Research on Roman temporary camps near Brigetio (Komárom-Szőny)

Abstract

In the Central Danube region, the largest number of Roman temporary camps is known from the surroundings of Brigetio (Komárom-Szőny). In the southern foreground of the legionary fortress, aerial reconnaissance has revealed traces since the 1990s, and in parallel, their growing numbers on the northern side, in Slovakia, have become known. The camps are basically related to the Marcomannic Wars, but this could only be stated on the basis of analogies, since, unlike our northern neighbour, their verification took place only in 2015-2016 by geophysical survey and trial trenching in some cases in Hungary. In parallel with the excavations, small-scale metal detecting survey helped in their dating. Our investigations mostly confirmed the Roman origin of the phenomena, and we were also able to obtain data on the structure and stratigraphy of the V-shaped ditches. The small number of finds from metal detecting partly coincides with the observations on the other side of the Danube, however, a broader spectrum beyond the Marcomannic Wars could be identified, which may be partly related to Roman land use.