Limes Romanus

Finds of coins from the Roman period in the cadastral area of Bratislava – Devín from the beginnings of archaeological excavations until the present day.

Summary of compilation of findings of Roman coins from the catastral territory Bratislava-Devín was important for better orientation in the collections of museums in which the coins are currently located. The compilation of the work also found some new information about existence of some coins, that were considered lost in the last work published by us. The findings from Devín also went through a deeper numismatic analysis, that brought further new knowledge about some pieces of coins. The list of coins also includes findings that have not been published since the archaeological excavations between 2000-2008, as well as a detailed published solidus of Theodosia II. about which we have only limited information in Slovak publications so far.

An overview study of the territory of Slovakia (with emphasis on southwestern Slovakia) in the period of the 1st - 4th century in the exhibition catalogue Romans and Slovakia. The text was published simultaneously in Slovak and English. /
Prehľadová štúdia o území Slovenska (s dôrazom na juhozápadné Slovensko) v období 1. - 4. storočia v katalógu výstavy Rimania a Slovensko. Text vyšiel súbežne v slovenskom a anglickom jazyku.

Dans le cadre du développement du Plan Stratégique de Tamuda, une série d’activités ar- chéologiques en relation avec la mise en valeur du site ont été réalisées durant les années 2009 et 2010, et qui ont apporté de multiples nouveautés concernant les séquences punico- mauritanienne de la ville et sur l’occupation du camp romain. Dans ce qui suit, nous pré- sentons une synthèse des principaux résultats scientifiques obtenus, ainsi que les activités de diffusion réalisées.

Výrobným technológiám rímskej stavebnej keramiky sa dosiaľ venovalo len niekoľko prác s zameraním na nálezy z Británie. Výsledky výskumov ukázali, že výrobné postupy podliehajú vývoju či rôznym trendom a môžu byť chronologicky citlivé. Táto práca sa venuje rímskemu materiálu z oblasti antickej Viedne, kde je problematika technológie dosiaľ neprebádaná. Skúmaný súbor materiálu tvorilo 660 kusov škridiel (tegulae) pochádzajúcich priamo z výrobného okrsku legionárskeho tábora. Spracovanie materiálu prebiehalo na dvoch úrovniach. V prvej úrovni boli vyselektované nálezy s rozdielnymi tvarmi líšt a spodných výrezov. Z nálezov boli vytvorené 3D modely za pomoci fotogrametrie, ktoré slúžili ako podklad pre vytvorenie typologickej rady. Druhá úroveň spočívala v podrobnom skúmaní stôp po použitých nástrojoch. Základom bol opäť 3D model s mashom vo vysokej kvalite, ktorý umožnil odfiltrovať farby spolu so sintrom a následne simulovať dopad svetla z rôznych uhlov. Touto metódou bolo možné odhaliť stopy po rezoch a rozlíšiť rozdielne postupy vo výrobe aj pri nálezoch, ktoré mali rovnaké tvary. Úprava povrchu tegulae bola skúmaná metódou RTI. V prípade hornej časti tegulae boli sledované hlavne ryhy, ktoré vznikli pri vyhladzovaní povrchu a súvisia s finálnym opracovaním. Pri spodnej časti sa jednalo najmä o identifikáciu spôsobu opracovania, prípadne zachytenia odtlačkov drevených foriem. Rozdielne postupy boli zapracované do databázy a následne štatisticky vyhodnotené.

3D technologies usually serve as a documentation method which allows to copy artefacts or whole archaeological situations and even sites in digital form. However, the preservation of archaeological data is not and should not be the only purpose. 3D technologies also present a tool for analysing the data, discovering and retrieving new information, information which could be previously invisible to the archaeologist. This contribution focuses on the technological development of Roman military tile manufacture in ancient Vindobona. The aim of the research was to distinguish various production techniques and statistically evaluate them. Photogrammetry along with Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) were chosen as the main research methods. The solid mesh of the 3D model enables examination of finds without disruptive elements such as colour or calcareous sinter. The simulation of various angle of lighting helps to enhance and to identify the cuts and other traces, left by the work tools or moulds. However, the quality of results is determined by the quality of detail of the 3D model. High quality 3D model requires substantial computing power and is also more time consuming. For the examination of a plane surface, RTI turned out to be more suitable. It provides more detailed visual enhancement and needs less computing power. Disadvantage of the method lays in the specific conditions required during the documentation.

