Turicum was a
Gallo-Roman
Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...
settlement
Settlement may refer to:
*Human settlement, a community where people live
*Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building
* Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction
*Settlement (fin ...
at the lower end of
Lake Zurich
__NOTOC__
Lake Zurich ( Swiss German/Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...
, and precursor of the city of
Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
. It was situated within the Roman province of
Gallia Belgica
Gallia Belgica ("Belgic Gaul") was a province of the Roman Empire located in the north-eastern part of Roman Gaul, in what is today primarily northern France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, along with parts of the Netherlands and Germany.
In 50 BC, af ...
(from AD 90
Germania Superior) and near the border to the province of
Raetia
Raetia ( ; ; also spelled Rhaetia) was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It bordered on the west with the country of the Helvetii, on the east with Noricum, on the north with Vindelicia, on the south-west with T ...
; there was a tax-collecting point for goods traffic on the waterway
Walensee
The Walensee, also known as ''Lake Walen'' or ''Lake Walenstadt'' from Walenstadt, is one of the larger lakes in Switzerland, with about two thirds of its area in the Canton of St. Gallen and about one third in the Canton of Glarus. Other towns an ...
–
Obersee-Zürichsee–
Limmat
The Limmat is a river in Switzerland. The river commences at the outfall of Lake Zurich, in the southern part of the city of Zurich. From Zurich it flows in a northwesterly direction, after 35 km reaching the river Aare. The confluenc ...
–
Aare
The Aare () or Aar () is a tributary of the High Rhine and the longest river that both rises and ends entirely within Switzerland.
Its total length from its source to its junction with the Rhine comprises about , during which distance it descend ...
–
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
.
Name
The ancient name ''Turicum'', along with the indication of a Roman customhouse, is first attested in the
epitaph
An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
for Lucius Aelius Urbicus, an infant son of the , ‘head of the toll-station at Zurich’,
that was found on
Lindenhof hill in 1747 and dates from 185/200 AD.
[ Regula Frei-Stolba/Reinhold Kaiser & al., ''Die Römische Zeit'', in: ''Geschichte des Kantons Zürich'', vol. 1: ''Frühzeit bis Spätmittelalter'', Zürich 1995, .] The place name reappears in the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
as ''Turicum'', ''Turico'', ''Doricum'', ''Torico'', ''Turigo'', ''Turegum'', and in its
Old High German
Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050.
There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...
forms ''Ziurichi'', ''Zurih'', with
regularly shifted consonants; it is unanimously seen as a
Gaulish
Gaulish was an ancient Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium ...
formation, *''Turikon'', though vowel quantities and accentuation have been a matter of debate:
Stress
Stress may refer to:
Science and medicine
* Stress (biology), an organism's response to a stressor such as an environmental condition
* Stress (linguistics), relative emphasis or prominence given to a syllable in a word, or to a word in a phrase ...
on the second syllable in
Rumantsch ''Turitg'', ''Turi'', as well as in the partially reshaped
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
form ''Zurigo'', have been taken as evidence establishing originally long ''-ī-'', that would have drawn the accent to the
penult
Penult is a linguistics term for the second to last syllable of a word. It is an abbreviation of ''penultimate'', which describes the next-to-last item in a series. The penult follows the antepenult and precedes the ultima. For example, the main ...
in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
pronunciation; the constituting elements of the
toponym
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
have been identified as a
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
personal name
A personal name, or full name, in onomastic terminology also known as prosoponym (from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον / ''prósōpon'' - person, and ὄνομα / ''onoma'' - name), is the set of names by which an individual person is known ...
''Tūros'' and a
suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carry ...
''-īko-'' forming relational adjectives. This analysis has been contested by arguing that the spelling ''Turegum'', widely attested in documents from the 9th century onward, seems to reflect
lenition
In linguistics, lenition is a sound change that alters consonants, making them more sonority hierarchy, sonorous. The word ''lenition'' itself means "softening" or "weakening" (from Latin 'weak'). Lenition can happen both synchronic analysis, s ...
of the intervocalic
stop consonant
In phonetics, a plosive, also known as an occlusive or simply a stop, is a pulmonic consonant in which the vocal tract is blocked so that all airflow ceases.
