Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. Az István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 24. 1986-1988 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (1990)

Tanulmányok – Abhandlungen - Petres Éva, F.: The Problem of the Celtic Survival in Pannonia. p. 7–15.

TANULMÁNYOK - ABHANDLUNGEN Alba Regia, XXIV, 1990 É. F. PETRES THE PROBLEM OF THE CELTIC SURVIVAL FN PANNÓNIA* The survival of Celtic population after the Roman occupation can be observed first of all in the continuity of settlement pattern. The complementary connection between the distribution of Transdanubian Celtic oppida and the Pannonian Roman settlements - i.e. the fact that the Roman towns were not built exactly on the site of the former hillforts - can be explained by several factors. (Fig. 1) One of the reasons is the origin of the region's Celtic oppida. Oppida Some other Eastern Celtic settlements, mainly those in Czechoslovakia (Závist, Stare Hradisko, Hrazany), appeared already at the end of Middle La Tène period as fortified centres and were continuosly inhabited until about the end of the first с B.C. (Bren 1976, 83; CIZMAR-DRDA-MOTYKOVÁ-RYBOVÁ 1976, 32-; Meduna 1970, 58; JANSOVA 1964, 84-) In Transdanubia, the northern part of the future province of Pannónia, the fortified settlements become significant only in the 1

st с B.C. for strategic and defensive reasons as a consequence of the Dacián wars. Though they also fulfilled the classic function of the oppida - the role of a political, industrial and trading centre - they actually can be observed to have replaced fortifications of the Late Bronze Age and the Hallstatt Period. (Fig. 2) So their renewed utilization in the Late La Tène Period - following a hiatus in the first third of that period, - is due to the war. An exception may be perhaps one of the most western settlement of Velem-St.Vid, where current excavations have established its continuity as late as the HA D period, and both walls of the Celtic oppidum are also of the Late La Tène period. On the other hand, the mass of stray finds accumulated since the last century are representative of the entire La Tène Age. (MISKE 1908,). The main evidence for this is the metal finds: fibulae of the Early, Middle and the Late La Tène indicate the continuity of the industrial centre, the bronze workshop and of everyday life in general (FOLTINY 1958, 68-76; Guillaumet 1987, 19-24). In case of Sopron-Várhegy, the other western oppidum, on the basis of the intensive research work in its vicinity, it is known that the near open-site of Sopron-Kräutacker was inhabited not * Paper on The World Archaeological Congress 1986 SouthamptonLondon; German version on XI

e Congres UISPP 1987 Mainz. The text of the lecture is published without any change. It is completed by a short supplement containing the changes and new results in the research since then. only from Urnfield Period and in every period of Hallstatt but during the whole La Tène (Jerem 1983, 291 ; idem, 1984, 261-). The above mentioned hyothesis are even stressed by the fact that similarly to the other oppida, the Sopron-Várhegy and probably the other two hillforts (Häuslerberg, Himmelsthron) became inhabited again only during the Late La Tène period. (Patek 1982, 10-) Thus, the comparatively late fortifications of the 1

st c.B.C. are characteristic of the western part of the Carpathian basin or Transdanubia. Let us now see, what was the status of the oppida after the Roman occupation (Fig. 3.). We know of some stray finds of the Roman period from two significant settlements, SopronVárhegy and Velem-St.Vid, but the successive Roman towns in the very near were built on comparatively distant location at Velem - Savaria and Sopron - Scarbantia. A similar situation can be observed in the south part of the region where the oppidum (Pécs-Jakabhegy) was replaced by the subsequent Roman town (Sopiane), here the hillfort was entirely abandoned. Proceeding along the north and eastern border of the territory, we find a Vespasianic auxiliary fort (Solva) (Gabler 1989 in manuscript, see later) on the limes at Esztergom-Várhegy, while another auxiliary fort (Lugio) was built at the site of the oppidum of Dunaszekcső. The history of the oppidum on Gellérthegy-Budapest is somewhat different. The hillfort surrounded by a ditch and bank twice renewed during the La Tène period (Nováki-Pető 1988, 83-) was abandoned earlier than the open site at its foot (Tabán), where a flourishing pottery manufacturing centre was operating as late as the 1

st c.A.D. (BONIS 1969, 230-). The two auxiliary forts built to the north and the south of the oppidum attracted the population at first into the vici; subsequently, the civil town next to the camp of Aquincum became the capital of the province. The stray finds of the oppidum on Gellérthegy and most importantly, the altar erected by the augur Titianus in honour of Jupiter Teutanus seem to prove, that a cultic site may have been known there as late as the 3

rd c.A.D. (Alföldy 1960, 155f; SZABÓ 1972, 64 - about the new finds see the supplemental notice). In the hillforts of Somlóhegy and Nagyberki-Szalacska, both in the heart of the province, life probably vent on without interruption after the Roman occupation. However, this continuity indicates only that the local economic system remained unchanged. The stray finds of Somló and Nagyberki-Szalacska indicate the population's rural way of life, but neither of the 7