Demolition and construction of a residential building
Site ID: 66780
Keywords: Migration Period, Sarmatian, stray finds
On 3 June 2020, archaeological monitoring was conducted during mechanical earthworks related to the demolition of a residential building. No archaeological features were observed during the removal of the building’s foundation structures and associated outbuildings. This was likely due to the collapsed construction debris, which had fallen back into the foundation trenches, rendering the stratigraphy uninterpretable. A small storage cellar (approx. 1.5×1.5×1 m) located southwest of the demolished building was also removed, providing limited insight into the site’s soil conditions. During cleaning of the surrounding soil layers in the cellar pit, a few ceramic sherds of archaeological age (Sarmatian) were recovered (Fig. 1).
On 4 July 2020, foundation trenching began for the construction of a new residential building on the cleared plot. The excavation began at an elevation of approx. 130.10 m above Baltic Sea level (a.B.S.l.), on a surface leveled during post-demolition grading. The strip foundations measured 70 cm in width and 120–130 cm in depth. Up to a depth of 40–60 cm, modern demolition debris was mixed with dark greyish-brown sand. From −70 to −80 cm below the surface, reddish-brown sand was observed, followed by a yellow sandy subsoil containing scattered gravel. The subsoil was cut in two places by modern intrusions. A 60 cm wide, north–south oriented trench approximately 30 cm deep into the subsoil was found running through the center of the foundation system. Its archaeological origin could not be confirmed. The fill consisted of homogeneous brown humic sand. No further finds were recovered during section cleaning. Although no clear archaeological features were identified within the construction area, a Sarmatian cemetery section is known from the vicinity, including at 139 Diófa Street and along this section of Csömöri Road (BTM RA inv. no. 3065–2010).
Contributors: Gábor Gyenes (archaeological field technician)
Gábor Gyenes