The occlusion may be made with the tongue tip or blade (, ), tongue body (, ), lips ...
, as well as lowering of short Latin ''ĭ'' to ''ĕ'', both common to most
Western Romance languages
Western Romance languages are one of the two subdivisions of a proposed subdivision of the Romance languages based on the La Spezia–Rimini Line. They include the Gallo-Romance and Iberian Romance branches. Gallo-Italic may also be included. ...
, and that numerous other place names of Celtic origin, as
Autricum
Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as defi ...
,
Avaricum
Avaricum was an ''oppidum'' in ancient Gaul, near what is now the city of Bourges. Avaricum, situated in the lands of the Bituriges Cubi, was the largest and best-fortified town within their territory, situated on very fertile lands. The terrai ...
or
Aventicum
Aventicum was the largest town and capital of Roman Switzerland (Helvetia or Civitas Helvetiorum). Its remains are beside the modern town of Avenches.
The city was probably created ''ex nihilo'' in the early 1st century AD, as the capital of t ...
, are undoubtedly formed with a suffix ''-ĭko-'', and are usually derived from a
hydronym
A hydronym (from el, ὕδρω, , "water" and , , "name") is a type of toponym that designates a proper name of a body of water. Hydronyms include the proper names of rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, swamps and marshes, seas and oceans. As a ...
; thus the basis of ''Turicum'' supposedly being ''Turos'' or ''Tura'', should rather be an ancient name of one of the watercourses around Lindenhof hill, either a distributary of the
Sihl
The Sihl is a Swiss river that rises near the Druesberg mountain in the canton of Schwyz, and eventually flows into the Limmat in the centre of the city of Zürich. It has a length of , including the Sihlsee reservoir, through which the river flow ...
river, or possibly the
Limmat
The Limmat is a river in Switzerland. The river commences at the outfall of Lake Zurich, in the southern part of the city of Zurich. From Zurich it flows in a northwesterly direction, after 35 km reaching the river Aare. The confluenc ...
river. The Rumantsch and Italian forms may likely have been taken from medieval written records, with the accent determined by analogy within the borrowing languages, e. g. ''Turitg'' after ''amitg'', ‘friend’, which bears its stress on the second syllable, too.
[Manfred Niemeyer (ed.), ''Deutsches Ortsnamenbuch'', Berlin/Boston 2012, p. 719.] The diverging evolution of several place names of Gaulish origin, as ''
Bourges
Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry.
History
The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...
'' < ''Bitúriges'', ''
Berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...
'' < ''Bituríges''; ''
Condes'' < ''Cóndate'', ''
Condé'' < ''Condáte'', suggests that shifting accent and unsettled vowel quantity may not have been exceptional.
[Pierre-Yves Lambert, ''La langue Gauloise. Description linguistique, commentaire d’inscriptions choisies'', Paris 1994, p. 46.]
Prehistory and Celtic Oppidum Lindenhof
On the then swamp area between Limmat and
Lake Zurich
__NOTOC__
Lake Zurich ( Swiss German/Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...
around the present
Sechseläutenplatz plaza, there were
Neolithic pile dwellings which were set on piles to protect its inhabitants against occasional flooding by the rivers
Sihl
The Sihl is a Swiss river that rises near the Druesberg mountain in the canton of Schwyz, and eventually flows into the Limmat in the centre of the city of Zürich. It has a length of , including the Sihlsee reservoir, through which the river flow ...
,
Linth
The Linth (pronounced "lint") is a Swiss river that rises near the village of Linthal in the mountains of the canton of Glarus, and eventually flows into the Obersee section of Lake Zurich. It is about in length.
The water power of the Linth ...
and
Jona
Jona may refer to:
* Jona, Switzerland, a village of the municipality Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland
* Jona (river), in the cantons of Zürich and St. Gallen in Switzerland
* Jona (album), ''Jona'' (album), an album by Jona Viray
People with the giv ...
.
