Project team

Dr. Bernd Liesen
LVR-Archäologischer Park Xanten / LVR-RömerMuseum
Trajanstr. 4
46509 Xanten
fon: 02801-712-152
mail: Bernd.LiesennoSpam@lvr.de

Sabine Leih M.A.
LVR-Archäologischer Park Xanten / LVR-RömerMuseum
Trajanstr. 4
46509 Xanten
fon: 02801-712-118
mail: Sabine.LeihnoSpam@lvr.de

Dr. Valeria Selke
LVR-Archäologischer Park Xanten / LVR-RömerMuseum
Trajanstr. 4
46509 Xanten
fon: 02801/712-134
mail: Valeria.SelkenoSpam@lvr.de

The focus of the project is to, with the help of the Colonia Ulpia Traiana Port gain a reference model, showing the structural analysis of urban roman ports in the northwestern imperial provinces, and to define its relevance to the supply of the region with merchandise of all variety. The complex has been examined by multiple excavations and is a secured soil mark section of the LVR Archäologischer Park Xanten.

Project description

Introduction

In the Xanten region Roman colonization is verifiable, starting from the turn of the eras up to the end of the 4th century A.D. There were two legionary camps, which appeared chronologically (Vetera I, Vetera II), a settlement, which in the late first century fell under the municipal law (Colonia Ulpia Traiana) and in the late third century was reduced to a late Roman Tricensimae, moreover a vicus. Thereby Xanten was the second biggest urban agglomeration of the Roman province Germania Inferior. Due to the transport connection in the region, the port in Xanten receives additional significance. Having already undergone archeological analysis, central constructions can now be located, their functions defined and partially even dated. Hence it is the most well researched port installation in all Germanic provinces.

Current state of research 

The conditions of the natural environment in the region are well known. For the port in Xanten a cut bank with a high water level was chosen for the position. In the course of time and use the port silted up noticeably. The port was located by the excavation H. von Petrikovits’ 1934-1935. Among others a large wood constructed wharfage was excavated. Numerous investigations followed in the 1970s: opposite the city gate a pier that reached far into the inner port was constructed. Building remnants in the southern area could be traced back to boathouses. In 1993 the dock and the shore area were investigated. Again there was a massive wooden construction, deemed to be a bank reinforcement. South of this central area, remnants of a double trench system were found, possibly a fastened bank installation. Dendrochronological experiments give information concerning the construction sequence:  The oldest wood pieces of the wharfage had a cutting date of 46 A.D. In the northern segment a wattle and daub wall of the first century was found. Building operations on the wharfage took place around 76, 92 and 137. The bank reinforcement in the south is flavian. Seemingly around 130 the installation was lavishly build out to be a wharf. There remnants of massive wooden construction was found, the significance of which is still uncertain (a hoist?), perhaps even a boardwalk. The modification presumably took place in the second century. Afterwards the bigger surfaces were leveled or developed further. The purpose of the port is linked to the silting process in the third century. So far the functional connection between the port and the settlement has only been explained to some extent. Particularly, still unresolved, is what significance the port had in the pre-colonial period in the supply of the neighboring legionary camps. Directly at the port there are craftsman workshops to be found.

The construction of the city walls as from 106 meant a systematic development of the port premises over further access points. It is apparent, that now as a result of the Decumanus maximus, one of the most important inner-city transport axes led directly to the port and was therefore connected to supra-local traffic.

The partial abandonment of the Colonia in the middle of the third century was classified by researchers, firstly as a reaction to a general demographic decline or due to military and political crises, rather than an aftermath of the silting up of the port and the partial loss of the main function. The reduced late Roman city no longer retained a direct connection to the Rhine.

A large portion of the visible trade transpired by the port in Colonia Ulpia Traiana, which is deemed to be economically strong due to the military complex influenced “consumer city” with sparse Export stimuli. Adequately, imports are found to be plentiful in archeological material of the city, whereas there are still obscurities over the export. Specific groups of storage containers show that the import spectra in Xanten and its surroundings vary from the southern part of Germania Inferior completely. Therefore, a partially variant organization of the provision is deductible.

Goals and work program

The previous drilling projects should be completed. The evaluation of the sediments should be applied to the channel depth and history of the silting process. The history of the essential, known buildings should be resolved by a detailed analysis of the findings. Geomagnetic prospection should shed light on whether and how areas that have undergone the silting process continued to be used.

Furthermore, prospection is to be designated in the area of a younger Rhine loop, in order to pinpoint the possible locations of a port belonging to a late Roman settlement. To be clarified, is to what extent the development of infrastructure reflects the changes of conditions in the natural environment. In addition, the correlation between the building history of the port and the development of the city, likewise if the representative architecture accentuates the port as a core element in the city layout and if the position of the manufacturing firms and functional buildings correlate to the port. In order to get to the bottom of these questions, a paradigm of the various, in their purpose mostly known structures belonging to the Colonia Ulpia Traiana should be developed and compared to the other central locations in the northwestern provinces.

