RottenburgSumelocenna</TIgrijs.gif </HEAD> <BODY background="../../../home/grijs.gif" LINK="#0000ff" VLINK="#800080"> <h1><em>Sumelocenna</em>-Rottenburg, capital of the <em>civitas Sumelocennensis</em></h1> <p>See this text in <a href="rottenburgsumelocenna.htm"> <img src="../../../home/de.gif" width="16" height="16" border="0"></a></p> <h2><br> Foundation and structure</h2> <p>The settlement was founded around 90 AD and no pre-existing military installation is known. The town was originally the administrative centre of an imperial domain but, at an unknown point in the 2<sup>nd</sup> century, the civitas was formed with <em>Sumelocenna</em>- Rottenburg as capital and urban development continued into the 3<sup>rd</sup> century.</p> <h2><br> The town and its structure</h2> <p>The few known stretches do not allow for full reconstruction of the road network, but the city wall, which was built in the early 3<sup>rd</sup> century enclosed an area of 28ha and was equipped with towers and an outer ditch. </p> <table width="62%" border="0" cellspacing="5"> <tr> <td width="51%"><div align="center"><a href="rottenburg001_engl.htm"> <img src="rottenburg001_t.jpg" width="100" height="127" border="0"> </a></div></td> <td width="49%"><div align="center"><a href="rottenburg002_engl.htm"> <img src="rottenburg002a.jpg" width="100" height="60" border="0"></a></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td><div align="center">Plan of the Roman settlement</div></td> <td><div align="center">Reconstruction of the city wall</div></td> </tr> </table> <p> </p> <h2>Public buildings and infrastructure</h2> <p>A series of pillar foundations, up to 1.5m thick, has been found north of the cathedral and belongs to a public building at least 50m in length. No associated buildings are known.<br> <a href="rottenburg003_engl.htm"><br> <img src="rottenburg003a.jpg" width="100" height="40" border="0" align="absbottom"></a> Partially reconstructed plan of the pillar foundations found north of the cathedral</p> <p>Inside the city wall, three public baths could be identified. The partially excavated bath I contained brick stamps of <em>Legio VIII Augusta</em> and might have belonged to a large complex, with a series of rooms, which continues to the south-west. The smaller bath II (18 x 11m) was enclosed on three sides by walls, but only a hypocausted apse is known from bath III. </p> <table width="86%" border="0" cellspacing="5"> <tr> <td width="29%"><div align="center"> <a href="rottenburg004_engl.htm"> <img src="rottenburg004a.jpg" width="100" height="44" border="0"> </a> </div></td> <td width="40%"><div align="center"> <a href="rottenburg005_engl.htm"> <img src="rottenburg005a.jpg" width="100" height="81" border="0"> </a> </div></td> <td width="31%"><div align="center"> <a href="rottenburg006_engl.htm"> <img src="rottenburg006a.jpg" width="100" height="79" border="0"> </a> </div></td> </tr> <tr> <td><div align="center">Plan of bath I</div></td> <td><div align="center">Plan of the building near bath I</div></td> <td><div align="center">Plan of bath II</div></td> </tr> </table> <p> Near bath III, and within a residential building block, a large (32x 5.3m) public latrine has been excavated. The timber seating (which is not preserved) offered room for up to 35 people and was arranged in a U-shape over a drain. In front of the seats freshwater in a small gully was provided for cleaning purposes.<br> <a href="rottenburg007_engl.htm"><br> <img src="rottenburg007a.jpg" width="100" height="83" border="0" align="absbottom"></a> Partially reconstructed plan of the public latrine (centre) and surrounding buildings</p> <p>The temple complex in the western part of the town, was c. 50m wide and at least 60m long. Amongst the seven buildings within the enclosure were two Gallo-Roman temples (Length 17.5m) and two chapels (Length 5.5m). The temple complex was built in the 2<sup>nd</sup> century but it is not known, which deities were venerated here. <br> <a href="rottenburg008_engl.htm"><br> <img src="rottenburg008a.jpg" width="100" height="133" border="0" align="absbottom"></a> Temple area</p> <h2><br> Residential buildings</h2> <p>Parts of two residential blocks have been excavated in the vicinity of the latrine. To its north and separated by a road, two 10m wide and c 25m long strip building, were found whose rooms opened off a central passage. To the south of the latrine, a structure with four rooms was found, which was probably fitted in later, into a gap between houses. Next to it was a (c. 50 x 24m) peristyle house with several rooms, which is only partially excavated. Its courtyard contained a cruciform water basin. There were sumptuous, hypocausted room flanking the peristyle and the size of the house can be calculated as c. 1200sqm.<br> </p> <table width="64%" border="0" cellspacing="5"> <tr> <td width="48%" rowspan="2" valign="top">To the north of the structures just described, a further luxurious town house with peristyle was found behind a portico flanking the road and with heated rooms at the rear. The stone buildings were preceded by a timber phase, and similar timber phases can be identified in other parts of the settlement, where they persisted up to the mid 2<sup>nd</sup> century. </td> <td width="52%"><div align="center"><a href="rottenburg009_engl.htm"> <img src="rottenburg009a.jpg" width="100" height="130" border="0"></a></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td><div align="center">Partially reconstructed plan of a peristyle house (Eugen-Bolz-Platz 7)</div></td> </tr> </table> <p>A pottery kiln has been found to the north-east of the city wall.</p> <h2><br> Water supply</h2> <p>Several aqueducts supplied drinking water to the town, the longest of which came from the Rommelstal, 7.16km to the west. This is the longest aqueduct on the right bank of the Rhine and was built of limestone blocks (width 0.8m). </p> <table width="66%" border="0" cellspacing="5"> <tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="rottenburg010_engl.htm"> <img src="rottenburg010a.jpg" width="100" height="47" border="0"></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="rottenburg011_engl.htm"> <img src="rottenburg011a.jpg" width="100" height="65" border="0"></a></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td><div align="center">Course of the Roman aqueduct</div></td> <td><div align="center">Cross-section through the Roman aqueduct</div></td> </tr> </table> <p><br> <strong>Visible remains and Museum</strong><br> The public latrine has been consolidated and is now part of the Römisches Stadtmuseum Rottenburg, where other finds from the Roman settlement are displayed.</p> <p>Text: Thomas Schmidts <br> </p> <h2><br> Select bibliography</h2> <p>A. Gaubatz-Sattler, Sumelocenna. Geschichte und Topographie des römischen Rottenburg am Neckar nach den Befunden und Funden bis 1985. Forschungen und Berichte zur Vor- und Frühgeschichte in Baden-Württemberg 71 (Stuttgart 1999).</p> <p>K. Heiligmann, Sumelocenna. Römisches Stadtmuseum Rottenburg am Neckar. Führer zu Arch. Denkmälern in Baden-Württemberg, 18 (Stuttgart2 2003).</p> <p>H. Reim, Die römische Wasserleitung bei Obernau, Stadt Rottenburg am Neckar, Kreis Tübingen. Kulturdenkmale in Baden-Württemberg. Kleine Führer 67 (Stuttgart 1993).</p> <p>D. Planck/A. Gaubatz in: Die Römer in Baden-Württemberg (Stuttgart3 1986) 510-519.</p> <p>Reports on the continuing excavations in Rottenburg:<br> Archäologische Ausgrabungen in Baden-Württemberg 1981 ff.</p> </BODY> </HTML>