Three settlements were located in
Enge, a locality of the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of Zürich:
Zürich–Enge Alpenquai
Zürich–Enge Alpenquai is one of the 111 serial sites of the World Heritage Site, UNESCO World Heritage Site ''Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps'', of which 56 are located in Switzerland.
Geography
Located on the then-swampland betw ...
and
Kleiner Hafner
Kleiner Hafner is one of the 111 serial sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ''Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps'', of which are 56 located in Switzerland.
Geography
Kleiner Hafner was located on the then swamp land between the ri ...
on then islands or peninsulas on the effluence of the Limmat, and
Grosser Hafner
Grossner Hafner is one of the 111 serial sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ''Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps'', of which are 56 located in Switzerland.
Geography
Grosser Hafner was located on the then swamp area between the L ...
,
[Beat Eberschweiler: ''Schädelreste, Kopeken und Radar: Vielfältige Aufgaben für die Zürcher Tauchequipe IV''. In: NAU 8/2001. Amt für Städtebau der Stadt Zürich, Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Unterwasserarchäologie / Labor für Dendrochronologie. Zürich 2001.] as well as the settlement ''
Kleiner Hafner
Kleiner Hafner is one of the 111 serial sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ''Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps'', of which are 56 located in Switzerland.
Geography
Kleiner Hafner was located on the then swamp land between the ri ...
''
near the present
Sechseläutenplatz plaza on the effluence of the Limmat on Lake Zurich lake shore, all within an area of about some away of the core of the Celtic ''Oppidum'' respectively the Roman era ''Vicus''.
Probably in the first 1st century BC or even much earlier, the Celts settled on and around the Lindenhof hill. For the 1st century BC
La Tène culture
The La Tène culture (; ) was a European Iron Age culture. It developed and flourished during the late Iron Age (from about 450 BC to the Roman conquest in the 1st century BC), succeeding the early Iron Age Hallstatt culture without any defini ...
, archaeologists excavated individual and aerial finds of the Celtic ''
Oppidum
An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...
'' whose remains were discovered in archaeological campaigns in the years 1989, 1997, 2004 and 2007,
and also the 1900s and 1930s finds which mistakenly were identified as Roman objects.
Extraordinary are the single finds of 1890 at the
Prehistoric pile dwelling settlement ''
Alpenquai'' – the so-called ''
Potin
Potin (also known as billon) is a base metal silver-like alloy used in coins. It is typically a mixture of copper, tin and lead (in varying proportions) and it is debated whether any actual silver needs to be present. While the term ''billon'' is ...
lumps'' whose largest weights consist of about 18,000 of used Celtic coins which date to around 100 BC. Initially prejudged just as ''melt coins'', the present scientific research assumes that the melting down of the lump was not completed, therefore the aim was to form cultic offerings. The site of the find was at that time around from the present
Bürkliplatz plaza in the Lake Zurich.
''
Grosser Hafner
Grossner Hafner is one of the 111 serial sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Site ''Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps'', of which are 56 located in Switzerland.
Geography
Grosser Hafner was located on the then swamp area between the L ...
'' was also an island sanctuary of the Helvetii in connection with the settlement at the preceding Oppidi Uetliberg and Lindenhof.
Geography and area of the Roman settlement
![Lindenhof - Schipfe - Limmatquai 2015-02-26 12-40-38](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Lindenhof_-_Schipfe_-_Limmatquai_2015-02-26_12-40-38.JPG)
The core of the Helvetii and Roman settlement was the
Lindenhof hill
The Lindenhof (lit.: ''courtyard of the lime'') is a moraine hill and a public square in the historic center of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the site of the Roman and Carolingian era Kaiserpfalz around which the city has historically grown. The ...
amidst the present ''Altstadt'' of the modern city of Zürich. The
moraine
A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...
hill was the site of the prehistorian settlements were the modern city historically has grown. The hilltop area dominates the city of Zürich alongside the eastern
Limmat
The Limmat is a river in Switzerland. The river commences at the outfall of Lake Zurich, in the southern part of the city of Zurich. From Zurich it flows in a northwesterly direction, after 35 km reaching the river Aare. The confluenc ...
riverbank, and its northern slope called ''
Sihlbühl
The Lindenhof (lit.: ''courtyard of the lime'') is a moraine hill and a public square in the historic center of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the site of the Roman and Carolingian era Kaiserpfalz around which the city has historically grown. The ...
