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© Museu de Badalona
Omeka ID 1890
Ciutat romana de Baetulo. Clos de la Torre
Roman world

hinge of the city gateway

MB 3278, MB 3279

Object type
hinge
Production date
1 / 100
Fabric
-
Museum
Museu de Badalona
Culture
Roman world
Discovery location
Ciutat romana de Baetulo. Clos de la Torre
Materials
bronze
Township
Badalona (Europa, Espanya, Catalunya, Barcelona, Barcelonès)
Technique
fundición
Where is it?
Exposició permanent
Dimensions
11,6 x 17 cm; 11,6 x 17 cm
Description
The general description of the hinge is that of a cylindrical piece, with a hole through which a bolt or axis of rotation passes and rotates. In this hole, a stick, usually made of wood, is inserted, to which the hinge of a door is fitted and causes it to open. Normally in old doors there is only one hinge in the lower part (portal or door frame) and another one in the upper part of the swinging construction. In Roman times they were usually made of metal, either bronze or iron. The hinges from Baetulo are cylindrical, made of bronze, and are attached to the lower part by a lead block that fits into the stone portal. In the upper part, we find three tabs (in number 3278, only two are preserved), which would hold the embedded wooden stick that would make the door turn. The space where there is no tongue is where the door jamb would be. These hinges were found in situ in the 1934-1936 excavations carried out by J. Font i Cussó at Clos de la Torre, and correspond to one of the entrance gates to the city, specifically the one on the northeast side of the wall where the Via Augusta became, in this lower part of the city, an important decumanus. The resurfacing of the Via Augusta in the 3rd century AD, and its subsequent abandonment in terms of pavement conservation, meant that the hinges were not plundered and were preserved just as they were. Joaquim Font i Cussó, responsible for the excavations at Clos de la Torre, stated that the Via Augusta would be about 5 m wide, and if we take into account the size of the hinges, we must think of a gate of considerable size. This piece connects us with the idiom in Catalan "treure de polleguera" or in Spanish "sacar de quicio" (take out of the hinge) which means "to go out of my mind" or to move something out of its natural course, out of its normal state; violate it; exasperate, lose calm. Can you imagine all that must be done to remove a hinge from a door? You have to disassemble it all! Removing first the swing and the wooden shaft, then tear out the door frame and the stone swing structure. What work! Perhaps now we can better understand where its meaning came from.

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