Cities, villages, fortresses - Zürich - Winterthur-Oberwinterthur (Vitudurum) - The houses

Introduction The Kirchhügel area The houses Crafts and trade

Elsewhere in Oberwinterthur small parts of the settlement have been excavated, on either side of a main street. The settlement covered an area of 500 x 200 meters. The buildings were often timber-framed, with a stone foundation and a stone socle.

The stone socle of a building. Photo: Jauch et al. 2022, Abb. 76.

Reconstruction of a house. Jauch et al. 2022, Beilage 23.

Reconstruction of a street. Jauch et al. 2022, Beilage 22.

Reconstruction of a latrine. Jauch et al. 2022, Abb.142.

A wealth of finds illustrates the daily life of the inhabitants. The houses may look simple, but that impression is deceptive. Animals in and around the settlement provided meat and dairy. Basic foodstuffs were grown in vegetable gardens and in the surrounding fields. However, expensive foodstuffs were imported, such as olive oil, wine and even figs. The richer people used fine clay dishes, beautiful glasses, but also bronze tableware.

Glass cup decorated with fish in enamel painting. H. 0.064. Photo: Rütti 1980, Abb.1.

A key and two brooches. Photos: Jauch et al. 2022, Abb. 117 and 256.

Brooch in the shape of amphora. Copper alloy with enamel. W. 0.018, h. 0.044. Photo: Jauch et al. 2022, Abb. 231.	Intaglio with the seated Bacchus holding a thyrsus rod, in front of vines. Photo: Jauch et al. 2022, Abb. 229.

In a house at the western end of the settlement a private shrine could be reconstructed. Bronze statuettes were discovered together with tableware of iron, soapstone, glass and terra sigillata. The tableware stood in a small cupboard, the statuettes had been placed on top: Mercurius accompanied by a rooster and a goat, another Mercurius, Minerva, and an Erote emerging from a lion's claw (originally a leg of furniture). The little shrine was at the back of a shop on the street. It was destroyed by a fire in the second half of the third century.

The bronze statuettes from a private shrine and a reconstruction drawing of the cupboard with the statuettes and the tableware. Fuchs 2016, figs. 15-16.

Fragments of wooden writing tablets were found. On one tablet the address had been preserved: Frontoni contra latrinam dabis, "Give (this letter) to Fronto opposite the latrine".

FRONTONI CONTRA LATRINAM DABIS	To Fronto, opposite the latrine, give (this letter).
Drawing of part of a wooden writing tablet. W. 0.14, h. 0.059. EDCS-83100088; Kolb et al. 2022, nr. 422.3.

Introduction The Kirchhügel area The houses Crafts and trade

[3-Apr-2024]