'' towards the former
Sihl
The Sihl is a Swiss river that rises near the Druesberg mountain in the canton of Schwyz, and eventually flows into the Limmat in the centre of the city of Zürich. It has a length of , including the Sihlsee reservoir, through which the river flow ...
delta marked the northern boundary of the Helvetii and Roman settlement – where the structures of the medieval
Oetenbach Nunnery Oetenbach was a Dominican nunnery in the medieval municipality of Zürich in Switzerland. Oetenbach was named after the small stream of the same name at its first location at Zürichhorn, situated outside of the European Middle Ages town walls, bu ...
,
Waisenhaus Zürich
Waisenhaus (also Amthaus I) is the last remaining building of the Oetenbach nunnery, and houses today the police department of the city of Zürich in Switzerland.
Location
The ''Waisenhaus'' building is situated at ''Bahnhofquai 3'' towards Ba ...
and later the
Urania Sternwarte
Urania Sternwarte is a public observatory in the Lindenhof quarter of Zürich, Switzerland. Its name ''Urania'' refers to the muse of astronomy in Greek mythology.
History
Its origins base on a first observatory on the roof of the Zunfthaus ...
were erected at the present ''Uraniastrasse'', and therefore important historical archaeological excavations never were done. To the south, at the
St. Peter church hill, there was another cultic construction towards
Münsterhof
Münsterhof (literally: Fraumünster abbey courtyard) is a town square situated in the Lindenhof quarter in the historical center of Zürich, Switzerland. Münsterhof is the largest town square within the ''Altstadt'' (old town) of Zürich, and i ...
, and in the west the settlement was bounded by the present
Rennweg–Bahnhofstrasse lanes and the
Münzplatz
''Augustinergasse'' is a medieval lane that today is part of the innercity pedestrian zone of Zürich, Switzerland. It is named after the former Augustinian Abbey that is now Augustinerkirche, the former church of the convent that was disestabl ...
plaza.
The largely flattened Lindenhof area elevates at above sea level, and rises about above the level of the Limmat at the
Schipfe Schipfe is a residential district in Zürich, Switzerland, located on the eastern slope of the Lindenhof, one of the oldest parts of the Helvetii Oppidum Zürich-Lindenhof, by the river Limmat. Historians and the '' Weinplatz'' suggest that the ...
–
Limmatquai
''Limmatquai'' is a street in the Swiss city of Zürich. It is named after the Limmat, and it follows the right-hand (eastern) bank of that river for about through the '' Altstadt'', or historical core, of the city. The street was once important ...
area in the west; probably some Roman buildings were built at the site of the
Zunfthaus zur Zimmerleuten on the other riverbank, and the Roman settlement may stretched towards the present
Münsterbrücke which is crossing the Limmat between
Grossmünster
The Grossmünster (; "great minster") is a Romanesque-style Protestant church in Zürich, Switzerland. It is one of the four major churches in the city (the others being the Fraumünster, Predigerkirche and St. Peterskirche). Its congregation f ...
(remains of graves) and
Wasserkirche
The ''Wasserkirche'' ("Water Church") of Zürich, first mentioned as ''ecclesia Aquatica Turicensi'' around 1250 and as ''wazzirkilcha'' in 1256, is a church built on a small island in the Limmat, situated between the two main churches of medi ...
, and the Münsterhof plaza.
Roman Vicus
Founding
The earliest record of the town's name is preserved on the 2nd-century tombstone found in 1747 AD on the Lindenhof hill, referring to the Roman ''
Vicus
In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus r ...
'' as "STA(tio) TUR(i)CEN(sis)" as customs station for goods going to and coming from Italy at the same location as the Celtic ''Oppidum''. The ''Vicus'' was founded probably around 15 BC, but there are no written sources. The Roman settlement first belonged to the province of ''
Gallia Belgica
Gallia Belgica ("Belgic Gaul") was a province of the Roman Empire located in the north-eastern part of Roman Gaul, in what is today primarily northern France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, along with parts of the Netherlands and Germany.