The known differences in the supply of various goods between the northern and southern part of the Germania Inferior mainly consists of food. It should be examined, whether this can be said for other product groups. Essentially, it should be examined which goods were transported by means of published finds from different excavation sites. Within the framework of the project it should be assessed, to what extent location, disposition, and development can be conceived in a similar manner at other civilian ports, particularly in the northwestern territory of the empire. A pertinent comparison with the results of other sub-projects should reveal, whether the port instillation can be traced back to a particular basic model and to what extent construction differences between military and civilian river ports can be depicted.

Furthermore, it should be examined, whether a time dependant course is identifiable in the civilian port structure.  

Literature

P. Berni Millet, Einige Aspekte des Handels mit römischen Amphoren in Xanten. In: Xantener Berichte 14 (Mainz 2006) 19–24.

C. Bridger, Eine flavische Uferanlage in Xanten. In: Xantener Berichte 8 (Köln 1999) 341–346.

C. Bridger / K. Kraus, Die römische Besiedlung der Xantener Bucht. In M. Müller / H.-J. Schalles / N. Zieling (Hrsg.), Colonia Ulpia Traiana. Xanten und sein Umland in römischer Zeit. Xantener Berichte Sonderband. Geschichte der Stadt Xanten 1 (Mainz 2008) 595–606.

C. Carreras Monfort, A quantitative approach to the amphorae from Xanten: a more comprehensive view of the long-distance Roman trade. In: Xantener Berichte 14 (Mainz 2006) 25–39.

R. Gerlach / J. Meurers-Balke, Der Prallhang als Standortvorteil – der römische Rhein bei Burginatium. In: Archäologie im Rheinland 2013 (Stuttgart 2014) 114–117.

K.-H. Knörzer u. a., Der römische Hafen von Xanten. Geologische und botanische Untersuchungen. In: Xantener Berichte 5 (Köln 1994) 89–107.

S. Lauinger, Ein Töpferofen am Xantener Hafen. In: B. Liesen (Hrsg.), Römische Keramik in Niedergermanien. Produktion – Handel – Gebrauch. Xantener Berichte 27 (Mainz, Darmstadt 2014) 113–121.

S. Leih, Der Hafen der Colonia Ulpia Traiana. In: M. Müller / H.-J. Schalles / N. Zieling (Hrsg.), Colonia Ulpia Traiana. Xanten und sein Umland in römischer Zeit. Xantener Berichte Sonderband. Geschichte der Stadt Xanten 1 (Mainz 2008) 447–469.

B. Liesen, Töpfereischutt des 1. Jahrhunderts aus dem Bereich der Colonia Ulpia Traiana (Schnitt 76/20). Xantener Berichte 4 (Köln 1994).

B. Liesen, Soziale und wirtschaftliche Entwicklungstendenzen der Colonia Ulpia Traiana im Spiegel des Fundmaterials. Von den Anfängen bis zum Beginn der Spätantike. In: M. Müller / H.-J. Schalles / N. Zieling (Hrsg.), Colonia Ulpia Traiana. Xanten und sein Umland in römischer Zeit. Xantener Berichte Sonderband. Geschichte der Stadt Xanten 1 (Mainz 2008) 211–226.

H. von Petrikovits, Die Ausgrabungen in der Colonia Ulpia Traiana. Die Ausgrabung der Kernsiedlung und der Uferanlagen (1934-1936). 1. Bericht. Bonner Jahrbücher 152, 1952, 41–161.

J. Remesal Rodriguez, Römische Amphoren aus Xanten. Epigraphische Aspekte. In: Xantener Ber. 14 (Mainz 2006) 43–48.

M. Reuter, Wirtschaftsstandort Colonia Ulpia Traiana – Handel und Handwerk in der CUT. In: M. Müller / H.-J. Schalles / N. Zieling (Hrsg.), Colonia Ulpia Traiana. Xanten und sein Umland in römischer Zeit. Xantener Berichte Sonderband. Geschichte der Stadt Xanten 1 (Mainz 2008) 471–493.

H.-J. Schalles, Die Wirtschaftskraft städtischer Siedlungen am Niederrhein: Zur Frage der wirtschaftlichen Beziehungen des römischen Xanten mit seinem Umland. In: Th. Grünewald (Hrsg.), Germania inferior. Bevölkerung, Gesellschaft und Wirtschaft an der Grenze der römisch-germanischen Welt. Beiträge des deutsch-niederländischen Kolloquiums in Xanten (21.–24. September 1999). RGA Erg.-Band 28 (Berlin 2001) 431– 463.

N. Zieling, Geophysikalische Prospektionsmaßnahmen auf dem Gelände der Colonia Ulpia Traiana im Rück- und Ausblick. In: Xantener Berichte 14 (Mainz 2006) 307–313.