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 - Szirmai Krisztina - Altmann Júlia: Előzetes jelentés a ferencesek temploma és a via praetoriától északra húzódó római kori épületmaradványok régészeti kutatásáról 233-247

KRISZTINA SZIRMAI - JULIA ALT MANN PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS OF THE FRANCISCAN CHURCH AND THE ROMAN STRUCTURAL REMAINS FROM THE NORTH OF THE VIA PRAETORIA Ruins of buildings, floor levels and other Roman remains came to light at the new Óbuda housing settlement in course of major canalization works in the area north of the northern side of the Kórház Street, east of the eastern side of the Miklós Street and bordered by the demolished houses in the old Vöröskereszt Street, numbers 14-21. The Municipal Council, realizing the great importance of these rescue excavations, plans to display this monument find in a 44x23 m. fenced-in area. It is hoped that further excavations can be conducted before the monument restoration works take place. The first and the second periods are represented by the times of the Flavians and Domitian here (Plate 247-248). The third period, the construction work under Trajan and Hadrian and the remodelling are documented by the 5. 5 m. wide east-west roadways, drains, wells, and the remains of a building with hallways, and rooms of about the same size. The southern portico of the southern building was authenticated (Plate 251-256) and later even its walled up entrance (Plate 250).Objects to facilitate the dating came to light in large numbers (Plate 248-249,252-253)According to the contemporary topographical data of Obuda, and the ground plan of the structure, equivocally recall the type of barracks used elsewhere in legionary forts within the Roman Empire (see footnote no. 9. ) After the Markomann wars and during the rule of the Severans, in the fourth period, interior changes, reconstructions, and level elevations were executed within the barracks. The remains of constructions, the fifth period, could be authenticated to the end of the third, beginning of the fourth century A, D. The foundations of the sixth period were laid during the middle of the fourth century A. D., a polygonal hall on top of the picked foundation-outerwall of the Se ver an hall with apsidal termination (Plate 258) which was then restored. The polygonal building dates to the times of Constantine II, restored possibly during the second third of the fourth century A. D. (Plate 254-255). The use of the terrazzo floor, showing the highest elevation, could have moved to the last third of the fourth century or possibly to the very beginning of the fifth century A. D. unfortunately though, no dating finds were found here (Plate 253). The Late Roman polygonal public building fits in chronologically with the buildings known in the area to the periods of the Late Roman buildings (see also footnote no. 22) As far as the function of this public building was concerned the idea of a basilica came up, but presumably the needs of the remaining Christian population were met by the Early Christian structures in the area. Besides, the ground plan of this public building is not enough to think of it as a basilica. In the course of our further work no Early Christian type find came to light. According to the known data no baths nor villa were in this area, thus we could only consider this to be some religious edifice. The bronze leg, having had been destroyed during the second half of the fourth century A. D. (Plate 257) which could have belonged to a god or emperor statue placed in the structure, must have been part of an earlier period of this Se ver an structure of cultic character. 31. Budapest régiségei 241