Die ländliche Besiedlung im mittleren Donauraum von der Spätantike bis zum Frühmittelalter

Abstract

The most typical settlements in the middle Danube region during the Migration Period were those located on hilltops, on fluvial terraces or atop small elevations alongside rivers and streams. Compared to the preceding Roman period the area was less densely populated. The most characteristic element of the region’s settlements was the pit-house, now with a new, slightly changed post arrangement. A fireplace found in one of the pit-houses proves that they were not used as workshops alone, but also as dwellings. The concurrent existence of Migration Period and Roman-type pit-houses reflects the continuous settlement of the region since the Roman period. During the 5th century AD different groups of settlements can be defined in the middle Danube region. The settlements in the area around Oberleiserberg, for example, are characterized by houses with Romanized architecture and furnishings. Another settlement group is restricted to the left bank of the Danube, usually near bridgeheads. Late Antique-type pottery was produced in these settlements, probably to supply the inhabitants of Roman cities and settlements along the Danube limes, as well the market north of the Danube. From the end of the 4th century AD onwards features and pottery complexes typical of non-Roman settlements appear in settlements of the Roman Provinces, evidence perhaps for different groups of Suebic or Herulic settlers, or Romanized settlers from beyond the Danube River. The emergence of hilltop settlements is another very typical feature of the middle Danube region during the first half of the 5th century AD. Hilltop sites of this period are usually interpreted either as central seats of local holders of power, military strongpoints, or as places of refuge for the local population. The hilltop settlement at Oberleiserberg near Ernstbrunn appears to have been a late-Suebian stronghold of the 4th and 5th century AD. The Oberleiserberg pottery finds and features reflect a strong Roman influence. Roman military and other Roman-style architecture, together with Late Antique upper-class villas served as models for the construction of the principal, most substantial building and the adjoining houses.