Villa Rustica Research Articles

Compromised health: Examining growth and health in a late antique Roman infant and child cemetery.

Combining research from infant and child development, public health, anthropology, and history, this research examines the relationship between growth, growth disruption, and skeletal indicators of chronic and/or episodic physiological stress (stress) among juvenile individuals (n = 60) interred at the late antique infant and child cemetery at Poggio Gramignano (PG) (ca. 5th century CE), associated with a rural agricultural community. Growth disruption-evidenced by decreased long bone length compared to dental age-and stress experience-evidenced by skeletal stress indicators-within these individuals are compared to those within juveniles from a comparative sample (n = 66) from two urban Roman-era cemeteries, Villa Rustica (VR) (0-250 CE) and Tragurium City Necropolis (TCN) (0-700 CE). Results indicate that individuals from PG had significantly smaller femoral lengths-for-age than those from VR and TCN; however, the frequency of skeletal stress indicators was higher among juveniles from VR and TCN. These differences in growth and stress experience are likely related to the different biosocial and ecological environments present in these two regions. For the community at PG, internal and external violent conflicts, as well as social, political, and economic turmoil, and subsistence shortages, endemic and epidemic infectious disease, nutritional deficiencies, and inherited or acquired anemia may have synergized to create chronically and/or episodically deleterious conditions for its juveniles.

Villa Rustica from Rapoltu Mare-La Vie (Hunedoara County). Preliminary Zooarheological Data

The article analyzes a fauna sample collected from a villa rustica in Rapoltu Mare, Hunedoara County. The material was gathered during the 2014–2017 seasons consisting of 1,406 fragments, 1,049 of which are fragments from the Roman levels (2nd–3rd centuries AD), and 357 are post–Roman fragments. Cattle dominate the Roman Phase I sample with 33.33%, followed by sheep/goats with 22.22% and pigs with 16.66%. Cattle dominate as fragments in the phases II–III, accounting for 32.02%, followed by small ruminants with 28.43% and pigs with 26.47%. The bones of the dog total 1.31%, while those of the horse, 6.21%. Hunting was a recreational activity, used to obtain furs, hides, antlers, with little impact on food supplying. Hunted prey includes hare, roe deer, red deer, beaver and various small carnivores. Sheep and goats account for 34–37% (NISP/MNI) of livestock at the post-Roman level, followed by pigs (26–27%) and bovines (18–24%). The horse has a threefold quota in comparison with the Roman levels, about 13–15%.

New Archaeobotanical Data from Villa Rustica at Oarda-Bulza (Alba County). The 2021 Campaign

New archaeobotanical data from villa rustica at Oarda-Bulza, located in south-western Transylvania, indicate that free-threshing wheat, Triticum aestivum (also known as bread wheat), was apparently the focus of farming activities, in contrast to pre-Roman times, when a more diverse agricultural crops system included greater amounts of emmer, barley and pulses. In addition to bread wheat remains, another important discovery is a cluster of charred seeds of Cannabis sativa (hemp) from the main building of the estate. These discoveries provide new information regarding the species cultivated and consumed by the community that lived in the area.

A new Latin inscription from Vinca in Belgrade

In the summer of 2020, a fragmentary lower part of a statue base with a Latin inscription carved on its underside was accidentally discovered in Vinca, in the area of the archaeological site of Osljane. The remains of ? Roman building (presumably a villa rustica) were located at the aforementioned site. After the discovery, the monument was stolen, then it was soon recovered and transferred to the National Museum of Serbia. The inscription records the career of a member of the equestrian order.