In 50 BC, af ...
'', and to ''
Germania Superior'' from AD 90. Roman Turicum was not fortified in the beginning, but there was a small garrison at the tax-collecting point, downstream of the lake respectively Limmat nearby the
Münsterhof
Münsterhof (literally: Fraumünster abbey courtyard) is a town square situated in the Lindenhof quarter in the historical center of Zürich, Switzerland. Münsterhof is the largest town square within the ''Altstadt'' (old town) of Zürich, and i ...
plaza where the goods were loaded between small river boats (Limmat) and larger ships (Lake Zurich) for the transport on the water route.
1st to late 4th century
Commercial and residential buildings were erected in the vicinity of the Lindenhof hill, in later times, ''villae rusticae'' were established in the present suburban districts. At the present
Zunfthaus zur Zimmerleuten at
Limmatquai
''Limmatquai'' is a street in the Swiss city of Zürich. It is named after the Limmat, and it follows the right-hand (eastern) bank of that river for about through the '' Altstadt'', or historical core, of the city. The street was once important ...
opposite of the Lindenhof hill, the area was stabilized with embankments; some of these mounds date back to the Roman settlement era.
Due to its location on Lake Zurich lake shore at the effluence of the Limmat, where the goods had to be reloaded onto riverboats, and although Turicum was not situated alongside an important Roman main road, however, the water route was essential for the Roman army in the present Western and Northeastern Switzerland. Not yet archaeologically proven but suggested by the historians, the very first construction of the present
Münsterbrücke Limmat crossing was built in the Roman era, when the present
Weinplatz square was the former civilian harbour of the Celtic-Roman ''Turicum'', and so the term ''Weinplatz'' (literally ''wine plaza'') has an ancient meaning.
As a ''Vicus'', Turicum was not secured by town walls, but the buildings grouped around the customs station (''Quadragesima Galliarum'') where the clearance of goods and travelers prior to transfer between the provinces of ''Gallia Belgica'' and ''
Raetia
Raetia ( ; ; also spelled Rhaetia) was a province of the Roman Empire, named after the Rhaetian people. It bordered on the west with the country of the Helvetii, on the east with Noricum, on the north with Vindelicia, on the south-west with T ...
'' took place, mainly on the water route (from and to the Roman heartland over the mountain passes of the Swiss Alps)
Walensee
The Walensee, also known as ''Lake Walen'' or ''Lake Walenstadt'' from Walenstadt, is one of the larger lakes in Switzerland, with about two thirds of its area in the Canton of St. Gallen and about one third in the Canton of Glarus. Other towns an ...
-
Obersee-Zürichsee passing ''
Centum Prata
Centum Prata is the name of a Roman ''vicus'', whose remains are located on the eastern Zürichsee lakeshore in Kempraten, a locality of the municipality Rapperswil-Jona in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Centum Prata is the most importa ...
'' (Kempraten) towards the Limmat, Aare and Rhine. Goods and travelers, probably also towards ''
Vitudurum
Vitudurum (sometimes Vitodorum) is the name of a Roman ''vicus'', those remains are located in Oberwinterthur, a locality of the municipality of Winterthur in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
Geography
The majority of the remains of com ...
'' (Winterthur), were handled at the ''Vicus'' before crossing the Roman provinces of ''Gallia Belgica'' and ''Germania Superior'', and transferred on the Roman road between ''
Vindonissa
Vindonissa (from a Gaulish toponym in *''windo-'' "white") was a Roman legion camp, vicus and later a bishop's seat at modern Windisch, Switzerland. The remains of the camp are listed as a heritage site of national significance. The city of B ...
'' (Windisch) probably via
Irgenhausen Castrum
Irgenhausen Castrum is a Roman fort at Irgenhausen, situated on Pfäffikersee lake shore in Switzerland. It was a square fort, measuring in square, with four corner towers and three additional towers. The remains of a stone wall in the interior ...
and ''Curia Raetorum'' (Chur). In Turicum a duty of 2.5% (''
Quadragesima Galliarum'') was levied.
