Janus Pannonius Múzeum Évkönyve 30-31 (1985-1986) (Pécs, 1987)

Régészet - Horváth, Ernő: Wooden remains from the Roman villa at Kővágószőlős

WOODEN REMAINS FROM THE ROMAN VILLA 239 pores, but in some cases these stripes occurred isolated, The cells in these tracheids were considerably elongated radiately. The ground tissue was made up of thickwalled, globular wood-fibres, with fibrous tracheids an wood-parenchymatous cells scattered among them (cf. Pl.I.3-4.). The tangential longitudinal section exhibited the predominance of the relatively close-set medullae. The width of these elongated fusiform medullae corresponded to that of 2—4, or occassionally 1 and 5, stripes of cells, and their length varied between 2—60, measured by the same standard. The dimensions of the longitudinally elongated elliptical cells were highly varied. Longest of them were the corner cells. The tangential walls of the medullary cells were covered with close-set tiny lacunae. Fusiform wood-fibres dominated the space between the medullae, with short, regular stripes of oblong-shaped wood-parenchymatous cells scattered among them. The wooden fibres exhibited a single row of tiny simple lacunae — the same formations were found scattered or arranged in a series of rows on the wood-parenchymatous cells (cf.Pl.II.l —

2.). On account of the above-described reasons, the stripes of trachea were comparatively sparse. The angle of contingence of the walls of the tracheae was straight in the case of the smaller cells, and oblique in the case of the larger ones. The tangential walls of the tracheae were covered with close-set pitted lacunae, in some cases resembling horizontally elongated flat splits (cf.Pl

.П.2.). The radial longitudinal section revealed the characteristic features of the tracheae and the medullary cells. The walls of the tracheae were covered with close-set pitted lacunae, often rectangular owing to the pressure the contiguous cells put on each other, or occasionally resembling horizontally or obliquely elongated splits. The perforations in the tracheae were simple and radiant. Each group of the the tracheae bore these perforations roughly on the same level (cf.PI

.11.3—4.). Of the medullary cells, the corner cells were the higher, while the others were more elongated and those contiguous with the tracheae were covered with larger circular or elliptical lacunae. On the evidence of these features it can be ascertained that our sample represents the species Sambucus nigra L., and that it comes a one-year-old túrion. Habitat and utilization The findspot, the village of Kővágószőlős, is situated W of Pécs, at the S foot of the Mecsek mountains. TheW range of the Mecsek in the immediate vicinity is covered with podzolic and argillaceous brown forest soils. The surface soil provides for the rich flora in the area, consisting mainly of contiguous forests. Beeches predominate on the N slopes of the mountain, while on the S slopes oaks constitute the majority, with specimens of Sambucus nigra L. also represented. The first occurrence in this territory of this high-growing, branchy, weedlike shrub, or rarely tree-like plant, found in large numbers in forests with soil rich in nitrogen and also in cleared woodlands, can be assigned to the Atlantic phase of the post-glacial warming up period, and it has gradually become a native plant to this region. Accordingly, this plant may also have been a common element of the flora of the Roman times there. The branches at issue may have got into the ground not simply as "natural objects", but rather as articles put to use by man. This assumption is supported by the marks of human handling left upon these remains. The thick medulla is easily extractable from the branches and the long, straight turions of elderberries, and thus they may readily be used as natural tubes. Presumably this was these case with our samples, i.e. they were in all probability used for conveying some kind of fluid. Indicative of this were the marked ribs on the surface of the cavity — the streaming fluid presumably eroded the less resistant cells of the ground tissue, while the more resistant medullae have survived in the form of ribs. The funnel-like terminal of the tube was also indicative of human handling: it may also have been formed by the spilling fluids. The other terminal of the tube was broken, indicating that the tube was much longer in its original form. A thorough examination of the surface of the remains may provide further details concerning their employment. As we have already pointed out, the longitudinal cavity and the periphery of a contemporary fissure exhibited a marked reddish-purplish discolouration, and a milder form of the same phenomenon could also be observed on the outer surface of the funnel-shaped terminal. The discolouration strongly resembled that observable on the wooden objects used by viticulturists in handling red wine. On the strength of these evidences it appears to be highly probable that the one-year-old túrion at issue was used by the inhabitants of the Roman villa as a natural tube in handling wine, e.g. as a spout or as a sampling tube. This assumption involves that the inhabitants of the villa were also employed in winegrowing under the ideal circumstances on the S slopes of the Mecsek. This viticulture has survived uninterruptedy up to the present day — and this in turn gives evidence of the ancient origins of the place name Kővágószőlős. BIBLIOGRAPHY Greguss, P. 1959. Holzanatomie der europäischen Laubhölzer und Sträucher. — Budapest Horvát, А. О. 1972. Die Vegetation des Mecsekgebirges und seiner Umgebung. — Budapest Horváth, E. 1971. Xylo tomische Untersuchung des Holzmaterials der Holzschale aus dem spätrömischen Gräberfeld von Csákvár. — Alba Regia XL Székesfehérvár p. 77. Taf. XXX. Horváth, E. 1977. A mucsfai későrómai faveder xylotomiája. (The xylotomy of the Late Roman wooden bucket found at Mucsfa). - ArchÉrt. 104. pp. 205-208. Budapest Soó, R. 1966. A magyar flóra és vegetáció rendszertani növényföldrajzi kézikönyve. II. (Taxonomic phytogeographic compendium of the flora and vegetation of Hungary, Vol. II.) - Budapest