THE CAESAREA GERMANICIA (?) OF ARCHEOGEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS

The remains unearthed in the Dulkadiroğlu district, one of the central districts of Kahramanmaraş, are thought to belong to Caesarea Germanicia, which was founded in the Roman Period. Research and excavations carried out by the Kahramanmaraş Museum and us in the region have revealed that the spread of archaeological cultural remains is more than 150 hectares. Although the concentration of Roman Period cultural remains in the research and excavations was remarkable, the discovery of Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman Period ceramic pieces indicates an uninterrupted settlement in the research area for centuries. However, as can be seen in the images, the dense residential texture in the region is one of the biggest obstacles to archaeological research and excavations. Because, in order to carry out archaeological excavations of the identified structures, expropriations are required. However, the expropriation period covers an average of 2-4 years, which makes it difficult to conduct scientific research. Archeogeophysical methods provide information about the location, depth, and dimensions of the archaeological remains by applying them from the surface, without causing any damage to the archaeological remains sought. In this context, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) measurements were carried out to determine the quality of the mosaic-based structure on 445 layout, which were previously unearthed through illegal excavations in 2019, and the parcels on which it extends. GPR was carried out along 6 profiles. The obtained results were compared both with each other and with the existing surface conditions, and GPR depth maps were created. When the GPR depth sections were examined, 4 important reflections were found. It has been interpreted that 3 of these reflections belong to the archaeological building remains and 1 of them originates from a metal material (pipe). It was determined that the depth of the archaeological remains identified in the GPR sections started at a depth of approximately 20 cm. As a result of the excavation, it was seen that the reflections determined in the GPR sections belonged to the wall remains and metal pipe. As a result of archaeological excavations, it was determined that the GPR reflections belong to the remains of the walls of the Villa Rustica of the Early Byzantine Period or a Roman bath, as well as a metal pipe. In the measurements of the ground radar, it was determined that other walls cut the building walls in parallel. As a result of archaeological excavations, it was understood that these walls were made of rubble stone with mud additives. It was discovered during archaeological excavations and was discovered in the 11th-13th centuries AD. One of the ceramic fragments indicates that this structure was used again in the Middle Byzantine Period.

Das Hügelgrab von Baláca – Zur Problematik des monumentalen Bestattungsortes

AbstractThe burial site of the owner family of a Roman villa rustica in Baláca, dating back to the 2nd century AD, is a mound grave called Likas Hill. The Earth mound, originally 10–12 m high, with a diameter of about 37 m, covering a double burial chamber and a corridor, was surrounded by a red sandstone wall with a red sandstone cornice. There were tomb altars standing on its stepped footing. The mound had been heavily disturbed over the centuries, and nothing remained of the original burial. The larger fragments of the tombstones were carried away to constructions in the surrounding villages. Until now, it has not been possible to reconstruct the tomb inscriptions remaining in situ in a reassuring way from the fragments, nor to determine the date of construction of the tomb. The two animal burials dug into the Roman age surface, the bustum of a horse and a dog are the only undisturbed set finds of the mound. Excavation observations suggest the existence of additional bustums, which, along with the animal burials, would have been contained in a burial enclosure earlier than the enclosing wall and the tomb structure.

Archaeobotanical Data from villa rustica at Oarda-Bulza (Alba County). The 2019 Campaign

The article is discussing the macrobotanical remains which have been identified in soil samples taken from different archaeological contexts associated with the Roman villa rustica at Oarda-Bulza, Alba County, during the 2019 campaign. This is the first major agricultural estate from Roman Dacia which has been systematically investigated using an interdisciplinary approach, the primary aim being to shed light on the interplay between particular forms of production, cultural consumption, community formation, and the integration into a number of provincial and imperial networks. The analysis of this first set of macrobotanical remains is offering relevant data regarding the agricultural and consumption practices of the inhabitants who once lived on a very fertile area from the hinterland of Apulum, the most important conurbation from Roman Dacia.