Research of building ceramics has a great importance for understanding the Roman building activity. Roman forts and civil buildings can provide a large amount of building material. The material needs to be classified and dated, which is in many cases possible only with the stamp analysis. However, the current classification is mostly based on epigraphy, which is not accurate and creates too many stamp types. Fortunately, majority of dies used for stamping were made of wood, making every die unique. That means if two stamps were made by the same die, they should have same dimensions, even if some parts are abraded and not readable. The comparison of those dimensions might be more effective in classification than standard approaches. In order to classify the stamps accurately, it was necessary to develop a new comparison system. The system was derived from morphometric analyses and involves computer application. Data are extracted from the vertical photos of stamps and subsequently mathematically compared. Comparative criteria were developed specifically for the Roman stamped brick material. The system can be applied on both completely preserved stamps and on fragments. In the case of complete stamps, the focus is on the dimensions of the edge. In case of fragments, the comparison system is more complicated and takes into consideration proportions and position of every preserved letter. The advantage of this system is, that three preserved letters are enough to reconstruct the rest of the stamp. The presented case study involves analyses of material from Mušov-Burgstall and ancient Vindobona (Vienna). The results show that current typological sorting can be incorrect. In fact, stamps separated into several types by traditional methods proved to come from one die.

This volume features 28 articles concerning the finds and theories on Roman frontiers, collected in honour of Lindsay Allason-Jones (hereinafter, AJ). AJ has been at the forefront of Roman frontier study for 40 years through a career focused on understanding the life and stories lying behind the material finds. The essays included here address this topic in both general and particular ways, and despite some heterogeneity, they cover a broad range of issues that allow the reader to achieve a comprehensive vision of the anthropology of the Roman Limes. The volume is nicely produced, with some colourful plates at the end that readers might easily risk overlooking given that there is no list of illustrations nor index in the book. This work will be of interest to specialists in the topics covered, but also to amateurs who can find in these different snapshots a way to understand life on the Roman frontier. – The introductory note by the editors (p. 1-4) gives an account of the achievements of AJ, but also establishes the overall argument that AJ has been a sort of " fixture " of objects found in the Limes. It is not new to conceive that archaeologists are storytellers, and this has been exactly the achievement of AJ, to recover several material finds through the Limes to provide the necessary elements for constructing the record of the past. This interpretation of the scholar's work gives the volume its structure, which is one composed of different articles which provide complementary approaches to studying life on the limes, granting us a wide perspective of frontier life. The first article of the volume follows an order a maiore ad minus. W.H. Hanson proposes to revise the nature and function of the frontier. Hanson's contribution provides the essential context to locate the small finds analysed in the following essays. He tells us that the frontier can be conceived as both geographical and ideological notion and employs both the archaeological and textual record to study the complex and wide conception of limes. From my point of view, this article is key to furnish a context to the rest of the contributions. – Manning (p. 11-17) analyses in his contribution a narrower area of study: one concerning the smith and his role in the Roman army. The case of the smith is a useful parallel for studying also the character of other professionals in the military context, and other ways of provisioning the military units. Manning employs both archaeological evidence (as the Vindolanda tablets) and the textual record (Vegetius, Digest). As for many topics of research this raises more questions than answers, but makes one point clear, which is that the Roman army was certainly well furnished. – The articles provided by Hodgson (p. 18-28) and Greene (p. 29-36) can be related to each other. Both concern family daily life in the military fort as evidenced through small finds such as objects that can be identified as of female use and shoes found in camps. This image of families taking an active role in the daily life of a military fort is becoming more prominent in Roman military studies. Also, Carol van Driel-Murray's interpretations of feminine objects (p. 206-216), through comparing the Museum of London's 'leather bikini' with other known finds, allows exploration into the perspective of ordinary people and their daily concerns via ordinary objects. – The contribution of Croom (p. 37-48) is a catalogue of finds from outside the southwest gate of South Shields Roman fort, not entering into anthropological detail, but describing technically the archaeological details of the findings. The next segment of articles focuses on the sculpture and monuments of 97922_Latomus_14-231.indd 1 24/12/15 08:30

Como resultado de los Planes de Acción en desarrollo del Plan Estratégico de Tamuda (2008-2012) se ha considerado conveniente realizar trabajos arqueológicos diversos centrados en la actualización de la crono-secuencia del yacimiento, de cara a su próxima apertura al público. En este trabajo presentamos la información actualizada sobre el poblamiento en esta zona del río Martil, con un asentamiento estable desde época púnica –e indicios de ocupación precedente– la construcción de una imponente ciudad helenística en el siglo II a.C. y la instalación de un campamento en época de cons- titución de la provincia, activo hasta la primera mitad del siglo V d.C. De manera sucinta se plantean las diferentes hipótesis previas y se razona la cronología planteada en esta sede, en base a criterios estratigráficos.