The canabae legionis of Carnuntum - a case study

The archaeological state of research in regard to the Roman canabae, the civilian settlements surrounding military camps, is still not as good as to the "Kastellvici" (military vici), i.e. the settlement type that developed around auxiliary forts. The smaller amount of sites, the size of the settlements and especially the continuing post-antique re-building, often in form of medieval cities, are the decisive factors for this unequal state of research. In a collaboration between the Archive for Aerial Photography of the Department of Prehistoric and Medieval Archaeology of the University of Vienna, the Museum Carnuntinum and The Institute for the Studies of Ancient Culture of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, a systematic mapping of the canabae of Carnuntum was carried out, combining the results of archaeological aerial prospection and excavations, carried out during the last decades. Because of the open, mostly agriculturally used terrain, the conditions in the area around the military camp of Carnuntum are especially good. This makes Carnuntum a unique place along whole the Rhine and Danube border, to document the dimension and the settlement structure of Roman canabae with the help of aerial archaeology. This new map represents archaeological structures over an area of several square kilometers, including densely built up areas of the canabae as well as installations of water supply at the periphery of the settlement. The air photo interpretation, as it was done in this case study of the Carnuntum canabae, is not only an appreciated addition to the results of excavations. According to the enormous amount of further information, made available only by air photography, it is now possible to gain new insights into the settlement type "Roman canabae legionis". The discussion focuses on several aspects of settlement morphology and on the development of the site, as reconstructed by the analysis of the grave yards. One further point is settlement planning, including possible Roman land surveying activities in the hinterland of Carnuntum. In this concern, Roman overland roads and their relations with the settlement are of special relevance, as well as the insula-like block system of the habitations. On a supra- regional level, it becomes clear that military suburbs like the Carnuntum canabae, acted as a model for many other smaller military vici.