On Tuesday evening we were treated to a super presentation of images taken by member Brian H. on a tour of ancient Germany. Here’s his account of the trip:
‘A year ago I went on an archaeology holiday/study tour, ‘Roman Germany’, staying at Köln, Mainz, Trier and Aachen and exploring the Rhine frontier between Roman Gaul and ‘free Germany’, an area of major strategic importance from the 1st century BC onwards.
The strong military presence guaranteed peace and prosperity, demonstrated by the wealthy villas and rich towns.
The citizens of Köln enjoyed all the luxuries of Roman town life as we saw from the many Roman remains and fine display of high quality Roman glass for which Köln was famous.
A boat trip on the Rhine took us to Mainz. There in the Taunus Mountains we saw the military control of the frontier with the ‘Limes’, a continuous bank, ditch and palisade stretching for 550 km, and visited a reconstructed fort and watchtower (a feature of German archaeology).
Onwards to Trier – Urbs opulentissima – which became the imperial capital with monumental buildings as befitted its status, and with wealthy villas in the countryside.Aachen, with its natural hot springs was used by Celts and Romans.
The fifth century AD saw the decline of the Roman Empire; Christianity was a new feature. The Franks settled here and their king, Charlemagne, made Aachen his capital. He built a great palace and chapel with the Emperor’s throne used in the coronation of German kings and queens for the next 500 years. It was a stimulating trip, with a tasty Roman meal as well! ‘
This was a fascinating talk and we enjoyed looking at the many illustrative images, some of which are shown here. Thanks, Brian – we’re looking forward to hearing about your next exciting adventure!
(click on a pic to view slideshow)