The Seat of the Roman Governor at Carnuntum (Pannonia superior)

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The authors mentioned, that both praetoria from Cologne and Aquincum are on the river banks. This statement would be important to elaborate: why was necessary such placement? what was the legal state of the praetorium in the urban environment presented in the study? Another analogy for river bank praetorium is from Apulum: the backwater of the Ampoi river (today not visible anymore, but still attested in the early Josephine maps in the 18th century) separated the municipium Septimium (canabae legionis) from the praetorium. See the map of Diaconescu 2004 in Hanson-Haynes 2004.

The study should perhaps present with more details the value of the praetorium, as space of cultural heritage: how it can be presented for the greater public (few analogies perhaps for monumental Roman buildings succesfully presented and revitalised in archaeological parks).

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you very much for the time you have invested in reviewing our article.

Your remarks on Apulum are very welcome and we are very thankful to include your recommendation (Diaconescu 2004) in our article. In addition, we have considered to add another reference to that one you suggested.

• Rusu-Bolindeţ, V., 2019. The praetorium consularis from Apulum: a symbol of official power in the province of Dacia, in: Havas, Z. (Ed.), Authenticity and Experience. Governor’s Palaces of Roman Imperial Period and the Limes. Proceedings of the International Conference, Budapest, 5.–6. November 2018, Aquincum Nostrum. Budapest History Museum, Budapest, pp. 97–120.

Concerning the legal status of the praetorium consularis in the provincial capitals, we have decided not to go into more detail, because this would lead too far away from the topic. This is primarily the domain of ancient historians and legal historians, although German, French and Romanian scholars in particular have dealt with this topic:

• 
  Vittinghoff, F., 1970. Die Entstehung von städtischen Gemeinwesen in der Nachbarschaft römischer Legionslager. Ein Vergleich Leóns mit den Entwicklungslinien im Imperium Romanum. Legio VII Gemina. Coloquio internacional, León 16 - 21 de septiembre de 1968 237–325.
• Vittinghoff, F., 1971. Die rechtliche Stellung der Canabae legionis und die Herkunftsangabe castris. Chiron. Mitteilungen der Kommission für Alte Geschichte und Epigraphik des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts 1, 299–318.
• Vittinghoff, F., 1974. Das Problem des Militärterritoriums in der vorseverischen Kaiserzeit, in: Atti Del Convegno Internazionale Sul Tema: I Diritti Locali Nelle Province Romane Con Particolare Riguardo Alle Condizioni Giuridiche Del Suolo, Accademia Nazionale Del Lincei, Problemi Attuali Di Scienza e Di Cultura. Rom, pp. 109–124.
• Piso, I., 1991. Die Inschriften vom Pfaffenberg und der Bereich der Canabae legionis. Tyche. Beiträge zur Alten Geschichte, Papyrologie und Epigraphik 6, 131–169.
• Bérard, F., 1992. Territorium legionis. Camps militaires et agglomérations civiles aux premiers siècles de l’empire. Cahiers du Centre G. Glotz. Revue d’histoire ancienne 3, 75–105.

From our point of view, there are also no new results in research here since the last two decades.

Unfortunately, the preservation strategy at Carnuntum doesn't allow further excavations on the site of the governor’s seat. Therefor the archaeological park decided to follow a virtual presentation strategy, which seems to be quite successful. see the YouTube link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5JMvmOymkg

We hope that you are well during these difficult times and remain with the best wishes and greetings from Vienna.

Reviewer 2 Report

This article highlights the results of the project developed by the Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archeology at the Carnuntum site. Through the complementary use of various survey methods, they were able to significantly expand the data available on the extension, location and relationship of various architectural elements of the site, making it possible to re-evaluate the functionality of various of those buildings.

Therefore, I consider that this paper constitutes an important contribution to the knowledge about Carnuntum as well as a good example as how can survey be an invaluable tool to plan, analyse and interpret a site. The results presented stand out for their novelty and constitute an important contribution, as they allow a thorough review of the knowledge that was had about the site. In this way, a large part of the internal structure of Carnuntum is discussed; emphasizing those cases where the survey has allowed a better interpretation of specific buildings, such as the castra singularis or the praetorium.

At a methodological level, the article stands out as a very good example of a well-developed survey, as it is the correct interrelation of the different methods used that allow obtaining the results presented. Considering the results and the characteristics of the deposit and its surroundings, this is a very useful work at a methodological level for the development of future work in other sites with similar problems. In this sense, this contribution fits perfectly with Heritage's editorial line as it shows the potential of non-invasive survey to delimit, interpret and preserve an archaeological site.

The article is well structured, with a clear and concise sentences that facilitates the reading and the presentation of evidences and results. The paper has been divided in several sections ranging from the overview of the site to previous interpretations of the site or the methodology employed. In the discussion, it has been decided to dedicate a specific section to each building, discussing the results as well as the interpretation. The figures supplied are well-chosen, as they accompany the text helping to better understand the work carried out, the results obtained and their scope and importance, as is the case in Figures 5 and 6. All of this makes this an easy-to-read article. Regarding the level of English of the authors, since I am not a native speaker, I consider that I am not qualified to judge it.

Author Response

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you very much for all the time you spent in evaluating our article. We would also like to thank you for your wonderful rating.

We hope that you are well during these difficult times and remain with the best wishes and greetings from Vienna

Mario, Christian, Alois & Wolfgang