In 70/75 AD a harbor district rose on the newly acquired lands on the Limmat riverbank at the foot of Lindenhof (
Schipfe Schipfe is a residential district in Zürich, Switzerland, located on the eastern slope of the Lindenhof, one of the oldest parts of the Helvetii Oppidum Zürich-Lindenhof, by the river Limmat. Historians and the '' Weinplatz'' suggest that the ...
–
Weinplatz), and the settlement area was extended on the right bank of the Limmat at the present
Limmatquai
''Limmatquai'' is a street in the Swiss city of Zürich. It is named after the Limmat, and it follows the right-hand (eastern) bank of that river for about through the '' Altstadt'', or historical core, of the city. The street was once important ...
. Public buildings made of stone and paved roads were built.
In addition to the fire bed tombs from the 1st century AD at
Münsterhof
Münsterhof (literally: Fraumünster abbey courtyard) is a town square situated in the Lindenhof quarter in the historical center of Zürich, Switzerland. Münsterhof is the largest town square within the ''Altstadt'' (old town) of Zürich, and i ...
(''Poststrasse''), west of the Fraumünster church, also a round pit from the 2nd/3rd century was discovered, with numerous shards mainly of drinking cups and bowls, northeast of the church.
At the site of the present Weinplatz towards
St. Peterhofstatt the remains of remarkable 2nd to 4th century AD ''
Thermae
In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large Roman Empire, imperial public bath, bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed i ...
'' were excavated.
Christianity may have been introduced in the 3rd century by
Felix and Regula
Felix and Regula are Coptic Orthodox and Roman Catholic saints, together with their servant Exuperantius, and are the patron saints of Zürich, their feast day being 11 September in the Gregorian calendar, celebrated on the same day using th ...
, with whom Exuperantius was associated – according to the Christian legend, Felix and Regula and their servant were executed at the location of the
Wasserkirche
The ''Wasserkirche'' ("Water Church") of Zürich, first mentioned as ''ecclesia Aquatica Turicensi'' around 1250 and as ''wazzirkilcha'' in 1256, is a church built on a small island in the Limmat, situated between the two main churches of medi ...
in 286. Using the advantage of topography, the
Roman military
The military of ancient Rome, according to Titus Livius, one of the more illustrious historians of Rome over the centuries, was a key element in the rise of Rome over "above seven hundred years" from a small settlement in Latium to the capital o ...
built a citadel on top of the Lindenhof hill in the years of the Roman emperor
Valentinian I
Valentinian I ( la, Valentinianus; 32117 November 375), sometimes called Valentinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 364 to 375. Upon becoming emperor, he made his brother Valens his co-emperor, giving him rule of the eastern provinces. Vale ...
(364–375), to defend against migrations from the North by the
Alamanni
The Alemanni or Alamanni, were a confederation of Germanic tribes
*
*
*
on the Upper Rhine River. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Caracalla of 213, the Alemanni captured the in 260, and later expanded into pres ...
. 4500 m
2 large, it was fitted with 10 towers and two meter wide walls. South of the Lindenhof ''Castrum'', at the location of the
St. Peter church, there was a temple to
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...
.
Grosser Hafner island sanctuary
An island sanctuary of the Helvetii in connection with settlement the preceding Oppidi Lindenhof and the 1st century BC settlement at the Lindenhof hill may have probably go back to the
La Tène culture
The La Tène culture (; ) was a European Iron Age culture. It developed and flourished during the late Iron Age (from about 450 BC to the Roman conquest in the 1st century BC), succeeding the early Iron Age Hallstatt culture without any defini ...
. During the reign of Emperor Hadrian, a round wooden temple as an island sanctuary was built on the ''Grosser Hafner'' island, which allows a dendrochronological dating. The building was erected in 122 AD, and consisted of oak piles driven deep into the lake bottom. It was surrounded probably with walls made of perishable materials, which formed a circle of seven meters in diameter. The rotunda is located on the former Neolithic island settlement, about away from the Roman ''Vicus''. The archaeological material indicates that the facility was used up in the 3rd century AD, even up in the 4th century AD by the Gallo-Roman population. On the one hand, the interpretation as the temple is based on the insularity and the design, on the other hand on finds of coins; the majority of the now nearly 90 coins probably are from a so far not proven predecessor building, probably from the third quarter of the 1st century AD. There are also the fragments of bar tiles of maybe another Roman building. On occasion of diving operations from 1998 to 2001 almost of tile fragments are ensured, and up to 40 coins and several pottery shards, as well as rectangular post hole.
