In the last decades there have been discussions between academics about the existence of a romanised culture and romance language in an area of actual Hungary: the "Keszthely's neolatin settlement" around lake Balaton. For example, initially the Austro-Czech linguist Julius Pokorny suggested that the name of the town of Keszthely could be derived from the Istriot-Venetian word "castei" (castle), but actually some historians deny it.
Furthermore it is noteworthy to pinpoint that Pannonia, a province of the Western Roman empire, was devastated by the barbarian invasions (Huns, Gepidae, Avars, etc.) during the fifth century. In 455 AD the western roman emperor Avitus was able to reconquer all Pannonia for a short period of years, but soon the province was attacked again by the barbarians and this time it was lost forever to the Avars and other barbarian tribes. Only a few thousands romanized pannonians survived the onslaughts, mainly around the lake Pelso (now lake Balaton) in small fortified villages like Keszthely.
This "survived" Romanic population from Pannonia created the Keszthely culture that evolved mainly during the 6th-7th centuries. Its artefacts were made in the workshops of Roman origin located mainly in the fortified settlements of Keszthely-Fenékpuszta and Sopianae (actual Pécs). The Romanic craftsmen worked for their masters (Gepidae and Avars). Indeed under the Avars the roman castle of Fenékpuszta near Keszthely and the surroundings were not occupied so the original romanized inhabitants of the place area lived on undisturbed. They paid food and artisan goods for peace from the Avars in the following decades until around 568 AD.
After 568 AD new Christian romanized pannonians arrived in the Balaton lake area, probably from the destroyed Aquincum (actual Budapest) and so creating a "mixed-culture" (partially latin, german and avar): the ''Keszthely culture''. The Keszthely-Fenékpuszta fortress became the centre of a 30 km diameter area, where the people buried their dead adorned with jewellery and clothing of Roman-Byzantine origin. They rebuilt the fortress Basilica, where the principals of the community were buried, while their relatives found their final resting places next to the nearby "horreum" (granary).
But some academics (like Peter Straub, Arnulf Kollautz and Sági Károly) have made many critics to the above historical writings and think that all this romance population of Pannonia's lake Balaton -after the fifth century roman withdrawal- disappeared, because of massacres and/or migrations toward the Italian peninsula. Nearly all of these historians lived and/or are related to the decades of communism in Hungary, when was the rule to despise everything from the western world, and -because the roman empire was the forerunner of the actual western civilisation- the presence of latinised Pannonians after mid fifth century was denied. They "forgot" in a typical communist way the existence of Saint Bonosa -for example- a martyr worshipped in those centuries also in Pannonia, as a clear evidence (thanks to a spin with the word "BONOSA" found in a Keszthely's grave of the early sixth century!) and proof of the survival of these romanised Pannonians in the Keszthely area after the fall of the western roman empire.
However, here it is what I have found about, with my research:
Keszthely's History
At Fenekpuszta (Keszthely)..excavations have brought to light a unique group of finds that suggest not only Christians but Romans too.....There are finds such as a gold pin with the name BONOSA proving that some ethnic group of Roman complexion remained at Fenekpuszta (after the barbarian invasions) André du Nay
Celtic People coming from the Northern Alps invaded the northern part of Transdanubia down to the coastline of the Balaton lake in 4000 B. C. They were the first people in this territory, who we know by name. They spread the use of iron, which became the material applied not only for making weapons and jewellery, but also for manufacturing various tools and instruments. It was also the Celts, who introduced the use of the foot-driven potter's wheel. The tribes' aristocracy lived in fortified settlements, the name "Balatonföldvár" refers to such Celtic earthwork. The Celts had flourishing commercial relations with Italy and the Balkans, they even minted coins patterned after Grecian models.
Between 13 and 8 BC Tiberius, the future Roman emperor lead the Romans to invade Transdanubia and they organised the "Province of Pannonia". The important commercial and military road - connecting the capital of the province, Aquincum, with Aquileia situated on the Adriatic - crossed the Balaton at Fenékpuszta and intersected another important route between Sopianae (called Pécs nowadays) and Augusta Treverorum (actual Trier). Along this important route there were several settlements. The tombstone inscriptions and the findings excavated in the cemetery in the southern part of the town prove that there were not only the original Celtic inhabitants but also Roman citizens - first of all merchants - who lived there.
The highly developed Roman industry, agricultural technology and commerce brought about changes in the life of the region. Transdanubia, which was earlier only referred to as 'Pannonia glandifera' (acorn-growing Pannonia) gradually developed to have agricultural scenery. Pannonia under Trajan emperor was a very rich & nice region of the Roman empire. This peaceful development in the first and second centuries got interrupted by series of attacks of barbarian tribes coming from the other bank of the Danube, which started in the 160's. After the derastations in the 3rd century only Fenékpuszta may have been a really significant settlement, in the other regions there might have been some smaller or bigger villas and surrounding farms, some of which had been built about the end of the century. Some of them were with all 'modern conveniences': they even boasted central heating and separate bathing huts.
In the 4th century there came a major change in the life of the territory: Keszthely and the surroundings became quite densely populated, from the Dobogókõ to the Fenékpuszta Halászrét there are cemeteries all over the place. The growth of the population was connected with a grand project - the building of the Fenékpuszta roman fortress, which had 44 outer barbicans, 4 inner gate towers. It measured 377 m by 358 m and the foundations were laid 2.6 metres wide. The buildings needed 85.000 m3 of stone. In spite of the archeological excavations which have been going on for 100 years with some interruptions though, several questions of the history of the fortress have not been answered yet. It goes without saying, however, that it determined the history of Keszthely and the surroundings.