HIIU-SUUREMÕISA AND KOLGA. TWO MANOR ENSEMBLES OF THE DE LA GARDIE AND STENBOCK FAMILIES IN THE MIRROR OF THE 17TH–18TH CENTURY NOBLE CULTURE

Kolga (Kolck) and Hiiu-Suuremõisa (Dagö-Grossenhof) are two ofthe most prominent manor ensembles in Estonia. Belonging to theDe la Gardie and Stenbock families, their architectural historieshave been thoroughly studied both in Sweden and Estonia. In the1930s, Professor Sten Karling compiled a survey of Jacob and MagnusGabriel De la Gardie’s projects for the castles of Haapsalu andKuressaare (Arensburg). Based on unpublished archival materials,the primary aim of this article is to introduce new data about theambitions and main trends of the Baltic high nobility in their farawayEstonian estates. The second and even more important task of theessay is to offer a new outlook on the building activities regardingthe Baltic villa rustica in its golden age within the Baltic aristocraticarchitecture. Beside the patrons of both manor ensembles – the Dela Gardies and Stenbocks, the author has studied multiple sources ofinternational and local architectural development in tandem with thearchival findings and comparative art-historical research, to shinea new light on the main trends of the Baltic cultural history of theEnlightenment period.

Findings of Bases of Glass Goblets/Chalices on the Island of Majsan

Bases of Glass Goblets/Chalices were found at the archaeological site of Majsan, a presently deserted islet of a mere 0.153 sq. km in the Pelješac Channel. This unique site hosts a villa rustica, which in Late Antiquity was transformed into a monastery/sanctuary and subsequently flourished. Literary sources from the 11th century suggest that, as a monastery/sanctuary, the site was visited for centuries. This holy place faded from memory until C. Fisković began archaeological research there in the 1960s, with its former identity preserved only in its place name. Approximately one hundred fragments of chalice bases were found next to the memoria, cemetery, and adjoining rooms of this architectural complex. These included fragments of footed beakers or chalices made of light green glass. Fisković did not assign precise dates to the artifacts but rather attributed them to the Early Christian period in general. We suggest that chalice lamps were used individually on the grave or altar. The organization of space and the arrangement of openings (windows of the memoria and the door of the yard) towards its central grave suggest that there was an intention to make the holy place visible, or most likely the light that burns above the holy place - central grave.

Čaščenje Nimf in Fontana v vzhodnoalpskem prostoru

In July 2004, while trenching for the construction of a gas pipeline in the vicinity of the church in Šentpavel pri Domžalah, archaeologists found an altar devoted to Nymphs and Fontanus. It was discovered north of the former Roman villa rustica, which had been researched in 1997, 1998, and 1999, in the surroundings of the church of St Paul. Judging from the inscription, the altar was originally erected by a water source, while the dedication was supposed to ensure that it never dried up, possibly even to guarantee its healing powers. Since this altar has not yet been published according to the principles of epigraphic methodology, it seems appropriate to properly set it into the context of previously known facts about the worshipping of Nymphs and Fontanus (or Fons) in the Slovenian territory or in the wider Eastern-Alpine area.

An Architectural Reassessment of a ‘Villa Rustica’ Near Serdica

An Architectural Reassessment of a ‘Villa Rustica’ Near Serdica

Analytical characterization of ancient mortars from the archaeological roman site of Pisões (Beja, Portugal)

The analytical characterization of mortar samples from the roman archaeological site of Pisões, located in Southern Portugal, were carried out by means of X-ray diffractometry (XRD), thermogravimetry (TGA-DTA), optical and electron scanning microscopy (SEM-EDS), potentiometry and combustion analysis.The Pisões archaeological complex includes a villa rustica, characterized by well-preserved mosaics and thermal baths, as well as a mill and a mausoleum. Countryside villae epitomized the Romanization of the Iberian Peninsula for over six centuries (2nd century BCE–4th century CE). Nevertheless, most of the Roman villae identified in Portugal have not yet been systematically explored and studied.This study provides valuable data on the construction materials and techniques used in Roman times in the Iberian Peninsula. The careful selection of raw materials and the use of natural and artificial pozzolanic materials can explain the favourable state of conservation, mechanical strength and long-term durability of these mortars.

