Teurnia. A Changing Roman City.

Teurnia, founded under Emperor Claudius (41-54 AD), is one of the early Roman cities in present-day Austria. In contrast to its neighboring cities, it is not on the plain, but situated on a hill. This is very atypical for a settlement of this period, but it became an obvious advantage in Late Antiquity, when most of the towns in the region were abandoned and Teurnia not only continued to exist but even became the capital of the Roman province Noricum Mediterraneum. It goes without saying that there have been changes in the cityscape over time, and this is precisely the focus of the project. Its city map is of particular interest for the early days of the city, in particular how the typical rectangular system had to be adapted to the location on the hill and which lines of sight were considered important. A key to this subject will be the evaluation of existing aerial photos, laser scans and results from geophysical measurements as well as the consideration of the city with regard to the micro-region. A number of modifications and changes can be observed for the Roman imperial period. The research in structural remains and small finds of previously unpublished excavations will lead to a detailed chronology of two exemplary areas of special interest, one in the city center and one on the outskirts. A comparison between these two and other published areas of the city, such as the western residential terraces, will show whether the obvious changes affected the entire city or were confined to districts. This is also a crucial question for Late Antiquity, when the appearance of the city changed fundamentally, for example through the construction of the city wall. Is this to be understood as a remodeling and revitalization after a period of decline or is there a continuous process of transformation? By evaluating these questions, the research project will position Teurnia as a model for differentiating between individual development and general trends. As a comprehensive case study, the project will also have great comparative potential for further research into Roman and Late Antique urbanistic in general.

The research project Teurnia. A Changing Roman City P35247-G investigated the dynamics of growth and change in the Roman city of Teurnia (St. Peter in Holz/Carinthia). Due to discrepancies between the digital cadastre and older maps, the creation of an up-to-date master plan was essential. This plan was implemented using GIS and allows for the display of various background maps as well as the visualization of different settlement phases. The display can be adapted to the specific research question and supplemented with new research results. This reveals that in the northwestern suburb, vicus-like strip houses were situated along the main road. In contrast, the terraces on Holzer Berg, the summit plateau, and the eastern residential terraces were densely built up in an orthogonal pattern. During the Imperial period, the city covered an area of up to 34 hectares. In Late Antiquity, the construction of the city wall reduced its size to approximately 7.9 hectares. For the chronological analysis, three areas were selected as areas of special interest: the northern section of the forum terrace as the inner-city center, the so-called Temple Terrace, and the area of the western necropolis as an example of suburban development. This resulted in a more nuanced picture of urban development: In the northwestern suburb, settlement characterized by crafts began as early as the beginning of the 1st century AD. A planned expansion of the city followed on Holzer Berg and its eastern slope around the middle of the 1st century AD, during which older remains were almost completely overlaid. This extensive redesign is likely connected to its elevation to the status of a municipium. In contrast, major structural changes in the suburbs did not begin until later, in the second half of the 1st century AD. The city underwent renovations and expansions during the 2nd century AD. A uniform Severan destruction horizon could not be identified. Rather, a general decline in importance is evident for the 3rd century AD. Individual buildings in the suburbs were gradually abandoned between the second half of the 3rd and the middle of the 4th century AD. A profound change to the urban structure finally came with the construction of the city wall, which was erected shortly before the siege by the Goths (467 AD). However, this did not lead to further decline. On the contrary, later renovations, churches, trade goods, and grave goods attest to the city's continued prosperity until the 7th century AD. It should be noted that the project, through the integration of measurement data and archaeological analyses, yielded significantly more comprehensive results than anticipated. Corresponding publications are in preparation. The results provide an excellent basis for further research.