A day at the Roman Town Aguntum On the last weekend in July, I
was invited by a friend (who volunteers there as part of her
archaeological studies) to visit her at the Archaeological Park
Aguntum near Lienz (Tyrol). Next to the museum, which shelters a
selection of Aguntum findings, is also a vast excavation area
where archaeologists are busy digging (one can actually watch
them at their work.) Aguntum is a mysterious place indeed,
archaeologists are baffled by several findings and haven`t found
an answer to all the questions yet... The oldest document of
Aguntum, which was the only Roman settlement in Tyrol, is a
passage from the ancient writer "Pliny the Elder". He lists
Aguntum among those settlements in Noricum that were promoted to
"Municipia" by Emperor Claudius in the middle of the 1st century
A.D. One can assume that only settlements of a certain economic
range were promoted. Aguntum's significance was due to its
geographic position close to important trade routes. As
confirmed by findings dating back