Global Epigraphy: The Scholarship on Inscriptions of Eurasia from Antiquity to the Early Modern Period

medieval worlds provides a forum for comparative, interdisciplinary and transcultural studies of the Middle Ages. Its aim is to overcome disciplinary boundaries, regional limits and national research traditions in Medieval Studies, to open up new spaces for discussion, and to help developing global perspectives. We focus on the period from c. 400 to 1500 CE but do not stick to rigid periodization. medieval worlds is open to submissions of broadly comparative studies and matters of global interest, whether in single articles, companion papers, smaller clusters, or special issues on a subject of global/comparative history. We particularly invite studies of wide-ranging connectivity or comparison between different world regions. Apart from research articles, medieval worlds publishes ongoing debates and project and conference reports on comparative medieval research. Table of Contents Uses of the Past in Times of Transition: Forgetting, Using and Discrediting the Past Introduction. Making the Past in Late and Post-Carolingian Historiography Maximilian Diesenberger The Church as a Governance Actor in a Period of Post-Imperial Transition: Delegation of Fiscal Rights and Legal Change in 10th-century Churraetia Stefan Esders Understanding the Church’s Past: Usuard’s Martyrology in Tenth-and Eleventh-century England Sarah Hamilton Creating an »Orthodox« Past: Georgian Hagiography and the Construction of a Denominational Identity Emma Loosley Leeming Using the Carolingian Past in a Society of Transformation: The Case of Early Medieval Septimania/Catalonia in the Long Tenth Century (900-1050) Matthias M. Tischler Uses of the Past in Early Medieval Iberia (Eighth-Tenth Centuries) Jorge Elices Ocón and Eduardo Manzano Moreno Royal Marriage, Frankish History and Dynastic Crisis in Regino of Prüm’s Chronicle Eric J. Goldberg and Simon MacLean Negotiating the Roman Past in Later Tenth-century Armenia Tim Greenwood Aitire, 人質, тали, όμηρος, رهن , obses: Hostages, Political Instability, and the Writing of History c. 900-c. 1050 CE Alice Hicklin Approaches to Global Epigraphy, I Global Epigraphy: The Scholarship on Inscriptions of Eurasia from Antiquity to the Early Modern Period Andreas Rhoby, Veronika Scheibelreiter-Gail and Andreas Zajic Archaeological Contexts of Inscriptions in the Private Sphere: The Mosaic Inscriptions of a villa rustica in Skala/Cephalonia Elisabeth Rathmayr and Veronika Scheibelreiter-Gail Inscriptions in Areas of Historical Western Tibet (mNga’ ris skor gsum) in their Contexts: A Brief Overview with Selected Examples Christian Jahoda Byzantine Connections History and Exegesis in the Itinerarium of Bernard the Monk (c. 867) Daniel Reynolds

Archaeological Contexts of Inscriptions in the Private Sphere: The Mosaic Inscriptions of a villa rustica in Skala/Cephalonia

The article deals with inscriptions on the floor mosaics of a residence in Skala on the island of Cephalonia. The archaeological context of the inscriptions, their representation and legibility as well as their contents will be addressed. In at least two rooms, inscriptions have been combined with depictions that give insights into the beliefs of the residents. One shows the personification of Envy, depicted as a damnatus ad bestias, which was common in amphitheatrical scenes on mosaics in imperial times, another a sacrifice of three animals (trittoia), which is only seldom depicted and also rarely documented in epigraphy and literature; to date, the picture in the villa of Skala together with a mention in a play by Aristophanes are the only sources for this sacrifice in the private realm of a house. Moreover, the depiction probably refers to a real sacrifice made on the outskirts of the villa. The commissioner of the inscribed mosaics was certainly the homeowner, who is recorded by his name Krateros in two mosaic inscriptions in the house. He was probably identical with Lucius Pompeius Krateros Cassianus, a member of a third-century-AD elite family from Elis known from inscriptions found in Olympia. Although both the figurative representations on the mosaic floors and the length of the inscriptions are unusual, they have received too little attention so far. The nearest parallels are to be found in the mosaic art of Patras, only a short distance away across the sea, where a whole series of comparable mosaics came to light, especially during emergency excavations. The mixture of »Greek« and »Roman« in the depictions of the mosaics in the villa in Skala could be explained by a mosaicists’ workshop from Patras, a Roman colony founded by Augustus, where such depictions might have developed.

