In Port, to the south of Biel, part of the main building of a villa was excavated at the locality Bellevue in the years 2014-2017. The oldest remains belonged to wooden buildings and a stone building from the first century. A new building was erected at the end of the first and in the first half of the second century. It was abandoned in the early third century.
Plan of the excavations. A: western porticus; B: northern porticus; C: sudatorium; D: vestibule; E: apodyterium;
F: frigidarium; G: caldarium; H: tepidarium; I, J: praefurnium; K: palaestra; L: latrine. Dénervaud et al. 2018, Abb. 2.Two branches of a porticus were found. The western branch ended with an apse (A). To the south-east of the northern branch (B) a collapsed half-timbered wall was found. The western part of the building was taken up by a series of bathing rooms. Three rooms had hypocausts for heating: a round sweating room (C), a warm room (G), and a lukewarm room (H). In between were the vestibule (D), dressing room (E), and a cold room (F). To the west was an area for sports, palaestra K, with a latrine (L).
A collapsed half-timbered wall. In the sections between the wooden beams fragments of roof tiles had been used. Photo: Dénervaud et al. 2018, Abb. 5.
Caldarium G, with imprints of the small piers of the raised floor, and praefurnium J, seen from the east. Photo: Dénervaud-Kissling 2017, Abb. 10.
Reconstruction of the excavated part of the villa, seen from the west. Photo: Dénervaud-Kissling 2017, Abb. 8.
Literature
Dénervaud 2016; Dénervaud-Kissling 2017; Dénervaud et al. 2018.
[18-Apr-2024]