Gallo-Roman era
The
Alamanni
The Alemanni or Alamanni, were a confederation of Germanic tribes
*
*
*
on the Upper Rhine River. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Caracalla of 213, the Alemanni captured the in 260, and later expanded into pres ...
settled in probably from the 5th century when the Roman military retreated back to Italy, but the Roman castle persisted into the 7th century and was reinforced by the Ottonian dynasty, but broken around 1218 AD. To date, few archaeological remains of the Roman Zürich could be excavated systematically because the remains of the settlement are hidden under the densely built-up core of the modern city of Zürich. Archaeologically excavated are the remains of public baths (Thermengasse), graves and traces of craft enterprises, residential buildings, as well as everyday objects and jewelry, but also of cult equipment.
Archaeological exploration
Archaeological excavations usually were executed on occasion of renewals of present buildings at Rennweg 5/7 (settlement structures), Fortunagasse 28/Rennweg 38 and Oetenbachgasse 5–9 (Celtic trench and settlement structures),
Münzplatz
''Augustinergasse'' is a medieval lane that today is part of the innercity pedestrian zone of Zürich, Switzerland. It is named after the former Augustinian Abbey that is now Augustinerkirche, the former church of the convent that was disestabl ...
(settlement structures), Lindenhof hill (Celtic, Roman and medieval settlement structures), Rennweg 35 (Celtic spot plates (''Tüpfelplatten'') and settlement structures), the Limmat (bars) and Bürkliplatz-Bahnhofstrasse (Celtic Potin coins), all representing the Helvetii and early Roman settlement.
Focussed on the Gallo-Roman era, archaeological explorations were executed at Weinplatz 3/4/5 and Storchengasse 23 (harbour area and thermae), Storchengasse 13 (cultic building) and neighbored Fortunagasse 28/Rennweg 38 (maybe a hostel) and gold jewellery at the Sihlbühl area, Poststrasse/Zentralhof at Münsterhof (probably early medieval graves), and the island sanctuary (''Rundtempel'') on the former ''Grosser Hafner'' island.
Some of the finds are shown ''in situ'' at the ''Thermengasse'' lane (
Weinplatz towards
St. Peterhofstatt), and in the so-called ''Lindenhofkeller'' on the Lindenhof hill where the Celtii, Gallo-Roman and Carolinum walls are shown and explained by information boards by personal demand at ''Baugeschichtliches Archiv der Stadt Zürich'' opposite of the
Grimmenturm
Grimmenturm is a medieval tower and restaurant situated at Neumarkt in Zürich, Switzerland.
Location
The ''Grimmenturm'' building is situated at Neumarkt (Spiegelgasse 31, 8001 Zürich) in the ''Altstadt'' of Zürich on the right shore of the ...
respectively
Theater Neumarkt buildings (
Neumarkt).
Protection
![Lindenhof-Keller - Die Ausgrabungen der Jahre 1937-1938 von Emil Vogt auf dem Lindenhof 2013-04-03 15-33-01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Lindenhof-Keller_-_Die_Ausgrabungen_der_Jahre_1937-1938_von_Emil_Vogt_auf_dem_Lindenhof_2013-04-03_15-33-01.JPG)
The hillside area of the
Lindenhof hill
The Lindenhof (lit.: ''courtyard of the lime'') is a moraine hill and a public square in the historic center of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the site of the Roman and Carolingian era Kaiserpfalz around which the city has historically grown. The ...
is listed as in the
– including the remains of its prehistoric, Roman and medieval settlements respectively structures – as a ''Class A'' object of national importance.
