Frick is situated on the road from Windisch (Vindonissa) to Augst (Augusta Raurica). The name of the town might be derived from fossa ferraricia, referring to a nearby "iron mine" and the iron ore deposits in the Fricktal, with their iron smithies.
View of the surroundings of Frick. Photo: Wikimedia, Barbara Steinemann.Remains from the Roman period emerged on several occasions near Hotel Engel in the Hauptstrasse: walls and a hypocaust. Parts of horse harnesses have led to the hypothesis that there was a mansio here, a stopping place and inn. More remains and coins were found on the hill with the Church of St. Peter and Paul. There may have been a watchtower on this spot, built around 365-370 AD. Still more remains suggest the presence nearby of a fortress from the early fourth century.
Excavations on a large scale (an area of 3560 square meters) took place in the years 2013-2018 on the east side of the town (locality Ob em Dorf). Roads, buildings and tombs of a settlement emerged, dating back to the early first century. Remains of a smithy were found and an enormous amount of forging slag. The buildings were destroyed by a fire, dated by coins to the middle of the third century. The ruins, fortified with a ditch and a palisade, were used until the middle of the fourth century.
A bronze bust of Pan from Frick. Photo: Hartmann 1989, p. 18.
Literature
Hartmann 1977(1); Hartmann-Weber 1985, 169-170; Drack-Fellmann 1988, 397-398; Hartmann 1989; Zimmermann-Sonderegger 1989; Wälchli 1994; Baerlocher 2015; Baerlocher 2018.
[1-Sep-2023]
