20 Years of the House of Lucius – From Wall Ruins to a Roman Residence

Twenty years ago, a project began in Carnuntum that would permanently transform archaeological education in Austria: With the opening of the House of Lucius, the first scientifically grounded reconstruction was created that allowed visitors to experience Roman daily life on a life-size scale.

What at first glance appears to be an inhabited Roman townhouse is, in reality, the result of intensive archaeological research, careful consideration of heritage preservation, skilled craftsmanship, and experimental archaeology. The house not only represents Roman domestic life from around 1,700 years ago but also embodies a new approach to archaeological findings: from a few preserved sections of wall, excavation pits, floors, heating channels, and artifacts, a spatially immersive model of Roman life was created.

The site of the House of Lucius before excavation work began in the early 2000s and the building's reconstruction - © Land NÖ 

Unlike many other Roman cities along the Danube, Carnuntum was not permanently built over after the end of the ancient era. The ancient walls did not disappear beneath medieval and modern cities, but remained largely preserved underground—often just a few centimeters below today’s surface. However, it was precisely this unique state of preservation that also presented challenges. The exposed ruins in the so-called “Spaziergarten” — today’s Roman quarter in the Roman city of Carnuntum—had been exposed to the elements for decades. Older restorations using cement mortar had caused additional damage to the ancient walls. Moisture could no longer drain properly, and frost caused the joints to crack. For visitors, it was often nearly impossible to recognize a Roman city or a residential building from the low sections of wall.

That is why Carnuntum began to take a new approach. The findings were reexamined according to modern archaeological standards, conserved, and, where scientifically justifiable, reconstructed in three dimensions. The goal was not to create a fictionalized version of antiquity, but rather to produce a comprehensible model of Roman architectural and residential culture based on archaeological evidence. Reconstruction was not viewed here as mere scenery, but as a means of making research findings visible, accessible, and understandable.

Excavation work on the building lots for Buildings I and II prior to reconstruction - © Land NÖ 

The so-called House of Lucius (referred to as House II in the excavation documentation) is located immediately east of the House of the Oil Merchant in the Roman quarter. First excavated in the 1950s, the site underwent further archaeological investigation between 2003 and 2005. This revealed that the site had been in use for centuries and had been remodeled several times. In total, several construction phases dating from the late 1st century to the late 4th century CE were identified. The earliest traces consisted of wooden structures, post holes, beam trenches, and simple layers of use. Only later did these evolve into a stone residence with a courtyard, utility area, and garden.

The reconstruction visible today is based primarily on the late antique construction phase of the early 4th century. At that time, the property consisted of a residential area in the south, a garden, a central core building with a corridor and several rooms, and a northern service area along Südstraße. Evidence of commercial activities was also found in this area, including kilns for ceramic products. 

Scenes from the reconstructed House of Lucius - © T. Mauerhofer 

The name “House of Lucius” was deliberately chosen for narrative purposes. It refers to Lucius Maticeius Clemens, who is attested in inscriptions from Carnuntum and was included in the reconstruction as a possible homeowner. Whether this particular Lucius actually lived in this house cannot be proven archaeologically. Thus, the house is not presented as an abstract museum object, but as a seemingly inhabited place. Furniture, wall plaster, floors, doors, windows, the kitchen, the heating system, and the garden together create a spatial narrative. Visitors enter not just a reconstructed building, but a possible everyday scene from late-antique Carnuntum.

Lucius’s house was not the only one of its kind in Carnuntum. In the years that followed, additional reconstructed buildings were erected in the Archaeological Park, including a city villa, thermal baths, and the oil merchant’s house. These expand the perspective from the individual dwelling to various aspects of Roman urban culture: prestigious residences, bathing culture, urban infrastructure, crafts, furnishings, and everyday life. 

Reconstruction of the so-called “House of Lucius” in the Roman quarter - © Land NÖ

It is particularly worth noting that Lucius’s house was not simply built using modern methods. The reconstruction was also intended as an experimental endeavor: every single stone in the exterior walls was laid by hand to replicate Roman rubble masonry. Stones from the Carnuntum area were used, along with a lime mortar modeled after Roman examples. The walls were plastered — not only for aesthetic reasons, but also to protect the masonry from moisture. Wood also played a central role. For roof trusses and other structural components, modern sawn lumber was deliberately avoided in favor of reclaimed wood that still bore traces of traditional craftsmanship. Wooden joints, tenons, and wooden nails were based on premodern or ancient techniques.

The roof was covered with replicas of Roman ridge tiles and half-round tiles — that is, tegulae and imbrices — whose shapes were based on original finds from the excavation. Where the archaeological evidence suggested lightweight structures, the interior walls were not reconstructed as solid stone walls. Instead, timber-frame structures with infill made of willow wattle, reeds, and clay were used. It is precisely such details that demonstrate how closely archaeological interpretation and practical construction were intertwined. 

During the excavations in the area of the House of Lucius, a floor heating system (double T-channel heating) was discovered. Hot air and smoke were channeled through ducts beneath the floor and could rise upward through hollow bricks in the walls. Individual components were manufactured according to ancient designs, some of which were fired in the reconstructed kiln in the northern service area and subsequently installed in the house. The heating system is thus not only a museum replica but also a practical experiment in Roman building technology.

The house’s interior furnishings also convey a more vivid picture of Roman interiors than ruins often suggest. Wall plaster, brick-chippings screeds, brick mosaics, and colored wall finishes demonstrate how varied such rooms could appear. Reconstructed brick floors, opus signinum in the living areas, and a simple clay floor in the kitchen reveal the building’s various uses. 

Ceramic kilns on the Haus II plot - © T. Mauerhofer

Reconstructions are never without their challenges in archaeology. They must always strike a balance between scientific evidence, educational clarity, and the responsibility to preserve cultural heritage. In Carnuntum, therefore, special emphasis was placed on protecting the original archaeological finds and ensuring that the modern additions remain clearly identifiable. The ancient walls were covered, secured, and preserved beneath the new structures. In this way, the reconstruction protects the archaeological remains while also making them understandable.

The House of Lucius is therefore not a “reconstruction” in the simple sense. It is a scientifically verified model. It shows what a Roman residence in Carnuntum might have looked like — not what it definitely looked like. That is precisely where its strength lies. The reconstruction makes research visible without destroying the archaeological remains themselves.