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13. Leányfalu – Római őrtorony
KÖH id. nr.: 10674
Burgus Cirpi – 2
The preserved remains of the watch-tower
can be seen in the center of Leányfalu next to
Route 11 neighboring the gas station to the
north. In 1915 Bálint Kuzsinszky performed an
excavation on the interior of the watch-tower,
but his documentation has unfortunately not
survived, and we only know of stone elements
and ceramic finds from his excavation that had
been re-used for the construction of the tower.
In 1963 Sándor Soproni excavated it and
clarified its ground plan. There presumably was
a small settlement around the watch-tower,
which is suggested by the damaged ceramic
finds, and in 2007 during Katalin Ottományi’s
rescue excavation a grave was also found.
The watch-tower had a square ground plan,
about 16×16 m. Four interior pillars held up the
upper levels. The thickness of the walls
averaged 1.6 m, the entrance opened to the
south, and on the western side of this a staircase
led upwards. Traces of a wooden structure of
unknown purpose were observed on the
western and part of the northern walls. The
walls have survived to a height of 1 m. The
watch-tower was surrounded by a wall, which
enclosed a 32.5×32.5 m area, and their average
thickness was 0.7 m. We do not know of a ditch
surrounding the watch-tower.
The watch-tower was built during the time
of Valentinan I’s rule (364-375), on the basis of
bricks stamped with the symbol of Frigeridus
dux. It was abandoned in the first decades of
the 5 th century. It possibly burned down, which
can be concluded on the basis of charred
remains of grains. On the basis of its ground
plan (enclosure wall, four interior pillars) it
belongs to the group of late Roman small forts
(Őcsény-Soványtelek, Visegrád-Lepence,
Budakalász-Luppa csárda).
The ruins of the watch-tower can be freely
visited, but its exhibition as a historic
monument is limited to preserving its condition.
Boundaries of core and buffer zones:
The core zone is represented by the territory
encompassed by the watch-tower’s enclosure
wall. Although this differs from the property
38
boundaries at the southeastern corner, this may
just be an error in measurement. The buffer
zone includes the public space (park) that
surrounds the watch-tower, as well as the
property to the north of the watch-tower,
because there is the settlement.
Bibliography:
SOPRONI 1978, 63-66.
30. The entrance and the interior of the watch-tower
from the south (Photo: Ferenc Redő)
31. The watch-tower from the southeast, with the corner
of the enclosure wall in the foreground
(Photo: Ferenc Redő)
32. The ground plan of the watch-tower
(Digitalization: PTE)