K. Palágyi Sylvia szerk.: Balácai Közlemények 2005/9. (Veszprém, 2005)

GÁBOR, OLIVÉR: Suburbanum Sopianarum and Roman Villas around Sopianae

(roads, cemeteries, fortifications etc.) belonging to the town can be certainly known from the sources to be outside the town while we have information of others (horrea, industrial structures, dwelling areas) from analogies or excavations. As it was useful even in the middle ages, to settle certain industries outside the town (e.g. due to their having a risk of fire), like pottery, glass and brickworks, blacksmiths etc., the case may have been the same in the bigger towns of Pannónia, too. There is another possibility too that some part of the population, namely the poor, lived outside the town walls, in buildings made of wood or adobe, whose traces can be less easily discovered archaeologically. In this case we need to re-consider the term of a town, as well. As an economic and cultural, as well as administrative centre, it was essential for its wider region but as a residential area, it was already of secondary significance and it only served as a shelter or refugium for the population of its surroundings during wartime. According to its walls, this may be expressedly true for the 4

th century, due to the recurrent barbarian invasions. Roads Sopianae - being the largest settlement between Lake Balaton and the river Drava - certainly had a rich network of roads towards the vicinity and farther towns. Among these, 4-5 major routs are supposed by research due to their géomorphologie necessities and later historic traditions. After A. Gráf, F. Fülep outlined the hypothetical routes of the roads, mentioned in the Itinerarium Antonini^ leading out of Sopianae.

9 Towards the north, the road run next to the Lapis watchtower

10 to Brigetio (Oszőny) and Arrabona (Győr). Towards the west, the road to Savaria (Szombathely) towards the south the road to Mursa (Eszék, Osijek) and Sirmium ( Sr. Mitrovica) while towards the north-east the road to Aquincum. The fifth one that lead to Lugio (Florentia, Seetchke, Dunaszekcső) and further, through Sarmatian territory to Dacia, probably did not start from Sopianae but from the road going to Aquincum, east of the town. The remains of the roads inside the town were found at several spots. They obviously used to continue outside the town as well except they were less covered by stones. Indirect proofs for the roads are the watchtower at Lapis and the supposed western gate of the town that was located around Kórház Square by F. Fülep." Watchtower Along the roads, at certain distances, there were watchtowers with a few beneficiary soldiers guarding the roads. They were supposed to defend the postal services and the travellers from robbers. At the near vicinity of the town we only know about one watchtower; on the Lapis. This site at the same time also marks where the northern road crossed the Mecsek Mountains. The excavation in 1938 was lead by T. Horváth but there has not documentation survived. According to data from the archives, A. Márfi published the documents about the watchtower.

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