A 2,000 year old and at least 500 square metre Roman building

Something like this is rare: A Roman building has been found in the Äbnetwald wood. It’is another piece of the puzzle that aims to explain what role the Romans used to play in the canton of Zug.

A large, white tent has been erected right next to the Äbnetwald wood in Cham, wooden planks have been laid out inside, and a few people in bright orange vests are kneeling over the dry, churned-up earth. With buckets, shovels and delicate tools, they are at work, lifting material out of the ground and using colourful slips of paper to mark where coins, pottery shards and even fragments of amphorae were found.

The objects are part of a find of the century: In the middle of the Cham landscape, experts from the Office for the Preservation of Monuments (Amt für Denkmalpflege) have uncovered the remains of a 2000-year-old Roman wall. “A wall of this dimension was last found around 100 years ago in Heiligkreuz near Cham. That's why one can actually speak of a find of the century," says Gishan Schaeren, head of the Zug department of prehistoric and early historical archaeology (Abteilung ur- und frühgeschichtliche Archäologie). Puzzle pieces like these would allow us to get a little closer to the life of our ancestors, agrees Karin Artho, head of the Office for the Preservation of Monuments and Archaeology.

Not only the age is impressive, but also the size. In total, the walls frame at least 500 square metres and are part of a complex with several rooms. And this is also clearly visible, says excavation manager David Jecker and points to the various pieces of wall. What exactly stood at this place is still unclear. A villa or a temple perhaps? Further excavations will tell. It is also not clear how big the building was. According toDavid Jecker, it could also be twice as large as currently estimated.

The work is in full swing: a large Roman building has been found right next to the Äbnetwald wood
Melina Kuchli helps with the excavations.
The walls clearly show the division of space.
Excavation manager David Jecker and his deputy Kathrin Rüedi plan the excavations.
Numerous potsherds were found during the excavations.
Remnants of paint can be found on these stones.
Visible here is part of the handle of a Roman amphora, which indicates commercial activity.
The excavations take place in the large tent, to the left of which the gravel quarry can be seen.
Gravel mining and archaeology go hand in hand                                 Photos: Stefan Kaiser

Ceramics, glass and gold fragments
Between the walls, experts came across not only everyday objects but also more exclusive objects from Roman times. Some of them haver been put together in a small box on this hot summer day. Large and small fragments of ceramic or glass lie side by side. "Objects like this allow conclusions to be drawn about what life in Roman times was like," says the deputy head of the excavation, Kathrin Rüedi.

A highlight for the specialists: some of the stones seem to have been painted. This is an indication of painted walls - probably inside the building. These painted pieces are currently being restored in the laboratory. As in many areas, those responsible still need patience here until it is certain what they have discovered.

The finds also include Roman tableware, so-called terra sigillata, and artistically made glass vessels. Fragments of amphorae, in which, among other things, wine, olive oil and fish sauce made their way from the Mediterranean region to the Äbnetwald near Cham, bear witness to the extensive trade in Roman times. Experts are enthusiastic about it, after all such objects testify that trade could have taken place here.

Large numbers of iron nails indicate a wooden construction on the existing wall foundation, while another extraordinary find is a gold fragment that probably originally belonged to a piece of jewellery.

The experts came across the wall because they had been investigating the area where gravel has been quarried for some time. The large-scale gravel quarrying of Risi AG in Äbnetwald has been systematically accompanied by rescue excavations by the Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology since the 1990s, writes the Directorate of the Interior in a press release.

With a head start of around a year, the archaeologists are examining the top layers of the gravel mound before it is removed. Thanks to this cooperation, numerous findings have been documented and valuable finds have been saved in recent years, says Karin Artho.

Video: Tele1
https://www.luzernerzeitung.ch/zentralschweiz/zug/jahrhundertfund-im-chamer-wald-ld.2496672

Anyone who want to view the excavations themselves has the opportunity to do so. The site can be visited on the day of open excavations, Saturday, September 2, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the Äbnetwald wood near Oberwil (Cham).