A plan on the roof tile? Reflections on the allegedly ancient city map of Aguntum (Austria)
Abstract
During excavations in Aguntum (Austria; Tyrol) in 1976, a map carved on a roof tile was discovered, which was interpreted by the excavator as an ancient city map or architectural sketch of Aguntum dated to the 3rd century AD. Soon afterwards, the authenticity of the plan was strongly doubted by several archaeologists. As the plan is still considered a Roman original today by some scholars, this essay aims to draw attention once again to the discussion on the authenticity. While the argumentation so far has concentrated primarily on the circumstances of the discovery and recovery of the roof tile and on technical questions concerning the scratchings, further arguments concerning the cultural history, ancient mentality as well as conventions of space representation are presented. As research on Roman plans and the ancient perception of space has improved since the 1970s, further indications for addressing the plan of Aguntum as a forgery are found. However, a definite clarification of the authenticity question cannot be provided.
Downloads
References
ALZINGER 1977b: W. Alzinger, Tirol. Aguntum 1976, «Pro Austria Romana» 27, 3-5, 1977, pp. 13-15.
ALZINGER 1985a: W. Alzinger, Neues zum Stadtplan von Aguntum, in Amt der Burgenländischen Landesregierung (ed.), Urgeschichte-Römerzeit-Mittelalter. Festschrift Alois-J. Ohrenberger, Eisenstadt 1985, pp. 149-151.
ALZINGER 1985b: W. Alzinger, Aguntum und Lavant: Führer durch die römerzeitlichen Ruinen Osttirols⁴, Koska, Wien 1985.
BREIN 1980: F. Brein, Das Aguntiner Kuckucksei, «Römisches Österreich» 8, 1980, pp. 5-26, Figg. 1-5.
CARETTONI et alii 1960: G. Carettoni, A. M. Collini, L. Cozza, La pianta marmorea di Roma antica. Forma Urbis Romae, Publications de l’École française de Rome, Roma 1960.
CHILLET 2016: C. Chillet, La Forma Urbis marmorea: amministrare o rappresentare la città?, «Bullettino della Commissione Archeologica Comunale di Roma» 117, 2016, pp. 199-201.
CORSO 2016: A. Corso, Drawings in Greek and Roman Architecture, Archaeopress Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2016.
CRESPI 2011: M. Crespi, L’utilizzo delle tecnologie geomantiche e la Forma Urbis: un nuovo approccio, «Bullettino della Commissione Archeologica Comunale di Roma» 112, 2011, pp. 129-152.
DE CAPRARIIS 2016: F. De Caprariis, La pianta marmorea, novità e prospettive, «Bullettino della Commissione Archeologica Comunale di Roma» 117, 2016, pp. 81-98.
EIBNER 1981-1982: C. Eibner, Zur Echtheitsfrage des Ziegelplans von Aguntum, «Jahreshefte des Österreichischen Archäologischen Instituts» 53, 1981-82, pp. 50-52.
HARLEY 1990: J. B. Harley, Text and Contexts in the Interpretation of Early Maps, in D. Buisseret (ed.), From Sea Charts to Satellite Images: Interpreting North American History through Maps, University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1990, pp. 3-15.
HEISEL 1993: J. P. Heisel, Antike Bauzeichnungen, Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt 1993.
V. HESBERG 1983: H. v. Hesberg, Römische Grundrißpläne auf Marmor, in W. Hoepfner (ed.), Bauplanung und Bautheorie in der Antike. Diskussionen zur archäologischen Bauforschung 4, Berlin 1983, pp. 120-133.
LE PERA 2016: Le Pera, Una panoramica delle metodologie di ricerca sulla Forma Urbis, «Bullettino della Commissione Archeologica Comunale di Roma» 117, 2016, pp. 169-172.
