Overview

The local area becomes part of the Roman Empire following the conquest during the Gallic war by G.J. Ceasar (100-44 BC), who occupied this territory during the conquest of Gaul (58-51 BC).  The Villa Rustica style that developed along the Middle Rhine and Mosel is a typical example of the Roman Empire influence on local culture.

Photo of reconstructed base

Drawing of Villa Rustica during the prime period of operation in the 2-3rd century AD.

Location

N 50° 18.154 E 7° 33.087 Elevation 320 m above sea level

Description

There is an increase in population density in this area during the 1st century, which includes areas that were not known to be productive farmlands.  In particular, these areas included the plateaus between the Rhine and Mosel - as is the case in the Koblenz forest.  The emergence of new farms and other buildings was made possible by the expansion and modernization of the road system by the Romans.  Thus, it is not surprising that Roman buildings can be found close to ancient roads connecting Rhing and Mosel with the local mountainous areas that were so critical for moving goods from one part of the provinces to another.

This sets the stage for this particular farm in the vicinity of the Remstecken.  The location of the villa has been known for quite some time.  However, excavations were not begun until 1989 with the help of the city of Koblenz and conducted by the local bureau of Archaeology Preservation.  Based on these excavations, it is clear the the farm was of average size, consisted of several buildings, which included a rectangular building with a prominent facade and hypocausts (furnaces) that provided the necessary heat for the buildings.  Moreover, this farm contained fairly elaborated bathroom areas.  The foundations were well preserved and have been augmented in typical style to provide the viewer with the general outline of the farm.  The excavations provided numerous remarkable details about the mode of construction, daily living activities and the technological standards of the time.  The basement area is particularly remarkable as it is outfitted with windows that are arranged to let daylight in.

The entire farm area is located on an elevated plane that slightly slopes to the South along a hill that extends from the East to the West.  The enclosed area surrounding the villa and buildings is approximately 75m x 146m.  This farm can be considered a relatively autonomous economical unit, which was able to produce most goods for daily living.  Next to the main building where the owner and his/her family lived the farm consisted of several utility buildings, which were build next to the surrounding wall.  One of these utility buildings measured 12.2 X 15.3 m.  There were no other walled structures inside the surrounding wall area.  The surrounding wall measured about 80 cm in thickness and was build on top of a foundation.  It was built in a typical manner made of a surrounding layer of rectangular quarry stones that encased some smaller rocks in the center.  The areas between the stones were filled with clay.  The height of the wall is not known.  The entrance to the courtyard was on the Northside of the wall.  The buildings were covered with shingles made of slate.

A bowl-like oven structure with a diameter of about 1.4 m was found slightly East to the center of the farm area.  The oven was situated on a base of flat rocks and was connected to another oven via a pit.  A third oven was found directly towards the North.  The oval shape of the oven with a diameter between 1.9 and 1.6 m was based on several layers of flat rocks.  A brick-red discoloration was found on the Southern part of the inner side of the oven.  This suggest that these ovens were used to dry and dehydrate foods and other agricultural products. The implication of the use of the other buildings based on the prominent position of the ovens is still unclear.  However, it has been speculated that this farm was primarily used to conserve agricultural products for long-term use.

The farm seem to have been built in two phases.  The initial farm house was wider and therefore almost square shaped.  The surrounding wall was build during the second phase.  Dating the phases of operation of this farm was greatly simplified based on the finds within the confines of the surrounding wall.  Initially this farm operated during the 1st century AD.  The main period of activity has been dated to between the 2nd and 3rd century AD when the surrounding wall was extended and some buildings were torn down to allow a straight path from the entrance to the main farm house.  The last finds date to the 4th century AD and the farm was subsequently abandoned.

Context

Speculation

References

Pictures