Položaj i značaj otoka Mljeta u razdoblju rimske uprave / The position and importance of the island of Mljet in the Roman period

Mljet (Latin: Melita) is eighth island in Croatia by size, one of the largest south Dalmatian islands and Dubrovnik archipelago’s largest island. Due to its beauty and living standard, the island of Mljet has a rich but insufficiently explored history. The remains of a Roman palace in Polače, according to which the place got its Slavicized name, bear witness of a strong Roman influence and the period of progress of the island of Mljet. The palace in Polače is certainly the most important Roman-period monument on the island. It was built as a villa rustica. Together with Diocletian’s Palace in Split, it represents the largest Roman monument on the entire territory of Dalmatia. The port in Polače is quite hidden and as such offered protection to ships and served as dilivery port for agricultural produce from the entire Roman empire. In the Roman period, this palace served as a headquarters of island’s governor, military, administration and clergy. All previous research suggest that this settlement was inhabited from 1st to 11th century with all the features of an ancient and early medieval town. Using previously analyzed sources and available literature, the paper tries to point out the importance and position of the island during the Roman period. Particular attention was paid to the analysis of two legal acts - the charter of the German army chief and the barbarian king of Italy Odoacer, from the second half of the 5th century and the fragment of the testament of an unknown testator from the mid VI century, within which, in the period of a century, is mentioned the same amount of yield (earnings) from the island of Mljet.

Italska terra sigillata iz rimske vile rustike u uvali Caska na otoku Pagu

U članku je obrađen dio arheološke građe prikupljene prilikom istraživanja antičke vile rustike u Caski na otoku Pagu, koje je 2005. i 2006. godine provela tvrtka Geoarheo d.o.o. iz Sesveta. Dvije podrumske prostorije kvadratnog tlocrta i doliji sekundarno upotrebljeni kao otpadne jame sadržavali su veliku količinu keramičkog posuđa, među kojim se posebno ističe italska terra sigillata uvožena s prostora sjeverne i srednje Italije u vrijeme cara Augusta. Među nalazima treba istaknuti ulomke dna tanjura i zdjelica na kojima su pronađeni keramičarski pečati pretežito sjevernoitalskih radionica, osobito značajni kod pokušaja rekonstrukcije trgovačkih puteva u antičkom razdoblju. Grafiti prisutni na nekoliko posuda vjerojatno predstavljaju prva slova imena grčkih robova ili oslobođenika koji su radili za velikog rimskog zemljoposjednika. Posjed u Caski po svemu je sudeći pripadao rimskoj senatorskoj obitelji Kalpurnijevaca (Calpurnii Pisones), čemu u prilog govore pronađeni epigrafski spomenici.

Ruri rurant. L'Isola d'Elba da paesaggio del ferro a paesaggio agrario nella tarda età repubblicana

The case study described in this paper, that is, the Roman small villa rustica of San Giovanni in the Gulf of Portoferraio (Elba Island, Tuscany), represents a local declination of the type of buildings commonly defined as ‘Cato’s villa’. This research has stimulated a reflection on the type of agriculture described by Cato and the experiences that formed the practical basis for writing this text. In the project at Elba Island we are trying to aggregate historical, archaeological, archaeometric and bioarchaeological researches. Following this approach, one seeks to reconstruct the historical period of the villa's landscape that follows the traditional Cato’s model and precedes for at least half a century the villa perfecta of Varrone.

