New data on the settlement history of the so-called villa, a Roman period building, at Testvérhegy

Abstract

Testvérhegy and its surroundings have been densely inhabited since prehistoric times; therefore, the history of the area is interesting for research for several aspects. A settlement structure unique in Pannonia emerged there, consisting of rural settlements and villa estates which mutually supported each other. The centre of the area, and the site inhabited probably for the longest time, is the villa at Testvérhegy. Although first excavated in 1934, further research did not take place there until the mid-2000s, when housing development projects gave a second wind to the study of the area. This paper aims to examine the relations between the two larger, seemingly separate units of the site: Complex A and Complex B. Understanding this relationship further nuances the periodisation and extent of the settlement and its relationship with the surrounding buildings, thereby enriching our knowledge of the north-western ‘suburb’ of Aquincum