DOI Artikel:
Massalski, Ryszard: The oldest building fragments discovered at Novae (section IV) in 1983-1989
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41243#0011
Ryszard Massalski
THE OLDEST BUILDING FRAGMENTS DISCOVERED AT NOVAE
(SECTION IV) IN 1983-1989
Since 1979 our interest focused at the Roman legionary hospital as well as the so
callcd Northern Building below. It has been erected at this area before the
valetudinariuin was foundcd. The Northern Building was reckoned as the first
architcctural phase in the fortrcss1.
Unfortunatcly, outside of the main part of the Northern Building we could reveal
but fragmenls of only four walls, denolcd by letters A, B, C and D. Here arc their
characteristics (fig. 1,2).
Wall A survived in two incomplete fragments at a distance of 16,80 m from each
other. Yet they belonged to the same building, which is testificd to by the Southern
wali face exactly along one linę. The fragment found in trial trench PN. 3-a/83 (fig.3)
was uncovcred in ils southcm face. It was founded at a dcplh of 34,60 m abovc sea
levcE while the upper surface of its foundation reached the height of 35,54 m a.s.l.
The foundation was built of irregular Stones bound with the strong limę mortar.
The righl wali, erected on it, slands up to the height of 36,40 m. Its western part was
madę of fairly dressed stones of various sizes, placed in laycrs and supplementcd
with single bricks. The stone uscd was mostly white, blue-grcy or greenish limestone,
in cascs also red sandstonc. However the eastern part is built of red-fired bricks (with
two sąuare surfaccs) of dimcnsions 19,5-22 x 6,5-8 cm. The wali was bound with a
significantly strong, grey-pink mortar, containing a greal quantity of smali pcbbles. It
seema t ha t the various stones in that wali mostly ca me from demolition.
In trial trench D.W.6/89 (fig.4) only the upper part of wali A was uncovered, at
the height of 36,96 m a.s.l. Its southcm face was madę up of dressed stones, mainly
limestone, in courscs of 16-24 cm high. Having uncovcred the whole wali it lurned
out that its northern face had been purposcly destroyed, yet we arc ablc to State that
its fuli width exceedcd 1,30 m.
A smali fragment of wali B, pcrpcndicular to wali A, was identified in trial trench
PN.10/89 (fig.5). It was stated that the wali had been constructcd at the virgin soil
level (35,72 m a.s.l.), of regular sandstonc blocks in laycrs of 10-18 cm high. The
wali reachcd up to 36,82 m a.s.l. Thcre wcrc two apses in it prcsumably scmicircular
THE OLDEST BUILDING FRAGMENTS DISCOVERED AT NOVAE
(SECTION IV) IN 1983-1989
Since 1979 our interest focused at the Roman legionary hospital as well as the so
callcd Northern Building below. It has been erected at this area before the
valetudinariuin was foundcd. The Northern Building was reckoned as the first
architcctural phase in the fortrcss1.
Unfortunatcly, outside of the main part of the Northern Building we could reveal
but fragmenls of only four walls, denolcd by letters A, B, C and D. Here arc their
characteristics (fig. 1,2).
Wall A survived in two incomplete fragments at a distance of 16,80 m from each
other. Yet they belonged to the same building, which is testificd to by the Southern
wali face exactly along one linę. The fragment found in trial trench PN. 3-a/83 (fig.3)
was uncovcred in ils southcm face. It was founded at a dcplh of 34,60 m abovc sea
levcE while the upper surface of its foundation reached the height of 35,54 m a.s.l.
The foundation was built of irregular Stones bound with the strong limę mortar.
The righl wali, erected on it, slands up to the height of 36,40 m. Its western part was
madę of fairly dressed stones of various sizes, placed in laycrs and supplementcd
with single bricks. The stone uscd was mostly white, blue-grcy or greenish limestone,
in cascs also red sandstonc. However the eastern part is built of red-fired bricks (with
two sąuare surfaccs) of dimcnsions 19,5-22 x 6,5-8 cm. The wali was bound with a
significantly strong, grey-pink mortar, containing a greal quantity of smali pcbbles. It
seema t ha t the various stones in that wali mostly ca me from demolition.
In trial trench D.W.6/89 (fig.4) only the upper part of wali A was uncovered, at
the height of 36,96 m a.s.l. Its southcm face was madę up of dressed stones, mainly
limestone, in courscs of 16-24 cm high. Having uncovcred the whole wali it lurned
out that its northern face had been purposcly destroyed, yet we arc ablc to State that
its fuli width exceedcd 1,30 m.
A smali fragment of wali B, pcrpcndicular to wali A, was identified in trial trench
PN.10/89 (fig.5). It was stated that the wali had been constructcd at the virgin soil
level (35,72 m a.s.l.), of regular sandstonc blocks in laycrs of 10-18 cm high. The
wali reachcd up to 36,82 m a.s.l. Thcre wcrc two apses in it prcsumably scmicircular