Flavia Solva

The municipium Flavia Solva was a town in the Roman province of Noricum and is located in Leibnitz Leibnitz in southern Styria ( Austria ).

Location

Today, Flavia Solva is an open field about 40 km south of the Styrian capital Graz in the field of market town Wagna. In Roman times it was in the southeastern province of Noricum. She lay on the west bank of the Mur. The river was also the connection to the Roman road network, the Amber Road was southeast of the city of Carnuntum to Aquileia. Flavia Solva is surrounded by rather rough hill country. This hindered the transport links.

History

At the site of the later city, there was already a Celtic settlement. The area is considered as a settled area of the tribe of Noricum Uperacii. In spätaugusteischer time, after the occupation of Noricum by the Roman Empire, the settlement grew to the vicus, it's wooden buildings excavated with an unknown extension. In Claudian period should also find the residents of the nearby settlement on the mountain woman, which was then abandoned, have been settled.

From Emperor Vespasian of the settlement was, along with several Pannonian settlements, located in the Four Emperors in 69 AD. loyal behaved, raised to town and was now called by the ruling family of the Flavian municipium Flavia Solva. Solva was the old Illyrian name for the River Sulm. The ancient settlement was leveled and re-created after Italic modeled as a planned city. The center consisted of stone buildings, while at the periphery of the houses were rather wooden and Lehmfachwerk. A city wall did not have the city probably.

Excavations revealed only a long oval amphitheater on public buildings. The forum, a long time unknown, is now suspected in the insulae 25 and 26. Here lay the springs. Sanctuaries are unknown, but the great cult district belonged to the woman mountain to Flavia Solva. Water supply and sewer system are also not yet known. Assumptions older archaeologists, the city would have no such infrastructure is questioned today, even if there are no such findings. The famous thermal baths in the city would have been but to supply alone with well water barely, also offered the surrounding hills plenty of water.

The individual insulae usually housed residential and commercial units. Detected is about the casting of bronze fibulae. Around 30 built insulae are known.

To the north of the forum was a district with shops, while in the south were predominantly generous residences.

A clear destruction layer dated to 170 to 175, is usually attributed to the Marcomanni wars. The Germans could have destroyed the city 170 on their passage to Aquileia. This interpretation is controversial. At that time probably has destroyed the entire city. Rebuilding was rapid, but with a smaller footprint. The population is expected to have decreased also due to the then immediate plague. Areas on the outskirts remained undeveloped, the insulae - division in the center was dissolved partially.

After 275 major modifications are detectable. For the period of unrest in the rest of the 3rd and the 4th century, no damage can be detected. On the contrary, it was the end of the 4th century 3./Anfang an economic boom led to major modifications of the residential buildings with some luxury. Accurate dating is not possible, but the city must have been inhabited continuously at least until the second half of the 4th century.

Beginning of the 5th century, the town is mostly deserted. The city's population could have withdrawn as in many parts of Noricum, on near hills, about the woman mountain. Late Antique settlement is demonstrated by two lead seals of the Emperor Markianos 450-457 and animal brooches. There is evidence that in the late 4th and early 5th century in Flavia Solva or later on Fraunberg military was stationed.

Territory

To the territory of Flavia Solva included several vici, including the village of track and Kalsdorf bei Graz.

Excavations received

Today, at the edge of Wagna exposed some foundations. These are equipped with a pavilion on stilts, where a pastry shop and an ice cream parlor are, overbuilt and can be visited. The remains of a Roman house floor heating are protected to protect against weathering and vandalism with a glass canopy. The course of the wall remains and blocks in the bottom one has some marked with metal shafts on the excavation site. In Seggau Leibnitz, you can visit numerous Roman grave stones in the courtyard. In 2004, the Styrian exhibition took place around these archaeological sites.

Underfloor heating (2004)

Ice cream on top of Roman ruins ( 2013)

Bas-relief on a column in Flavia Solva