Aventinus über die Wehranlagen der Römer -- die „Wiederentdeckung” des römischen Limes im 16. Jahrhundert.

The 16^th-century historiographer of the Bavarian dukes, Johannes Aventinus (1477-1534), was among the first scholars who investigated the landscape in search of material relics of the ancient past. He tried to identify the fortifications and towns mentioned in ancient texts. According to 16^th-century ideas on Roman architecture, he 'recognised' the remains of many ancient forts especially because of the use of heavy stone walls, constructed with rectangular blocks of rustica and the use of heavy barrel vaults. In fact, in most cases these were the remains of Romanesque castles, but the differences between Romanesque architecture and genuine Roman art were not yet defined in those days (in fact this only started in the early 19th century). In the second half of the 16th century other scholars took up Aventinus's ideas, among others Daniel Specklin from Strasbourg. The castle of Niederalfingen, built in the 1570s for Marx Fugger near Aalen, may even be interpreted as a scholarly reconstruction of such a Roman stronghold, following the criteria described by Aventinus and his contemporaries, including the archaic style of its sculptured decorations. Konrad Ottenheym: Aventinus on Roman fortifications in Southern Germany. The 'discovery' of the Roman limes in the 16th century. The 16th-century historiographer of the Bavarian dukes, Johannes Aventinus (1477-1534), was among the first scholars who investigated the landscape in search for material relics of the ancient past. He tried to identify the fortifications and towns mentioned in ancient texts. According to 16th-century ideas on Roman architecture, he 'recognised' the remains of many remains ancient castella especially because of the use of heavy stone walls, constructed with rectangular blocks of rustica and the use of heavy barrel vaults. In fact, in most cases these were the remains of romanesque castles but the differences between romanesque architecture and genuine roman art were not yet defined in those days (in fact this only started in the early 19th century). In the second half of the 16th century other scholars followed Aventinus's ideas, among others Daniel Specklin from Strasbourg. The castle of Niederalfingen, built in the 1570s for Marx Fugger near Aalen, may even be interpreted as a scholarly reconstruction of such a Roman stronghold, following the criteria as described by Aventinus and his contemporaries, including the archaic style of its sculptured decorations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]