Foculi (fire pots) discovered at the legionary fortress of Potaissa. Case study: centuriae from praetentura sinistra

Abstract

Faced with a tumultuous end of the 2nd century and the harsh realities of the 3rd century AD, the Roman legionaries of Potaissa were forced to adapt to new living conditions and to overcome their daily needs by replacing and using the materials that were at hand or most convenient and easy to acquire at that time. One of the noteworthy observations here is the fact that almost no traces of heating systems have been identified. This situation raised different questions, as it is very hard to imagine how soldiers survived the harsh winters of Roman Dacia without heat sources. The answer came after a careful analysis of the ceramic material unearthed here. As a result, a new type of pottery has been identified, having bronze braziers as their precursor. It is for the first time that this type of pottery has been identified in Romania, as far as ceramic studies are concerned. In the praetentura sinistra, which will be the focus of this article, a total of 1621 wares were identified and analyzed, out of which 22% (218) are represented by this new type which we will call foculus/foculi. A number of approximately 1000 such earthen pots have been discovered in the entire Roman fortress, bearing in mind the fact that mostly rims and bases were kept during the archaeological campaigns throughout the years. We can estimate that their initial number was considerably higher.