A possible new UHP unit in the Western Alps as revealed by ancient Roman quern-stones from Costigliole Saluzzo, Italy

Peculiar coesite + chloritoid + garnet ± glaucophane talcschists have been used to make at least four quern-stones, unearthed in the ruins of a villa rustica belonging to the Roman imperial period and located at Costigliole Saluzzo, Western Alps. The site of the villa rustica and the presence of coesite relics could suggest a possible provenance of these rocks from one of the already known ultra-high pressure ( UHP ) units of the Western Alps, i.e ., either the Brossasco-Isasca Unit (BIU) of the southern Dora-Maira Massif or the Lago di Cignana Unit (LCU) of the Piemonte Zermatt-Saas Zone. However, similar talcschists have never been reported from these units. Two samples of coesite-bearing, chloritoid + garnet ± glaucophane talcschist collected from two different specimens of quern-stones have been petrologically investigated with the aim of defining their peak pressure–temperature ( P-T ) conditions. The stability field of the coesite + garnet + talc + chloritoid + glaucophane assemblage has been constrained using isochemical phase diagrams modelled in the MnNCFMASHO system; prograde P-T conditions have been additionally constrained using the yttrium-in-garnet (YAG) geothermometer. Thermodynamic modelling tightly constrains peak P-T conditions at 480–510°C, 27–31 kbar. The unusual Mg-rich composition of the talcschists suggests that they originated by Mg-metasomatism of either a continental crustal protolith (granodiorite or Fe-rich metapelite) or an oceanic crustal protolith (altered oceanic crust). A mechanism similar to that proposed for the well-known pyrope-bearing whiteschists of the UHP BIU, i.e . influx of antigorite-derived fluids along shear zones during subduction, can be envisaged. Although the field occurrence of these coesite + chloritoid + garnet ± glaucophane talcschists is still unknown, the obtained results clearly show that these rocks cannot belong to the UHP BIU, whose peak P-T conditions are at significantly higher T and P (730°C, 40–43 kbar). Therefore, this finding opens the challenging hypothesis of the existence of a further, still unmapped, UHP Unit in the Western Alps that also experienced UHP metamorphism and fluid influx from underlying serpentinites during subduction. A detailed mapping and petrologic investigation of the tectono-metamorphic continental ( i.e ., southern Dora-Maira Massif) and oceanic ( i.e ., Monviso meta-ophiolite Complex) units in the proximities of Costigliole Saluzzo is required in order to further constrain the location and the dimension of this new UHP unit.

Bilješke o rimskim vilama sa juga provincije Dalmacije (Nekolika primjera sa područja istočne Hercegovine)

This paper presents the data regarding Roman villas in the valley of the Trebišnjica River in East Herzegovina (south of province of Dalmatia). The bases for successful research of Roman villas in this region are original written records and material remnants on the terrain (epigraphic monuments, remnants of buildings, settlements, and roads, fragments of bricks, roof tiles, processed stone, Roman ceramics, glass, vessels and amphorae, fragments of frescoes, mosaics, torcularium, money etc.). Archeological discoveries point out that continuity of populating this region could be traced from prehistorical period until modern age. The area which will be researched in this paper is located near the Trebišnjica River. It is the area with very convenient climate conditions for the development of agriculture and livestock farming. It caused this region to be populous in ancient time. In this paper we will present discoveries from Roman time from the locations of Crkvina-Prežani (villa urbana), Dračeva strana (villa rustica), Potkućnice (villa rustica) and villa rustica very close to bank of the Trebišnjica River (Panik) southern from Bileća, Mirina and Lijeska villa rustica (Bihovo) near Trebinje, as well as the location of Tanoge in Ljubomir (villa rustica) northern from Trebinje.

Camels from Roman imperial sites in Serbia

ABSTRACT This paper presents camel remains identified in Roman sites in Serbia. The remains originate from Viminacium, the capital of Roman province Moesia, and from the 3rd–4th century villa rustica in the locality of Vranj, in the province of Pannonia. In Viminacium, they were found in a 4th century dump, near the Eastern necropolis of the city, and in the 4th century layers in the area of the amphitheatre. In order to conclude whether these bones belonged to Camelus dromedarius or Camelus bactrianus, measurements and morphology of our specimens were compared with camel bones found at other Roman sites, and with modern specimens. We have identified two-humped camels and also hybrid individuals. The role of the camels is also discussed here: whether they were used in public games (ludi), for military purposes, or as transportation animals. As a conclusion, we acknowledge that camels were not rare animals in Roman provinces as it was considered before.