The roman commandant's headquarters stood at the intersection of the roads which connected the gates aligning with the cardinal points of the compass. All the facilities, mainly residential buildings, were situated along these roads. Near the eastern gate there stood a 104 m long building, which is believed to have been a mansion but it might have been a farm building. The large storehouse, the horreum, which stood at the western gate, still can be seen. Not far from the horreum one can see the Christian church, which was initially erected at the end of the 4th century. It replaced a building which had been equipped with central heating. The church was rebuilt several times during the centuries becoming an important basilica, but its foundations show us what the last variation in the 7th century looked like. At the place of discovery, you can see the reconstructed southern entrance, with the four rectangular inner gate-towers and the two barbicans. The fortress may have garrisoned a cohort (a Roman military unit; 1/10 of a legion). The fortress defended not only the important road to Italy, it may have served as a storage place of supplies and provisions for the fortresses along the so called 'limes', the Danube borderline of the roman empire. This seems to be proved by the numerous artisan tools, agricultural instruments and raw materials. Earlier it used to be identified with the city "Morgentiana", later with "Valcum", but doubts have risen recently.
In all the bullwark and the building of the fortress there is a burnt layer present everywhere, which may have been in connection with the huge devastation done by the barbarian invasion of 374 AD. The population of the region decreased but it did not become uninhabited. The fortress was quickly restored and it served on providing shelter for the inhabitants even after the 5th century, when the Roman legions and the administration left the province and the whole Transdanubia came under Hun authority, which meant that the Great Migration reached the region directly. The Hun rule lasted only two decades. From this period we only know two rich burial places - those of a mounted warrior and a high-born girl.
Attila died in 453 AD and when in the following year the peoples who had been earlier conquered by him defeated the Huns at the River Nedao, they left the Carpathian Basin for good. In 455 AD, Emperor Avitus managed to restore the Roman rule for a short time but two years later the Ostrogoths occupied Western Transdanubia. The Fenékpuszta fortress was set on fire, the majority of the inhabitants died. The Goths returned a couple of months later and they made the rest of the romanised population rebuild the fortress, which became the seat of their king called Thiudimer.
His son was Theodoric the Great, who later became the greatest king of the Ostrogoths. Until he went to Constantinople in 461 AD, he must have lived in Pannonia. In 471 AD the Ostrogoths lead by Theodoric the Great left Transdanubia.
The conditions of the following years were rather unstable. The romanised people living in the vicinity moved back into the fortress. At the beginning of the 6th century the Keszthely territory may have been under the influence of the Italian kingdom of the Ostrogoths, however after Theodoric's death the region got under the rule of another German tribe, the Longobards.
They did not occupy the fortress, but they took control of the crossing place, which is proved by their cemeteries excavated in the south of Keszthely and Vörs. They got involved in a long war with the Gepids, who lived in the Great Hungarian Plain, and in 567 AD with the help of the Avars staying at the Lower Danube, they defeated them. However, the Avars proved to be even more dangerous neighbours, so in 568 AD in return for an alliance, the Longobards emptied Transdanubia and went down to Italy. It was during the Avar Empire that for the first time in the history of the Carpathian Basin, Keszthely and the surroundings were under the same authority. But Keszthely and the surroundings were not occupied by the barbarians, so the original romanised inhabitants lived on undisturbed. They paid food and artisan goods for peace.
Actual aerial photo of two remains from Keszthely's roman fort: the basilica is on the top; it was created around 450 AD (the second, at the bottom, is the "horreum")
After 570 AD new Christians arrived here. The Fenékpuszta fortress became the centre of a 30 km diameter area, where the people buried their dead adorned with jewellery and clothing of Roman & Byzantine origin. They rebuilt the fortress Basilica, where the principals of the community were buried, while their relatives found their final resting places next to the nearby horreum.
''At Fenekpuszta (Keszthely)..excavations have brought to light a unique group of finds that suggest not only Christians but Romans too.....There are finds such as a gold pin with the name BONOSA proving that some ethnic group of Roman complexion remained at Fenekpuszta (after the barbarian invasions)''András Mócsy
When the seventh century started, practically all the few remaining romanised Pannonians of Keszthely started to be fully assimilated (by the other people who invaded the region) and disappeared in a few decades.
In 626 AD the Avars were seriously defeated under Constantinople, which was followed by a civil war. The leaders of the Fenékpuszta/Keszthely community had supported those who were later defeated. That was why the Avars besieged and then destroyed the fortress. They made the rest of the population -including the remaining romanised Pannonians- move into the territory of the town centre. The Christian population got under military suppression. The cemeteries in the 7th and the 8th centuries entombed both Avars and Christians but they were buried separately. The different religions did not allow them to mix even after death. The Christian population cut from the outer world created a unique, characteristic material culture, which we know from the findings of the cemeteries near Keszthely. These findings got called the "Keszthely culture".
At that time, Keszthely was the centre of the region because the Balaton's bay reaching out in Hévíz's direction got so much peat-bogged and so created the need to bear a road. The Fenékpuszta crossing lost its importance for a thousand years, its role was taken over by the much narrower crossing at Balatonhídvég. At the end of the 8th century under the reign of Charlemagne, the Francs overthrew the Avar Empire and they invaded Transdanubia (where all the romanised Pannonians have already disappeared). The Christians living around Keszthely quickly took over the western Christian customs, which among others meant that they buried their dead without grove furniture so now it is impossible to identify them.
Roman Pannonia's detailed map showing the "Limes Pannonicus" and -at the center- the lake Balaton (lake Pelso in latin) with Keszthely/Fenékpuszta.
Map showing the full Pannonia (including the Iaziges territory, east of the Danube river, as a "Client state" in pink color) inside the Roman Empire under Constantine the Great in 323 AD
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