KONTICH
Belgium.
A Gallo-Roman vicus
on the Bavai-Asse-Antwerp-Utrecht road. This road was
sectioned at Kontich in 1895 during the construction of
a railroad line. At the vicus itself stray finds of pottery
and various artifacts have often been noted. At least
five wells have been examined. Two were made of hollowed-out oak trunks; the rest had square wooden linings. The center of the vicus was located at the locality
of Kazernen, where systematic excavations have been
undertaken since 1964. An important archaeological
level has been found: refuse pits, stone foundations,
traces of wooden buildings, and finally the foundations
of a Celto-Roman sanctuary with a nearly square cella
surrounded by a peristyle (17 x 20 m). The pottery and
coins indicate that the site was occupied from the middle
of the 1st c. A.D. until the middle of the 3d c. A burning
level indicates that the vicus was ravaged at that time.
The necropolis of the vicus may have been at Blauwen
Steen, where some cinerary urns, now lost, were found
around 1761.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
M. Bauwens-Lesenne,
Bibliografische
repertorium des oudheidkundige vondsten in de provincie Antwerpen (1965) 87-91; F. Lauwers, “Kontich:
Romense vicus,”
Archeologie (1967, 2) 53-55
PI; (1969, 2) 63-64.
S. J. DE LAET
