Construction of a condominium building
Site ID: 15140
Keywords: Migration Period, Sarmatian, settlement
On December 21, 2020, archaeological monitoring was conducted during the mechanical earthworks preceding the construction of a two-apartment condominium. During the observation, Migration Period (Sarmatian) features were encountered.
A strip foundation system covering an approximately 8.7×35 meter surface area, occupying 25% of the 1154 m² plot situated on an elevation southwest of the floodplain along the Mátyásföld section of the Szilas Stream, was excavated with 60 cm wide and 120 cm deep trenches.
The demolition of buildings located on the plot at the corner of Zsarnó Street and Album Street had been completed in November 2019. No interpretable stratigraphy was visible during the removal of the foundations, but in a short trench dug in the undisturbed part of the plot, stray pottery fragments were retrieved from the humus-rich topsoil.
As a result of post-demolition site leveling, the work area appeared largely flat, with the excavation of the approximately 100–120 cm deep foundation trenches starting at an elevation of about 150.50 a.B.S.l.. Beneath the surface, a 20 cm thick dark gray sand layer mixed with demolition debris was observed, followed by 20 cm of dark grayish-brown silty sand showing traces of soil cultivation (possibly plowing). In the debris-free northeastern quarter of the work area, this layer was covered by a 20 cm yellowish-brown sand fill.
The undisturbed zone of the natural dark grayish-brown sand with scattered gravel appeared in a thickness of 30–60 cm between 149.90–150.20 a.B.S.l.. In the northwestern foundation trenches, a dark gray, compact, cohesive band was observed, likely representing a remnant of the walking surface. The subsoil consisted of yellowish-gray, gravel-strewn, calcareous fine sand and, in the northern quarter of the work area, gray sand. In some places, the gravel-strewn sandy topsoil and the gravel-strewn calcareous fine sand layer were separated by a reddish-brown sandy band.
Due to a minor elevation at Atlasz Street, water flowing down the hillside from the south may have been impeded, which could have resulted in the area becoming waterlogged.
During the cleaning of the gravel-strewn sandy topsoil in the southeastern strip foundation trench, a few scattered pottery fragments, splinters of animal bones, and fragments of daub were uncovered. Some of the daub pieces bore impressions of wattle. The finds were retrieved in a highly scattered manner and from varying depths. In a dark gray band appearing 7 meters from the northern end of the southeastern foundation trench, charcoal particles and daub crumbs were more frequently encountered.
In the northwestern trenches, two features were able to be identified. The first feature (Feature 1), located at the northern corner, was a 50-cm-wide trench, oriented E/SE–W/NW, which had been cut 20 cm deep into the subsoil. From this feature, a few animal bones and pottery fragments were recovered (Fig. 1).
Feature 2 could be traced for 3 to 4 meters along the northwestern section face. It had been cut 50 cm deep into the subsoil but did not reach the bottom of the foundation trench. The base of the ditch appeared approximately horizontal, with sloped sides that had been subject to sediment wash-in. However, the feature did not appear in the opposite section wall.
At the very bottom of the fill, a 10–15 cm thick layer of dark gray, sooty, ashy sand containing charcoal particles was observed. Above this, a 25 cm layer of gray sand mixed with small pebbles was identified, followed by the gravel-strewn sandy topsoil. Artefacts were recovered from the lower two fill layers. The animal bone and pottery fragments collected from the deeper, ashy stratum were covered with a calcareous deposit, while this lime coating was not typical on the scattered finds or other artefacts from the cut.
The upper portions of the features could not be clearly distinguished, as they had fully merged with the gravel-strewn sandy topsoil. The contour was only observable in the section that had been cut into the subsoil.
The ceramic fragments collected during the observation were dated to the Roman Imperial period and, as characteristic of Sarmatian material culture, displayed a wide range of quality. The majority of the finds were recovered from Feature 2. The animal bone assemblage appeared roughly fragmented, with some pieces bearing gnaw marks. The presence of daub fragments both in the gravel-strewn sandy topsoil and in the ditch (Feature 1) may indicate traces of Sarmatian period houses in the immediate vicinity of the plot.
These features are considered to form part of the settlement chain that follows the southern bank of the Szilas Stream, contributing to the delineation of its southern extent. The section between Nógrádverőce Street, Újszász Street, and Simongát Street has been well investigated (Site ID: 15140); however, data regarding archaeological land use becomes scarce further from this area. Among the observations made thus far, the features documented at Album utca 26, as well as the stray finds at Andocs Street 31 located beyond the designated polygons, indicate that archaeological phenomena may also be expected at a greater distance from the stream.
Contributors: Gábor Gyenes (archaeological field technician)
Gábor Gyenes