Nijmegen: Civil settlements
Noviomagus was the capital of the Batavians, a Germanic tribe from the Lower Main area that had been settled on the banks of the river Waal by the Romans. The original civil settlement, sometimes called Batavodurum ("marketplace of the Batavians") or Oppidum Batavorum ("city of the Batavians"), was on the hill known as Valkhof (satellite photo). Several scholars have argued that Batavodurum and Oppidum Batavorum were two towns. However, other cities did have two names, so we probably do not have to accept that there were two Batavian settlements.
Pictures of Nijmegen
Military settlements
Archaeological research of the Valkhof-settlement has been difficult (there is a park on the hilltop) but suggests that the town had a gridiron map, which made it look like a Roman town. (A parallel development took place in Tongeren.) The oldest finds at Batavodurum date back to the second decade of the first century CE, but they are all from the edge of the town. Perhaps, an excavation in the Valkhof Park will show that human occupation started earlier.
To the east of the civil settlement was the Hunerberg, the site of a large military base, built by the Roman general Drusus, a stepson of the emperor Augustus, in 15-12 BCE. It was used for only a couple of years, because after two campaigns on the east bank of the Rhine, Drusus had reached his war aims and could transfer his legions to Oberaden on the Lippe.
The history of the foundation of Nijmegen as a "double settlement" is more or less parallel to that of Xanten. Here, Germanic settlers were living next to a Roman military base as well. Even Nijmegen's double name has a parallel, as Xanten was known under the two names of Municipium Cugernorum and Cibernodurum. When the Hunerberg had been abandoned, a new fort was built on the Kops Plateau.
To these years dates a victory monument dedicated to the Roman emperor Tiberius. It has been discovered at the Valkhof and is interesting because it shows several Roman gods and a man in Roman dress - probably Tiberius. Did the Batavians understand the monument, or, stated otherwise, were they sufficiently acquainted with the Roman way of life? (It is possible that the monument was erected earlier, when Tiberius was personally campaigning in the area. That would suggest a date in 8 BCE. Pictures).
MATRIBUS
MOPATIBUS
M[arcus] LIBERIUS
VICTOR
CIVES
NERVIUS
NEG[otiator] FRU[mentarius]
V[otum] S[olvit] L[ibens] M[erito]
(Museum Valkhof, Nijmegen)
Because Noviomagus was close to the Waal, excavation is difficult, but two temples in native style have been identified. However, pottery from the kilns of the Twenty-second legion Primigenia at Xanten has been found on several places. The aftermath of the Batavian revolt also saw the return of the Roman legions. For some thirty years, the Tenth legion Gemina stayed at Nijmegen to watch the Batavians.
It has been claimed that Nijmegen received market rights at the beginning of the second century, when the town was renamed Ulpia Noviomagus. The first element is a reminder of the name of the emperor (Marcus Ulpius Trajanus, or simply Trajan); the second element is Celtic and means "new market". This argument is simply wrong. As capital of the Batavians, the town already had the privilege of organizing markets as early as the days of Drusus. (It may be noted that the name Batavodurum can be read as "Batavian market".)
Nijmegen)
Probably, Nijmegen changed its name twice. First, the town was rebuilt in the west, near the Waal, and was renamed Noviomagus; later, the emperor Trajan awarded the surname Ulpia. To the best of the present author's knowledge, there are no examples of a town that simultaneously changes its main name and receives a surname. Usually, honorific surnames like Claudia, Flavia, Ulpia, and Aelia were given to cities that were already well-known and could no longer simply change their name.
Probably, Noviomagus suffered heavily from the Frankish invasion of 275, which put an end to the Roman presence in the lower Rhine area for almost a generation.
In the fourth century, however, the Valkhof was fortified by the emperor Constantine I the Great and became an important castle. The remains of one of the impressive walls have been discovered near the Waal. Two ditches surrounded the castle, which was later rebuilt by Valentinian I.
They were a natural target for the Franks, who took over the settlement in the early fifth century. It can not have made a big difference, as there was already a Frankish settlement in the neighborhood, and most soldiers were already Franks. The castle remained occupied for a long time. Charlemagne used it as one of his residences.
At the moment, Museum Valkhof has the most beautiful archaeological collection in Holland.
Pictures of Nijmegen || Military settlements
Literature
- Titus Panhuysen, De Romeinse godenpijler van Nijmegen (2002 Nijmegen)
- Louis Swinkels en Annelies Koster, Nijmegen. Oudste stad van Nederland (2005 Nijmegen)
- W. Willems, Romeins Nijmegen. Vier eeuwen stad en centrum aan de Waal (1990)