper City. The goal of the survey of finds, during which eight urban areas, or 2.28 ha, were investigated, lay in a comparison of the surface material as well as in the geophysical prospection of recognisable groundplans, in order to enable conclusions regarding chronology and function of the developed areas. A total of 155,356 finds were collected and roughly classified, while 4,752 diagnostic pieces – clearly assignable either by means of accurate chronology or function – were subjected to a detailed analysis. Chronologically, the material ranges from the Late Hellenistic to the Middle Byzantine period, with the emphasis, unsurprisingly, in Late Antiquity; the mapping of the architectural ceramics could be correlated extremely well with the structural groundplans known from the geophysical survey. The results of the survey of finds, however, reveal very clearly the limits of the method in densely built-up inner urban settlement areas which were also used over a long period of time. Thus, for example, it was not possible to identify conclusively either zones of activity or functional assignations on the basis of the find material. The results in the Upper City of Ephesos represent an important contribution to the further development of intra-urban surveying methods.

Schlagworte:

During the 2006 excavations in the northern necropolis of Savaria-Szombathely (Pannonia), an exceptional grave inventory was discovered in Tomb 103. With its deposits of drinking vessels, lamps and balsamaria, the Flavian-period tomb is closely related to the standard equipment of early Imperial graves in middleand upper Italy. The pars pro toto burial of a bone relief of an Eros with a basket of fruit can be assessed as typically Roman; it originally belonged to a funeral couch, yet it was produced two generations earlier than the other grave goods. The choice of a pars pro toto deposit of an Attis protome presupposes precise understanding of ancient mythology. The tableware and dishes represented in the grave inventory, however, point to a funerary banquet in the course of the burial ceremony, deriving from the Pannonian or wider Celtic milieu.

Schlagworte:

Around 500 B.C., a large, two-storey house was constructed on Monte Iato. This building is oriented along a sacral axis, which formed the foundation of the Aphrodite Temple, constructed 550 B.C. The upper level of this late archaic building housed decorated banqueting rooms that were accessible from ground level on the much higher hillside in the north, through an open place in front of the house. Despite this obvious integration of the upper level into the cult activities around the Aphrodite Temple, the rooms at ground level are still to be considered part of the area used for representative living. Therefore, its residents held ›trusteeship‹ of the upper-level banqueting rooms as well as the sacrifice and commensal politics at the Aphrodite Temple. A detailed study of this causal link of religion, power formation and colonial contact will be based on the results of fine-tuned archaeological investigations between the Aphrodite Temple and the Late Archaic House.

Schlagworte:

More than 700 amber objects have been found in the sanctuary of Artemis at Ephesos, distributed all around the temple area. Two large assemblages have been discovered deposited in the rectangular foundations built of green schist slabs (called the ›earlier basis‹ by the excavator D.G. Hogarth) in the interior of the second temple of Artemis (Naos 2, Hogarth’s ›temple B‹), built in the second half of the 7th century B.C. and both have been interpreted as foundation deposits. Originally, the amber artefacts were either individual items or parts of other objects such as belts, textiles and fabrics. The systematic study of the amber objects was begun in 2010 as a collaboration between the Austrian Archaeological Institute and the Institute of Archaeologies of the University of Innsbruck. Here, a preliminary overview of the results is presented.

Schlagworte:

In this paper the combination of philology, archaeology and ornithology offers a re-evaluation of the bird πέρδιξ/perdix, known from various Greek or Latin sources as a native and domestic animal used as a pet, as a fighting bird or for other purposes. In modern literature this bird is frequently referred to as »Rebhuhn« in German, »perdrix« in French or »partridge« in English. This incorrect denomination can be corrected with the help of the above mentioned scientific disciplines. First of all there are many pictures on mosaics or vase paintings showing a feathered bird, whose typical features allow an identification as the rock partridge (Alectoris). With the help of modern ornithology it becomes clear that the distribution area of the partridge does not reach the Greek mainland, the Aegean islands or the Ionian coast. The rock partridge on the other hand is prevalent in the whole Mediterranean. The analysis of bird bones from archaeological excavations shows that these distribution areas have not changed since the Pleistocene. The description in ancient literature of a bird called perdix painted on a statue in Rhodes, combined with the knowledge that there never were partridges on this island and the fact that many pictures on vases and mosaics show the rock partridge, enables us to identify the bird called πέρδιξ /perdix as a rock partridge. Even more interesting is the fact that we find pictures on North African mosaics of a subspecies of the genus alectoris, the barbary partridge (Alectoris barbara). This subspecies is only common in this part of the Mediterranean and indicates once more the close relation between the ancient craftsman and his environment: he was able to distinguish between birds of his homeland and birds of areas he probably had never visited.

Schlagworte:

On the southern slope of the hill which leads from Castelluccio to the acropolis of Elea lies a large area (91 × 95 m, sacred area 8) known in the scientific literature as ›Terrace of Zeus‹, since 3 inscribed stelae with dedications to Zeus Ourios, [?] Olympios Kairos and Pompaios were found there. This sacred place was extensively excavated in 1927 by A. Maiuri and later on in 1953 by P. C. Sestieri. These excavations brought to light the remains of a stepped structure which is commonly interpreted as a monumental altar (approximately 25.3 × 6.9 m). The present contribution summarizes the state of research regarding this sacred place and focuses on the archaeological documentation, analysing the remains of the monumental altar and its neighbouring structures. The measurements and setting lines still visible on the steps allow a reconstruction of the base layers and suggest that this structure may have been planned to be built based on a foot unit of 0.2875 m. For the upper layers too few elements are left to permit any reconstruction proposal.

Schlagworte:

Barons Ritter von Zahony, a family of businessmen originating from Hessian but settled in the Austrian Littoral since the second half of the 18th century, were among the largest landowners in Aquileia between 1850 and 1920. Like many other latifondisti, Julius Ektor (1816–1878), Wilhelm (1820–1885) and Eugen Ritter (1840–1892) conducted archaeological excavations on their properties, sometimes with significant results as for example in the cases of the Temple of Isis and the alleged Sculptors’ workshop. Based on the Austrian Cadastre preserved in the State Archives of Gorizia and the Registro delle Acquisizioni in the Aquileia National Archaeological Museum, the author identifies the sites of their major excavations between 1862 and 1876, investigates the recovered materials (mainly epigraphical) and proceeds to their exact location through geo-referenced maps based on Friuli-Venezia Giulia’s »Carta Tecnica Reginale« (Regional Technical Map).

Schlagworte:

Excavations in the ›Urban Mansion‹ at Sagalassos (SW-Turkey) have revealed 13 geometrical mosaic floors in opus tessellatum thus far. These include the in situ mosaics belonging to two Early Imperial phases of the private bath complex of the mansion, as well as – in situ and collapsed – pavements laid out during the late 4th–early 5th century A.D. phase of the residence. The stratigraphical dating of the mosaics of the late antique representative wing is supported by their stylistic characteristics. The polychrome interlaced and interloped motifs, executed by multi-coloured tesserae made of local chert, are entirely in line with the mosaic floors of contemporary buildings. Within the architectural context of the late antique élite mansion these fashionable floors functioned as indicators of room hierarchy and they contributed to the self-display of the house owner. The article ends with underscoring the importance of collaboration between archaeologists and conservators when mosaics are encountered in the field.

Schlagworte: