In 1961 part of the main building of a villa was excavated some 700 meters to the west of the vicus in Olten, at the locality Im Feigel. The ceramics were from the second half of the second century and from the early third century. Some of the remains can still be seen today, in a small park. Later some secondary buildings were found.
Remains of the main building at the intersection of the Föhrenweg and the Untergrundstrasse. Photo: Google Maps, Tom Waugh.
Plan of the area. Nold 2016, Abb. 3.
The main house (A) had a porticus that was 16 m. long and 5 m. deep. It was flanked by tower-like projections. The secondary building B measured 6.50 x 12.50 m. Building C, 18.00 x at least 19.50 m., was a house, witness the finds: loom weights, a hearth, and a furnace for cooking. It was destroyed by a fire in the late third century. Building D, with a hearth, measured 12 x 13 m. There might be two more secondary buildings (E, F).
Main house A during the excavation in 1961. Photo: Nold 2016, Abb. 2.
Building B during the excavation in 1961. Photo: Nold 2016, Abb. 4.
Literature
Müller 1962; Jahrbuch für Solothurnische Geschichte 35 (1962), 289-294; Drack-Fellmann 1991, 198; Archäologie und Denkmalpflege im Kanton Solothurn 2 (1997), 77-86; Nold 2016.
[6-Jan-2024]
