It has been suggested that Murus, a place mentioned in the Itinerarium Antonini, was located to the east of Bondo-Promontogno, to the south-west of the Septimer Pass and Maloja Pass. The ruins of Castelmur Castle might rest on Roman foundations.
The ruins of Castelmur Castle behind the Nossa Donna Church. Photo: Wikimedia, Muck.In the 1920's Roman buildings along a road were investigated to the north-west of the castle, at the locality La Porta, near the river Mera. On the west side a few bathing rooms were found, one with a hypocaust. The site was presumably a mansio-mutatio, a place for resting and for changing horses.
Plan of the Roman buildings. Rageth 1986, Abb. 17.
The hypocaust in the bathing rooms as seen in 1928, with the ruins of the castle in the background. Photo: Rageth 1986, Abb. 18.In 1939 and 1959 two inscribed altars of soapstone were discovered nearby. They were both dedicated to Mercurius, associated with the Celtic deity Cissonius and "of the morning".
MERCVRIO
CISSONIO
PRO BON[o]
COMM[uni]For Mercurius
Cissonius,
for the public
good.MERCVRIO
[C]ISSONIO
[M]ATUTINO
[V]ALERIUS
[Ge]RMANIFor Mercurius
Cissonius
Matutinus.
Valerius,
(son, slave, freedman?) of Germanus.Altars of soapstone. Rätisches Museum, Chur. W. 0.206, h. 0.264, d. 0.083 and w. 0.057, h. 0.11, d. 0.058.
First half of the third century. EDCS-04900757 and 04900758. Kolb et al. 2022, nrs. 710-711. Photos: Kolb et al. 2022.
Literature
Schulthess 1926; Meyer 1962, 155; Joos 1940; Planta 1986-1990, II, 67-93; Rageth 1986, 53, 79-83; Drack-Fellmann 1988, 370-372; Drack-Fellmann 1991, 84-85.
[2-Dec-2023]
