In the 1980's, 1990's and 2002 the remains of a villa were investigated in Langendorf, about two kilometers to the north-west of Solothurn, on the Hüslerhofstrasse and Kronmattstrasse. The site has been mentioned as a possible place of discovery of the Venus of Bellach (discussed under Bellach).
Overall plan of the investigations. Harb-Wullschleger 2010, Abb. 6.The first building of the complex was excavated in 1980 (nr. 1). Unfortunately the ruins contained very few finds. The suggested reconstruction of the building is rather hypothetical.
Reconstruction drawing of the building excavated in 1980. Spycher 1981(1), Abb. 8.
More work took place in 1993-1994 and 2002. The main building (A) and five secondary buildings (B-F) were discovered. Building D is the oldest building. It was erected in the second quarter of the first century.
Plan of the excavations in 1993-1994 and 2002. Harb-Wullschleger 2010, Abb. 4.
The main building was erected in the last quarter of the first century. Fragments of wall paintings were found with linear and vegetative motifs on a white background.
The main building seen from the north. Harb-Wullschleger 2010, Abb. 27.Of particular interest were two cellars and a storage room in the main building. The stone walls of one of the cellars had been preserved up to a height of two meters. The objects that were found inside had fallen down from the living rooms above. The other cellar was a simple pit. The storage space was interpreted as such because of the type of terracotta vessels found inside, which were specifically intended for storage.
The stone cellar in the main building. Harb-Wullschleger 2010, cover.After the middle of the second century the main building was abandoned. We can only speculate about the reasons (the Antonine plague comes to mind). It was reoccupied and extensively renovated in the late second century. A portico was added to its southern facade and baths were probably located in a small extension with a sewer on its northern side. The two cellars and the storage room were no longer in use. The building seems to have been abondoned again in the late third century: the latest coins were from the reign of Aurelianus.
Building B, a bit to the south but connected with the main building by a wall, was also a residential structure. The presence of chests or cupboards in one of the rooms was deduced from iron hinges and traces on the floor. This building was destroyed by a fire in the middle of the third century or somewhat later. In the late 2nd century a new separate cellar was built, structure C, replacing the two cellars in the main building. Building F may have been a dwelling for the workers on the farm, used also for storage. Like main building A it was abandoned in the second century, but in the second half of that century a smithy was installed inside, witness the discovery of slag. Not much can be said about building E. It measured 9.30 x at least 7.20 m.
Literature
Spycher 1981(1); Spycher 1981(2); Boss 1983; Harb-Wullschleger 2010.
[5-Jan-2024]
