Abstract
This paper focuses on legionary production and distribution of building ceramics on the middle Pannonian part of Limes Romanus. The case study is based on production from the legionary fortress of Vindobona and its surroundings.
The objective was to create a model which would reflect how the production and distribution worked in this area in the past. The final model combines two approaches.
The first approach is based on theoretical calculations of production size and difficulty of transport. The input data are taken from published literature including ancient sources, brick inscriptions and experimental archaeology.
An approximate amount of necessary material for construction sites was calculated along with the time necessary to produce this material depending on the available manpower. The second approach is based on analysis of material from the sites.
The dataset consists of finds from the legionary brickyard and fortress, selected auxiliary camps and from buildings placed in barbaricum. Altogether the dataset consists of more than 5000 finds.
The methods chosen for evaluation of the finds were strictly exact in their nature. The focus was not only on classification of the brickstamps but also on the processes held during the production itself.
The stamp classification is based on computer comparison of their proportions, which enabled me to identify identical stamps. The correct reading of badly preserved stamps was enhanced by RTI (Reflectance Transformation Imaging).
Using these methods, it was possible to create groups of identical stamps not only within one site, but also across the whole distribution area. It was possible to determine the origin of the clay using a combination of petrographic analyses of the material from the brickyard near the legionary fortress and from the material distributed to sites, sometimes hundreds of kilometres far.
Large amount of the material comes from old excavations where only building ceramics with stamps were collected and the information about stratigraphy is often missing. To be able to interpret these material groups, the approximate ratio between stamped and unstamped bricks was calculated, based on in situ finds from the legionary brickyard in Vindobona.
This ratio helps to determine what amount of construction material the group of stamps represents and if this group is large enough to be considered as part of a building phase. The achieved values are entered into the theoretical model, enabling to create a specific scenario for each construction site.