Neuenstadt a. Kocher-Bürg, capital of the civitas A… G…

See this text in

Foundation and structure

The Latin name of the settlement is not known, but in the second half of the 2^nd century AD, at the earliest, it became capital of the civitas A(urelia?) G...; with the 'Aurelia' perhaps referring to the emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD). It is barely possible to comment on the town's development, because excavations have been limited to very small areas and our knowledge is largely based on aerial photography and geophysical surveys.

The town and its structure

The documented features suggest a settlement of about 20ha. There are no indications of a city wall.

Plan of the Roman settlement based on aerial and geophysical evidence

Public buildings and infrastructure

Building A, in the north of the settlement, may have been part of a three aisled forum basilica of c. 45m.

One large structure (D) has been interpreted as a state run inn (mansio). It was built around an 18 x 16m courtyard with flanking rooms, and immediately to the west was a bath building with a sequence of heated rooms.

Plan of the Roman baths

In the south of the town, an enclosed 80 x 70m area centres on a structure, which can be described as a mixture of a podium- and Gallo-Roman temple. This was dedicated to Apollo Grannus, who is frequently mentioned on dedications from Neuenstadt. A secondary building, which may have house temple personnel, was linked to the temple by a corridor.

Residential buildings

Several strip buildings can be recognised in the town plan and, in the south-east (G), several buildings were contained within a trapezoid enclosure (c. 40 x 40m), rather like a villa with ancillary buildings.

Plan of the villa-like building

Museum
Inscriptions and sculpture from Neuenstadt are on display in the Lapidarium des Württembergischen Landesmuseums in Stuttgart.

Text: Thomas Schmidts

Select bibliography

C.-M. Hüssen, Die römische Besiedlung im Umland von Heilbronn. Forschungen und Berichte zur Vor- und Frühgeschichte in Baden-Württemberg Band 78 (Stuttgart 2000) 263-265.

K. Kortüm, Neuenstadt am Kocher-Bürg, Kreis Heilbronn, ein "vergessener" römischer vicus. Archäologische Ausgrabungen in Baden-Württemberg 2003, 118-122.

K. Kortüm, Wahre und falsche „Götzentempel“. Neues vom römischen vicus von Neuenstadt am Kocher-Bürg. Archäologische Ausgrabungen in Baden-Württemberg 2004, 158-164.