MENEGHINI 2008: R. Meneghini, Il catasto e la localizzazione delle persone e delle proprietà nella Roma impe-riale, in M. Royo, A. Bérenger, E. Hubert (eds.), “Rome des quartiers”: des Vici aux Rioni: cadres institutionnels, pratiques sociales et requalifications entre antiquité et époque moderne, Actes du colloque international de la Sorbonne (20-21 mai 2005), De Boccard, Paris 2008, pp. 175-191.
MENEGHINI 2016: R. Meneghini, La Forma Urbis e le altre cartografie marmoree di Roma antica alla luce delle ultime ricerche e scoperte, «Bullettino della Commissione Archeologica Comunale di Roma» 117, 2016, pp. 179-192.
MOSCATI 1978: S. Moscati, La pianta di Aguntum, in Miscellana Amato Pietro Frutaz, Tip. Guerra, Roma 1978, pp. 53-56.
MÜLLER 2020: F. M. Müller, Der “antike” Stadtplan von Aguntum, «Wissenswertes» 1, Quartal 2020, pp. 1-18.
NAJBJERG, TRIMBLE 004: T. Najbjerg, J. Trimble, Ancient Maps and Mapping in and around Rome, «Journal of Roman Archaeology» 17, 2004, pp. 577-583.
PEDRONI 1992: L. Pedroni, Per una lettura verticale della Forma urbis marmorea, «Ostraka. Rivista di antichità» 1. 1992, pp. 223-230.
PLEYEL 1987: P. Pleyel, Das Römische Österreich. Kulturgeschichte und Führer zu Fundstätten und Museen, Kremayr u. Scheriau, Wien 1987.
RIECHE 1978: A. Rieche, Das antike Italien aus der Luft, Gustav Lübbe Verlag, Bergisch-Gladbach 1978.
RODRIGUEZ-ALMEIDA 2000: E. Rodriguez-Almeida, A proposito della Forma Marmorea e di altre formae, «Mélanges de l’École française de Rome – Antiquité» 112, 2000/1, pp. 217-230.
RODRIGUEZ-ALMEIDA 2002: E. Rodriguez-Almeida, Formae urbis antiquae. Le mappe marmoree di Roma tra la Repubblica e Settimio Severo, Ecole française de Rome, Roma 2002.
ROSADA 2007: G. Rosada, Forma Urbis Romae. Dallo sviluppo urbano alla sua immagine riprodotta. Genesi del controllo dello spazio, in M. Rathmann (ed.) Wahrnehmung und Erfassung geographischer Räume in der Antike, Mainz am Rhein 2007, pp. 143-158.
SASSO D’ELIA 2011: L. Sasso D’Elia, Valori metrici e simbolici nella FUR severiana: i frammenti della lastra 31, «Bullettino della Commissione Archeologica Comunale di Roma» 112, 2011, pp. 175-177.
TALBERT 2008a: R. Talbert, Greek and Roman Mapping: Twenty-First Century Perspectives, in R. Talbert, R. W. Unger (eds.), Cartography in Antiquity and the Middle Ages: fresh perspectives, new methods, Brill, Boston 2008, pp. 9-27.
TRIMBLE 2008b: J. Trimble, Process and Transformation on the Severan Marble Plan of Rome, in R. Talbert, R. W. Unger (eds.), Cartography in Antiquity and the Middle Ages: fresh perspectives, new methods, Brill, Boston 2008, pp. 67-97.
TSCHURSCHENTHALER 2018: M. Tschurschenthaler, Aktuelle Forschungen im Stadtzentrum von Aguntum, in M. Auer, H. Stadler (eds.), Von Aguntum zum Alkuser See. Zur römischen Geschichte der Siedlingskammer Osttirol, Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2018, pp. 151-165.
WALDE 2002: E. Walde, Aguntum, in M. S. Kos, P. Scherrer (eds.), Die autonomen Städte in Noricum und Pannonien, «Situla» 40, 2002, pp. 149-163.
WEBER 1980: E. Weber, Gedanken zu einem Vortrag und zu naturwissenschaftlichen Untersuchungsmethoden, «Römisches Österreich» 8, 1980, pp. 27-34.
Copyright (c) 2022 Michael Teichmann
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
