Praetorium Agrippinae

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Map of the coast in Roman times superimposed on South Holland today, showing Praetorium Agrippinae's location.

Praetorium Agrippinae was a Roman army encampment (Lat.: castellum) in modern-day Valkenburg, Netherlands.[1] It was situated strategically on the Oude Rijn between the castella of Matilo in the east and Lugdunum Batavorum to the west, in the area belonging the Cananefates.[2] As part of the Roman border system (Lat.: limes), more specifically the Lower Germanic Limes, it played a vital role in keeping the Frisii to the north at bay.[3]

History

The old roman road at Valkenburg today.

Roman emperor Caligula had the first castellum built in 39 or 40 AD, although coins and pottery (terra sigillata) found at the site suggest an army division may have been stationed there before its construction.[4] Caligula named the encampment after his mother, Vipsania Agrippina, and might have been present at its completion.[5] The fortifications surrounding the camp at this stage consisted of a palisaded earthen wall and three moats. Originally two maniples (or four centuriae) of legionaries and two turmae of cavalry had been stationed at the fort.[6] After the Revolt of the Batavi (69-70 AD) however, when the local tribes had razed the fortress to the ground, the entire cohors IV Thracum relocated here.

At around 120 AD a village developed along the via militaris just south of it, where archaeological investigation has recently uncovered the remains ofstorehouses and granaries (horrea). The Romans erected a large stone fort in about 180 AD, which they subsequently abandoned somewhere between 240 and 275 AD. During Constantius I Chlorus' reign the old castellum was rebuilt and converted into a granary, holding supplies for the roman province of Brittannia.

References

  1. ↑ See the Tabula Peutingeriana, section II and De Hing & Vos (2005).
  2. ↑ De Hing & Vos (2005) 80.
  3. ↑ De Hing & Vos (2005) 83.
  4. ↑ De Hing & Vos (2005) 83.
  5. ↑ De Hing & Vos (2005) 91. See also: Lendering, J. Praetorium Agrippinae (Valkenburg).
  6. ↑ De Hing & Vos (2005) 107.

Bibliography

Dutch

  • Egges van Giffen, A. (1948) De Romeinsche castella in de dorpsheuvel te Valkenburg aan den Rijn (Z.H.) (Praetorium Agrippinae), I, De opgravingen in 1941, Jaarverslag van de vereniging voor Terpenonderzoek 25-28, 1940-1948 (Groningen).
  • Egges van Giffen, A. (1955) De Romeinsche castella in de dorpsheuvel te Valkenburg aan den Rijn (Z.H.) (Praetorium Agrippinae), II, De opgravingen in 1942-1943 en 1946-1950, Jaarverslag van de vereniging voor Terpenonderzoek 33-37, 1948-1953 (Groningen).
  • Glasbergen, W. (1967) De Romeinse castella te Valkenburg Z.H. De opgravingen in de dorpsheuvel in 1962 (Groningen).
  • Groenman-van Waateringe, W. (1967) Romeins lederwerk uit Valkenburg Z.H. (Groningen).
  • De Hingh, A & W. Vos (2005) Romeinen in Valkenburg (ZH), de opgravingsgeschiedenis en het archeologische onderzoek van Praetorium Agrippinae (Leiden 2005)

English

  • Glasbergen, W. & W. Groenman-van Waateringe (1974) The pre-Flavian Garrisons of Valkenburg Z.H., fabriculae and bipartite barracks (Amsterdam/Londen).

German

  • Van Lith, S.M.E. (1979) Römisches Glas aus Valkenburg Z.H. Oudheidkundige Mededelingen uit het Rijksmuseum van Oudheden te Leiden (Leiden).

External links

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