Hence, the area is provided as a historical site under federal protection, within the meaning of the Swiss Federal Act on the nature and cultural heritage (German: Bundesgesetz über den Natur- und Heimatschutz NHG) of 1 July 1966. Unauthorised researching and purposeful gathering of findings represent a criminal offence according to Art. 24.
See also
*
Prehistoric pile dwellings around Lake Zurich
Prehistoric pile dwellings around Lake Zurich comprises 11 – or 10% of all European pile dwelling sites – of a total of 56 prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps in Switzerland, that are located around Lake Zurich in the cantons ...
*
Lindenhof hill
The Lindenhof (lit.: ''courtyard of the lime'') is a moraine hill and a public square in the historic center of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the site of the Roman and Carolingian era Kaiserpfalz around which the city has historically grown. The ...
*
Oppidum Zürich-Lindenhof
Lindenhof is the present name of the large fortified settlement, or oppidum, likely founded by the Helvetii on the Lindenhof hill on the western shore of the Limmat in Zürich, Switzerland.
Geography
The Lindenhof is a moraine hill that sin ...
References
Sources
* Margrit Balmer: Zürich in der Spätlatène- und frühen Kaiserzeit. Vom keltischen Oppidum zum römischen Vicus Turicum. In: Monographien der Kantonsarchäologie Zürich 39, Hochbaudepartement/Amt für Städtebau/Stadtarchäologie (Hrsg.), Fotorotar-Verlag, Zürich und Egg 2009, .
* Peter J. Suter, Helmut Schlichtherle et al.: ''Pfahlbauten – Palafittes – Palafitte''. Palafittes, Biel 2009, .
*
Dölf Wild
Dölf Wild (born 1954) is a Swiss historian, archaeologist and science writer, and works as the chief archaeologist of the city of Zürich. He is best known for his research into the building industry of medieval Zürich and for his contribution ...
et al.: ''Stadtmauern. Ein neues Bild der Stadtbefestigung Zürich. Schrift zur Ausstellung im Haus zum Rech, Zürich 6. Februar bis 30. April 2004''. In: Stadtgeschichte und Städtebau in Zürich. Schriften zur Archäologie, Denkmalpflege und Stadtplanung. Volume 5. Werd-Verlag, Zürich 2004, .
* Beat Eberschweiler: ''Ur- und frühgeschichtliche Verkehrswege über den Zürichsee: Erste Ergebnisse aus den Taucharchäologischen Untersuchungen beim Seedamm''. In: Mitteilungen des Historischen Vereins des Kantons Schwyz, Volume 96, Schwyz 2004.
* Margrit Balmer,
Stefanie Martin-Kilcher,
Dölf Wild
Dölf Wild (born 1954) is a Swiss historian, archaeologist and science writer, and works as the chief archaeologist of the city of Zürich. He is best known for his research into the building industry of medieval Zürich and for his contribution ...
: ''Kelten in Zürich. Der Ursprung der Stadt in neuem Licht - Stadtgeschichte und Städtebau in Zürich''. In: Schriften zu Archäologie, Denkmalpflege und Stadtplanung, Voluma 2. Published by Amt für Städtebau der Stadt Zürich, Zürich 2001, .* Jürg E. Schneider, Walter Ulrich Guyan, Andreas Zürcher: ''Turicum,
Vitudurum
Vitudurum (sometimes Vitodorum) is the name of a Roman ''vicus'', those remains are located in Oberwinterthur, a locality of the municipality of Winterthur in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.
Geography
The majority of the remains of com ...
, Iuliomagus = Zürich, Winterthur und Schleitheim: drei römische Siedlungen in der Ostschweiz''. Ergänzte Sonderauflage, Werd-Verlag, Zürich 1988, .
*
Staatsarchiv des Kantons Zürich: ''Kleine Zürcher Verfassungsgeschichte 1218–2000''. Herausgegeben im Auftrag der Direktion der Justiz und des Innern auf den Tag der Konstituierung des Zürcher Verfassungsrates am 13. September 2000. Chronos, Zürich 2000, .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turicum (Zurich)
History of Zürich
Archaeological sites in Switzerland
Roman towns and cities in Switzerland
Cultural property of national significance in the canton of Zürich
15 BC establishments