Livius Picture Archive: Mainz

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	Mogontiacum (Mainz)
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	Dendrochronologically, we can be certain that the wood that was used to build the bridge of Mainz was cut in 27 CE. The bridge can not be much younger. It was almost certainly built on the site of an earlier, pontoon bridge, because the bridgehead (called Castellum Mattiacorum) was already there for about a quarter of a century. This old photo offers an impression of the size of the piers..
	The twenty-one piers spanned about 400 meters and were placed at a distance of 19 meters. They measured 18 x 7 meters. (This is comparable to the Roman bridge at Cuijk.) The road across the river must have been at least twelve meters wide, which means that there were two lanes in both directions. This photo shows a modern reconstruction of a similar bridge at Palzem in Luxemburg; it is in the Archeon park.	(©**)
	To keep the bridge intact, repairs were needed about four times in a century. This was expensive, but a good connection across the Rhine was important. Already in Antiquity, the bridge of Mainz was recognized as a monument. This medaillon, made during the reign of the emperor Constantius I Chlorus (293-306), who visited the city several times to fight against the Alamans, shows the bridge. The original object is now in Lyon; this photo shows a copy in the Landesmuseum in Mainz.
	This first-century relief from Mainz-Weisenau is the lower part of the tombstone of a carpenter from the Museum für antike Schifffahrt shows how a warship is being built. It has a ram and a high afterdeck, not unlike the ships that are shown on the Column of Trajan in Rome. Two catapults are also indicated. One wonders why these ships were ever needed, because in the first century, the Chatti on the other bank of the Rhine did not build ships - so why should the Romans employ ramming ships?
	The two most splendid objects in the Museum für antike Schifffahrt are the reconstructions of warships that were excavated in 1981/1982 north of ancient Mogontiacum. This is the reconstruction ("Nachbau 2") of the ship known as Mainz-3, which was built at the end of the third century, and must have played a role in the Alamannic war of Constantius Chlorus (in 292).
	This ship was remarkable for its width (about 1:5) wide and has twice seven rowers; it may have served for patrols, although it may also have been used to transport food supplies and weapons. The catapult is very interesting because it has a mechanism to add new new arrows to the barrell automatically. It's the ancient equivalent of rapid fire. Its practical use can only have been limited, but it must have impressed the Alamans.
	The afterdeck, with a small cabin for the captain and the helmsman. The helm is also visible.
	This is the helm of the other reconstruction, the Mainz-1 ("Nachbau 1"). It was built with wood that was cut in 376, but the ship was later repaired, with wood from trees that were felled in 385 and in 394. This is confirmed by a bronze coin of Theodosius I, minted after 388, that was placed as an offering between the hull and one of the frames.
	This ship belongs to a class that is commonly known as Mainz-A, after this vessel, which was the first of this type. It is a narrow galley with many rowers, and has a strong stern to ram other ships. It may have been used to attack the small vessels used by the Alamans, but must also have served as a carrier to transport troops across the river or to threatened positions. If the winds were favorable, a sail could be used.
	Rowing banks of the Mainz 1 seen from above. Note how the soldiers were protected by their shields.
	>> to part five >>	© Jona Lendering for Livius.Org, 2006 Revision: 29 June 2006
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Mogontiacum (Mainz)

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