Budapest Régiségei 24/1. (1976)

ÓBUDA, RÓMAI KORI TÁBOROK, CANABAE ÉS KÖZÉPKORI VÁROS = ÓBUDA, ROMAN CAMPS, CANABAE AND THE MEDIEVAL TOWN = OBUDA, LAGERÂ I KANABE RIMSKOJ EPOHI I SREDNEVEKOVYJ GOROD - Parragi Györgyi: Karéjos épület a Kiscelli utcában 177-183

GYÖRGYI PARR AGI THE APSIDAL BUILDING EXCAVATED IN THE KISCELLï STREET In the course of canalization works in the Kiscelli Street remains of walls of apsidal termination came to view. The already set ranks of piles of the house in the process of building determined the limits of the rescue excavation. Near the first wall of apsidal termination (wall "a") another similarly formed part of a wall was found (wall "b"); both joined a further wall of west to east direction (wall "c"). To the south of here another wall section could be observed to branch off (wall "d"), which was demolished in recent times when a building was erected. The author had opportunity to open a 650 cm. long part of the main wall of east-west direction: its width is 120 cm., where as the width of the walls with apsidal terminations is only 80 cm. The walls were laid of largesize stones in lime-mortar. Among the ranks of piles of the modern house the author could observe the traces of the southern curved section of the Roman wall. Thus she concluded that the building consisted of apses grouped round a main axis of west-east direction. From the interrelation of the apses and axes various ground-plan systems were formed. As the main wall of the building and the walls with apsidal termination enclose an angle of 120 degrees, the author presumes that five apses joined to the centrally arranged hexagonal space. There were fresco fragments and remains of stucco work to be found in the building. Further the stylized floral ornaments arranged round green and red circles on white,as well as of the green sedge motive on black background are to be mentioned. The analogies of the murals can be found partly in the 3rd period of the Roman building opened up at No. 10, Kiscelli Street,partly in the 4th century building in Vihar Street and among the finds of the cella trichora in Raktár Street. Out of the stucco-work, the fragments of a painted cornice, further the pieces adorned with Lesbian cymae should be mentioned.The motive of the Lesbian cyma is characteristic of the second half of the 4th century. Also a building with an apse of the Intercisa type came to light; relying upon a brick marked Frigiridus dux and upon the find of coins, the use of that building can be put at the early years of the 5th century A. D. In the apsidal rooms there were graves. Part of them was laid into the mortar-paved floor; their orientation is weet to east and north to south.There were furnishings to be found in one grave, a bone comb adorned with dotted circles, a gold ring decorated with stones, beads with yellow ornaments on a black background. Bone combs decorated with dotted circles are frequent in the finds from cemeteries of the end of the 4th century, still, they are also to be found in the Hun and Gepid cemeteries. The persons buried in the graves of westeast orientation and without grave-goods were probably barbarians. In the cemeteries dating from the close of the 4th century the relics of the local population can be found together with those of the newly settled inhabitants. The furnishings found in the graves demonstrate that they lived side by side and used each other' s objects. With the end of the official Roman state life and military power the population was not exchanged, part of them stayed behind and went on living here. Several late Roman cemeteries known up to now a ready were situated in the vicinity of the building. The task of the subsequent excavations will be to clear up the relation of the cemetery and, within it, the building. (Figures: 57-58, plates: 179-199) 181