Small finds processing and material culture studies
In the field of small finds processing, both classical identification of Roman artefacts and further investigations within the framework of Material Culture Studies are carried out.
Atrium house
Both the building type and the rich assemblage from the atrium house point to occupation by wealthy, socially prominent residents. They provisioned themselves with foodstuffs and tableware from across the Mediterranean: tableware was imported from Gaul, Germania, Italy, Asia Minor, and North Africa. Oysters, wines from Italy, Gaul, and the Aegean, and olive oils—imported chiefly from Istria—underscore the inhabitants’ Mediterranean connections. The atrium house was in use from the 1st to the 5th century AD; the east wing, in particular, preserves abundant evidence for Late Antique use of the complex. Even then, the occupants appear to have remained financially well‑off, as reflected, for example, in their dietary habits. The finds were processed and analyzed between 2008 and 2013 within an Austrian Science Fund (FWF) project (P20846‑G02).
Literature
M. Auer, Late Roman local production in southwestern Noricum. Municipium Claudium Aguntum – a case study, Acta RCRF, 42, 2012, 419-422.
M. Auer, Municipium Claudium Aguntum. Keramik als Indikator für die spätantike Sozialstruktur?, REI CRETARIAE ROMANAE FAVTORVM, ACTA 44, 2016, 453-458.
M. Auer, Municipium Claudium Aguntum. Kitchen Residues from the Atrium House, in: G. Nutu, S.-C- Ailincai, C. Micu (Hrsg.), The man, the river and the sea. Studies in Archaeology and History in honour of Florin Topoleanu on his 65th anniversary (Cluj-Napoca 2017), 327-340.
S. Deschler-Erb / M. Auer, In cibo veritas – Zur wechselhaften Geschichte des Atriumhauses von Aguntum/Tirol (1.-4. Jh. n. Chr.) im Spiegel der Ernährungssitten, Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums Wien, Serie A, Band 120, 2018, 5-17.
M. Auer, Das Municipium Claudium Aguntum und der östliche Mittelmeerraum. Neues zur materiellen Kultur der römischen Stadt, in: S. Hye / U. Töchterle (Hrsg.), UPIKU:TAUKE. Festschrift für Gerhard Tomedi zum 65. Geburtstag, Universitätsforschungen zur prähistorischen Archäologie 339 (Bonn 2019) 43-50.
Provenance and Function of the Ceramics from the Atrium House
Aguntum archives
Owing to the long history of excavations, the archaeological depot in the Aguntum excavation house is richly stocked. However, only a small portion of the pre‑1991 inventory has survived, making it necessary to re‑inventory all materials in the Aguntum depot and convert them into a scientifically usable finds archive. Supported by the University of Innsbruck and the Department of Culture of the Province of Tyrol, this work began in 2013; with the help of students, a large share of the finds recovered between 1950 and 1980 was photographed and catalogued in a digital archive across two campaigns.
Work on the finds archive was completed in 2025, allowing it to serve as a foundation for the scholarly re‑analysis of earlier excavations. For example, the question of a possible river port south of the city (see below) was addressed on the basis of the re‑inventory of finds from the 1950s.
Literature
M. Auer, A river port in Aguntum?, M. Auer (Hrsg.), Roman Settlements along the Drava River, Ager Aguntinus. Historisch-archäologische Forschungen 3 (Wiesbaden 2019) 1-9.
Workflow for the Re‑Inventory of Legacy Finds
Roman pottery in Noricum
Scientific analysis
As part of the FWF‑funded project “The Atrium House of Aguntum” (P20846‑G02), work began on characterizing the regional ceramic products found at Aguntum. The MGR method was employed in conjunction with chemical analyses and thin‑section petrography. Using metallurgical clay as a reference material, the project partners Dr Gerwulf Schneider (FU Berlin) and Dr Malgorszata Daszkiewicz (FU Berlin / ARCHEA Warsaw) succeeded in identifying local ceramic production. At the same time, the analyses showed that within the supposedly local group commonly termed “Noric pottery,” a wide variety of regionally imported fabrics is present.
In recent years, the analytical dataset has been significantly expanded to include the Late Antique settlement at Lavant. Also additional cooperations helped to develop a better understanding of raw materials and production techniques (Barbara Borgers, University of Padua, John Gait and Katalin Bajnok, Neutron Spectroscopy Department, HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research, Budapest). Differences in raw‑material use between Aguntum and Lavant could be established, while the respective products were also traded between the two settlements.
Literature
Auer / M. Daszkiewicz, Archaeological expectations and archaeometric results. Some considerations on imported coarse wares and local pottery production in Aguntum, Austria, in G. Lipovac Vrkljan / B. Šiljeg / I. Ožanić Roguljić / A. Konestra [eds.], Rimske keramikčarske i staklarske radionice, Proizvodnja i trgovina na jadranskom prostoru (Crikvenica 2017) 97-125.
