SANTICUM
(Villach) Carinthia, Austria.
An important junction of the road Aquileia, Santicum,
Virunum, Ovilava and the road Santicum, Teurnia,
Iuvavum, located at a favorable crossing over the Drau.
It is mentioned by Ptolemy (
Geog. 2.13.3) as among
the poleis of Noricum, and is also found in the
Antonine
Itinerary (276.4).
The extensive settlement area has three centers: 1)
building fragments in the old quarter near the Stadtpfarrkirche; 2) the hill of St. Martin's Church where
numerous building fragments and reliefs were found, indicating a temple and large sepulchers; 3) the area of
Warmbad Villach where a temple existed for the indigenous goddess Vibes, a fortified refuge from Late
Classical times, and a villa to which an Early Christian
cemetery chapel had been added. Here a long stretch
of the remarkable Roman road can be observed; its tracks
hewn into the rock are excellently preserved. The
main necropolis was situated at the N bank of the Drau.
Here was found a considerable coin hoard (162 aurei
and 4 denarii), which had been buried about A.D. 197.
Most finds are in the Museum of Villach, some in
the Museum der Kuranstalt of Warmbad Villach.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
H. Dolenz, “Altstrassen und Altsiedlungen im Stadtgebiet von Villach,”
Carinthia 148 (1958)
235ff.
R. NOLL
