A monumental Roman building in Southwestern Slovakia? A hypothesis-verifying archaeological research in the area of Suchohrad, Záhorie region

Abstract

The project will examine, with the help of archaeological methods, an unknown yet complex and unusually large structure that stood near the village of Suchohrad in the Záhorie region in the south-west of Slovakia. Today, the building is recognizable only in aerial shots due to the cropmarks that highlight its ground plan.

Due to its strategic location, Záhorie is an area populated from the prehistory. The rivers Morava in the west and Danube in the south which surround Záhorie, were largely used for communication.

During the Roman times, there were several Roman temporary camps (such as Suchohrad and Závod), the Roman station in Stupava and other building activities and sites with Roman and provincial findings (e. g. Dúbravka, Zohor or Cífer-Pác).

On the basis of the distinct Roman presence found so far in Záhorie, it probably worked in the similar way as in the Roman Empire, and somehow it did not matter that it sprang up just beyond its limit - the Roman Limes. Therefore, this yet unidentified building has a great potential to be of Roman origin.

The main aims of this project are to identify the localized structure in an archaeological way, that is to say, its age, cultural identity, its purpose and construction technology. This project will also seek to place the building in a wider surrounding context.