B. Borgers / C. Ionescu / Á. Gal / F. Neubauer / Ch. Von Hagke / M. Auer / V. Szilagyi / Z. Kasztovszky / K. Gméling / I. Harsanyi/ L. Barbu-Tudoran, Production technology and knowledge transfer of calcite-tempered grey ware bowls from 2nd- to 5th-century CE Noricum (Austria), Archaeometry 65/3, 2023, 480 - 497.
Morphological and stylistic analysis
The grey‑coloured, reduction‑fired (or incompletely oxidized) pottery from Aguntum was compared with technologically similar vessels from other Noric and northern Italian sites. A purely morphological comparison based on rim profiles yields scarcely meaningful cross‑site results; accordingly, particular weight was given to decoration when seeking comparanda. By integrating technology, morphology, and style (decoration), 18 ceramic types—with additional variants—were defined on the basis of the Aguntum assemblage. Each type shows a clearly delineable distribution area, though the extent varies considerably from one type to another.
Literature
M. Auer, Municipium Claudium Aguntum. Keramikregionen als Interaktionsräume. Eine Westnorische Perspektive, Ager Aguntinus 2 (Wiesbaden 2019).
Spatial Distribution of Type X Finds
Ceramic circulation: transfer of goods or ideas?
In light of the differing distribution areas of pottery produced in Noricum, the question arises of how these ceramic regions formed and how production was organized. To address this, further scientific analyses—including material from Salzburg, Moosham, St. Peter in Holz, the Zollfeld near Klagenfurt, and Magdalensberg—were undertaken. The results show that quartz-tempered tripod bowls were produced at all of the sites mentioned, while also providing evidence for the exchange of goods between the settlements.
Literature
M. Auer, Zur Organisation des Töpferhandwerks in Noricum – Familienunternehmen oder Großbetrieb?, Ethnographisch-Archäologische Zeitschrift [EAZ] 55, 1/2, 2014 [2016], 121-158.
M. Auer, Pottery Regions in Noricum. Evidence for Communities of Practice?, RCRF Acta, 2018, 467-476.
B. Borgers / M. Auer / S. Wagner / P. Tropper Production and Distribution of Greyware Tripod Bowls in 1st and 2nd Centuries AD Noricum (Austria), OAJAA.
B. Borgers / M. Auer, Communities of practice in 2nd to 5th century AD pottery production: A case study from south-western Noricum, Austria, Journal of Roman Pottery Studies 20, 2023, 77 - 91.
Residue analyses
Dietary practices in the municipium are being investigated through two complementary approaches: analysis of animal bones in collaboration with Dr. Sabine Deschler‑Erb (IPNA Basel), and recent residue analyses of various vessels (lavez/steatite vessels and pottery) from Aguntum in collaboration with Dr. Lucy Cramp (University of Bristol). In particular, analyses of the so‑called “Aguntum bowls” have yielded compelling results suggesting that this vessel form was used in the production and/or sale of dairy products.
Literature
M. Auer, Überlegungen zur Keramikproduktion im Territorium von Aguntum, in: C. Reinholdt / W. Wohlmayr (Hrsg.), Akten des 13. Österreichischen Archäologentages in Salzburg (Wien 2012) 311-316.
L. J. E. Cramp / H. L. Whelton, Organic residue analysis of pottery residues from Aguntum, in: M. Auer, Municipium Claudium Aguntum - das macellum, Ager Aguntinus. Historisch-archäologische Forschungen 6 (Wiesbaden 2025) 81-84.
Rusty iron
As part of a collaborative project between the restoration workshop of the Department of Archaeology, the Department of Mineralogy and Petrography (University of Innsbruck), and the Medical University of Innsbruck, freshly recovered iron finds from Aguntum were examined under the project title “Rusty Iron.” The project aims to prevent conservation issues with iron as early as possible and to test best‑practice (“ideal”) methods for the recovery and packaging of fresh finds from a conservation perspective.
Literature
Iron finds from Aguntum
The Roman lamp production of EVCARPVS
Building on a study of the oil lamps from the Municipium Claudium Aguntum, a research project on the lamp manufacturer EVCARPVS was carried out with support from the Tyrolean Science Fund (TWF). "Firmalampen" bearing this maker’s stamp were analyzed stylistically and scientifically, yielding insights into the operation of ceramic production on a large scale. The standardized oil lamps clearly indicate a market‑oriented network of branch workshops, which flourished particularly in the 1st–2nd centuries AD.
Literature
M. Auer, Die römischen Firmalampen aus dem Municipium Claudium Aguntum, in: L. Chrzanovski (ed.), Le Luminaire antique. Lychnological Acts 3. Actes du 3e Congrès International d'études de l'ILA. Université d'Heidelberg 21-26.IX.2009, Monographies Instrumentum 44 (Montagnac 2012), 11-23.
M. Auer / S. Sitz, Die Firmalampenproduktion des Eucarpus - eine Studie zur römischen Keramikproduktion, Germania 92, 2014 (2015), 85-12).
Firmalampen from Aguntum