In 1849 part of the main house of a villa was excavated in Ottenhusen, to the south of Hohenrain, some twelve kilometers to the north of Luzern as the crow flies. Some more work was carried out by Walter Drack around 1980. The excavated part was 33 meters wide. Apparently rooms were situated behind a porticus flanked by tower-like projections. Fragments of paintings and remains of mosaics were found. The villa was built in the late first century, and destroyed by a fire in the second half of the third century.
Plan of the site. After Von Bonstetten 1858, Anhang. From seetal-plus.ch.
The statuette was found at the spot marked by a plus-sign.A notable find was a fairly large bronze statuette of Mercurius, seated on a rock. The deity can be identified by his winged shoes. He is accompanied by a turtle and a lizard. The head seems to be a portrait. The date has been much debated. Most recently the third quarter of the first century has been suggested.
The statuette of Mercurius. H. 0.305. Photo: Bürge et al. 2013, Abb. 22.
Literature
Von Bonstetten 1858; Drack 1980(6); Deschler-Erb - Lehmann 2007; Bürge et al. 2013, 49, 94-97.
[13-Apr-2024]
