en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turicum
3 corrections found
4500 m2 large, it was fitted with 10 towers
A current City of Zürich reconstruction gives different fort dimensions: about 5,000 m² with seven towers, not 4,500 m² and ten towers.
Full reasoning
This description conflicts with the City of Zürich’s more recent archaeological reconstruction of the late Roman fort on the Lindenhof. A 2024 city publication states that the fort was built around AD 300, that its wall enclosed 5000 m², and that it had two gates and seven towers.
That directly contradicts the claim here that the fort was 4500 m² and had 10 towers. The city’s own current summary therefore does not support these figures.
2 sources
- Zürich 1218 – Ein Kastell aus der Römerzeit | Stadt Zürich
Das Kastell wurde um 300 n. Chr. erbaut. Die Mauer umschließt die Kuppe des Lindenhofhügels auf einer Fläche von 5000 m². Sie weist zwei Tore und sieben Türme auf.
- A Roman fort | Stadt Zürich
A fortification or fort for the protection of the population was built around 300 AD on Lindenhof Hill.
2nd to 4th century AD Thermae
The bath complex at Thermengasse did not run from the 2nd to the 4th century: the first bath was built around AD 70, and the complex may have closed in the later 3rd century.
Full reasoning
The official Thermengasse information from the City of Zürich gives a much narrower and earlier chronology for the baths. It states that the earlier bath (Bath 1) was built around AD 70, that it was replaced after the middle of the 2nd century, and that the last change occurred in the early 3rd century. It further says the bathhouse may have closed in the later 3rd century.
So calling these the "2nd to 4th century AD Thermae" is inaccurate in both directions: the complex began earlier than the 2nd century and there is no support here for use extending into the 4th century.
2 sources
- Thermengasse: The Roman Baths in Tvricvm | Stadtarchäologie Zürich
The earlier of the two baths (Bath 1), built around AD 70, was quite small. After the middle of the 2nd century it was replaced by a significantly larger building (Bath 2a). The last change occurred in the early 3rd century (Bath 2b). It is unknown when this bathhouse closed down; it may have happened in the later 3rd century.
- Turicum II – Die mittel- und spätkaiserzeitliche Kleinstadt Zürich/Turicum | Stadt Zürich
Um 70/75 n.Chr. entstand auf dem neu gewonnenen Baugrund an der Limmat am Fusse des Lindenhofes ein eigentliches Hafenquartier ... «Hafenquartier» mit öffentlichem Bad und Kultbau. Am linken Limmatufer, südöstlich des Lindenhofs, befand sich ein weiterer öffentlicher Bau: Im 2. Jh. stand hier ein geräumiges öffentliches Bad ...
although Turicum was not situated alongside an important Roman main road
Official Zürich archaeology describes Turicum as being connected to an important north–south route and several long-distance roads, not as off the main road network.
Full reasoning
The City of Zürich’s current archaeology material contradicts this. It describes Turicum as being connected to an important north–south traffic axis and, in its 2025 reconstruction based on over 200 documented findspots, as lying at the junction of several long-distance roads.
That does not fit the claim that Turicum was not situated alongside an important Roman main road. The city’s own up-to-date reconstruction presents road access as one of the key reasons the site was ideal for customs control, transshipment, and trade.
2 sources
- Turicum I - Zürich in der Spätlatène- und frühen Kaiserzeit | Stadt Zürich
Angebunden an eine wichtige Nord-Süd-Verkehrsachse, die von Italien über die Alpenpässe Richtung Norden führte, konnte man hier am Ausfluss zweier Seen als Umlad- und Etappenort von Handels- und Verkehrsströmen profitieren und diese zugleich kontrollieren.
- Eine digitale Reise durch das römische Turicum | Stadt Zürich
In der Zeit um 200 n. Chr. erreicht die kleinstädtische Ansiedlung «Turicum» ihre grösste Ausdehnung: Die Lage am Berührungspunkt von See und Limmat, sowie an mehreren Fernstrassen, ist ideal für die Kontrolle und Zollerhebung, den Umschlag und das Verladen von Handelsgütern.