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The discovery of the school of gladiators at Carnuntum, Austria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Wolfgang Neubauer ,
Christian Gugl ,
Markus Scholz ,
Geert Verhoeven ,
Immo Trinks ,
Klaus Löcker ,
Michael Doneus ,
Timothy Saey  and
Marc Van Meirvenne
Wolfgang Neubauer
Affiliation:
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, Hohe Warte 38, A-1190 Vienna, Austria VIAS (Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science), University of Vienna, Franz-Klein-Gasse 1, A-1190 Vienna, Austria
Christian Gugl
Affiliation:
Austrian Academy of Sciences, Institute for the Studies of Ancient Culture, Bäckerstraße 13, A-1010 Vienna, Austria
Markus Scholz
Affiliation:
Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Forschungsinstitut für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, Ernst-Ludwig-Platz 2, D-55116 Mainz, Germany
Geert Verhoeven
Affiliation:
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, Hohe Warte 38, A-1190 Vienna, Austria VIAS (Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science), University of Vienna, Franz-Klein-Gasse 1, A-1190 Vienna, Austria
Immo Trinks
Affiliation:
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, Hohe Warte 38, A-1190 Vienna, Austria
Klaus Löcker
Affiliation:
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, Hohe Warte 38, A-1190 Vienna, Austria Archeo Prospections®, Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics, Hohe Warte 38, A-1190 Vienna, Austria
Michael Doneus
Affiliation:
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology, Hohe Warte 38, A-1190 Vienna, Austria VIAS (Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science), University of Vienna, Franz-Klein-Gasse 1, A-1190 Vienna, Austria
Timothy Saey
Affiliation:
Research Group Soil Spatial Inventory Techniques, Department of Soil Management, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
Marc Van Meirvenne
Affiliation:
Research Group Soil Spatial Inventory Techniques, Department of Soil Management, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
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Abstract

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Sophisticated techniques of archaeological survey, including airborne imaging spectroscopy, electromagnetic induction and ground-penetrating radar, are opening up new horizons in the non-invasive exploration of archaeological sites. One location where they have yielded spectacular results is Carnuntum in Austria, on the south bank of the Danube, capital of the key Roman province of Pannonia. Excavations in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries revealed many of the major elements of this extensive complex, including the legionary fortress and the civilian town or municipium. Excavation, however, is no longer the only way of recovering and recording the details of these buried structures. In 2011, a combination of non-invasive survey methods in the area to the south of the civilian town, where little was visible on the surface, led to the dramatic discovery of remains interpreted as a gladiatorial school, complete with individual cells for the gladiators and a circular training arena. The combination of techniques has led to the recording and visualisation of the buried remains in astonishing detail, and the impact of the discovery is made all the greater by the stunning reconstruction images that the project has generated.

Keywords

AustriaCarnuntumRoman Empiregladiatorsludusremote sensinggeophysics
Type
Research articles
Information
Antiquity , Volume 88 , Issue 339 , March 2014 , pp. 173 - 190
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 2014

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