Roman Wells Unearthed in Hungary

ZALASZENTGRÓT, HUNGARY—Roman-era wells that may have been part of the ancient settlement of Maestriana have been unearthed in western Hungary, according to a Daily News Hungary report. The excavation was conducted by a team of researchers from Göcseji Museum ahead of a scheduled construction project. Little remains of the ancient settlement, which was occupied between the first and fourth centuries A.D. “Our most important find consists of three Roman wells from the second century, all located within a single excavation unit,” said archaeologist Lívia Simmer. “The internal wooden framework of two wells has survived,” she added. Pottery likely imported from Gaul, and other imported objects, were recovered from the wells, and are evidence of the Maestriana’s trade networks, Simmer explained. Historic sources indicate that the settlement was situated on the road connecting Savaria (modern Szombathely, to the northwest) with Fenékpuszta, a settlement near Lake Balaton, to the east. The wells were filled in in antiquity, Simmer concluded.