The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1985 (12. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)

1985-09-01 / 9. szám

the first century A.D. There may have been many more, but unfortunately they have not been found so far. Although their pools and hot-air heating have survived to this day, they are unfit for bathing. There is a district in the Hungarian capital named Roman Bath (Romaifurdo), not far from Aquincum, an ancient Roman settlement whose name points to an even earlier age since it is of Celtic origin: Ak-Ind meaning abundant water.

Whence this peculiar heritage? Between 81 and 96 A.D. the Emperor Domitian despatched one of his legions here to start construction. They built a 520 by 460 meter military camp on the right bank of the Danube, flanked by bastons on the western side. There are several baths among the many buildings, one of which is especially large.

In 1778 a professor of Latin discovered some of the ruins, his description in a book entitled De Ruderibus laconic' caldariique Romani so impressed the Hapsburg empress Maria Theresa that she decided to extend financial assistance for further excavations. This was how Hungary’s first officially preserved historical monument came into existence. A stone with a Latin inscription found in the course of drainage work in 1849 demonstrates that it was the spot where the “Thermae maiores” of the “legio II. adiutrix” was located, one of the pools of this bath was found in 1930. As the years went by, the map of a Roman settlement gradually emerged, and the find proved to be unparalleled in magnitude outside Italy. Understandably, the archeologists were extremely excited. Little did they suspect that the time would come when the precious discovery would give rise to concern. Today the ruins stand in Florian Square, which was one of the northern gateways to Budapest thirty years ago with very little traffic. During the 1970s it became one of the capital’s busiest spots.

Similar to other big cities throughout the world, Budapest too is beset by that oppressive woe: traffic congestion. Florian Square is a spot where traffic jams regularly build up. Just four kilometers from the square is Aquincum. Another four kilometers away is a vast new housing development. Beyond the limits of Budapest are the mountainbound villages and picturesque small towns that attract millions of tourists.

The civic planners called for radical changes, outlining an ambitious and expensive plan. In essence, they drew up designs to extend the subway service Page 6

The Budapest subway carries one million passengers every day

along the left-bank of the Danube up to the Arpad Bridge, which spans the river to Florian Square. They planned to widen the bridge so that it would eventually link up with a beltway. An express tram line was also envisaged to link Florian Square with the subway. At the same time a

24,000 square meter underpass system was to be built under the curve of the beltway at the intersection of Florian Square and Arpad Bridge.

At this point the inevitable clash between the archeologists and engineers shook the plan and a tension-filled period commenced. Both sides stuck to their guns. As things stood, two overpasses for motor traffic had to be built, with reinforced concrete pillars over a one square kilometer area. Once the pillars were completed, no further archeological excavations could be carried out. What made things worse still was that the archeologists had only vague ideas as to the exact place and size of Domitian’s Roman military camp. The engineers were worried about deadlines, the archeologists were concerned about the fate of the invaluable treasure.

The battle between the two sides lasted for 9 long years. Construction and archeological digs went on at the same time. In order to save the precious findings the building plans had to be modified as work progressed. The builders had to cope with the near impossible, especially after they discovered 48 rooms from the famous Thermae maiores underneath the construction site below the approach ramp of the bridge. Every Tuesday, the

builders and archeologists coordinated their work. As a result, over three hundred construction plans were drawn up. As time went on, everyone even the construction workers joined the struggle to preserve the ancient remnants and learned to maneuvre the dipper dredger as a delicate instrument.

However, events did not always conform to the Tuesday schedule. As in the case fo the Thermae maiores, which was discovered between Tuesdays. As things stood, one of the pillars of the overpass was to be built on the site of the Roman bath. The government commissioner in charge of the construction project was called to the site in the middle of the night. The engineers’ first reaction was: unfortunate as it may be, the finding was as good as lost, while the archeologists argued that it was the only one of its kind north of the Alps! Its destruction would be an unparalleled loss. The builders insisted that it was impossible to modify the span of the overpass. That day the warring sides departed without exchanging the usual niceties. Work ground to a halt for a time. Three days later the engineers phoned to say that everything would be all right, that they had solved the problem, the bath would be saved. Instead of using a structure with a fourteen-meter bridge span they decided to construct a twentymeter one. Though all designs and calculations had to be started again, it was wen worth the effort. Today the splendid Roman bath stands intact in its original beauty, functioning as a museum beneath the throb of big-city traffic. Ancient Rome and, alongside it, a chunk of Medieval Hungary has come to life once again. Next to the Roman walls in the under pass, there is a magnificent snow-white stone with a picture of a stag adorned with oriental, Persian tendrils, the mythical stags of pagan Hungarians. This splendid stone, dating from the early 11th century, is from one of the earliest Hungarian Christian cathedrals, St. Peter’s Church. It would be interesting to know who the artist was who was willing to take in the grave risk of carving as he did the stone with such an ancient Hungarian pagan symbol. Could it have been a Hungarian master? Then this work is clear evidence of the magnificence of 11th century Hungarian art. It also makes it easier to understand why in 895 A.D. one of the Conquering Magyars, the chifetain Kurszán, chose this particular spot to settle with his people! They probably found intact Roman buildings, still fit for habitation.

Eighth Hungarian Tribe