Nijmegen, Valkhof

Q1127079

The Valkhof Museum in Nijmegen, the capital of the ancient Batavians, is one of the most important archaeological museums in the Netherlands. It has a splendid collection with finds from six Roman settlements:

the Kopse Hof (once the HQs of Drusus, later used as fort by a unit of mounted auxiliaries);
the Hunerberg (a legionary base, used by Drusus);
Batavodurum (a town destroyed during the Batavian Revolt in 69-70);
Ulpia Noviomagus (built after the revolt);
the Hunerberg (again in use as legionary base, by X Gemina, to control the Batavians);
the late-Roman castle at the Valkhof, almost at the site of former Batavodurum.

Many objects tell a little story. I select the silver medallion that once belonged to one Gnaeus Aquillius Proculus, centurio of the Eighth Legion Augusta, found at the Kopse Hof auxiliary fort. This man is known to have played a role during the Batavian Revolt. When the forts along the lower Rhine were attacked, he was able to bring the garrisons to Nijmegen, where they were – for the time being – safe.

This would have been interesting enough: it is not often that archaeologists find an object that belonged to someone we know from the written sources. However, the object proves something else: that shortly before the revolt, the Romans sent soldiers of the Eighth legion Augusta, which was at that moment stationed at Sishtov in Bulgaria, to Nijmegen. This strongly suggests that the Romans were aware that the Batavians were becoming restless, which proves that the governor, Hordeonius Flaccus, was more capable than the historian Tacitus wants us to believe. He presents us with a Roman commander who is incompetent, indolent, and decadent, but archaeology proves otherwise.

The museum, which offers several other collections and a splendid view on the Nijmegen bridge (of World War II fame), is closed on Mondays. You can find photos from the museum here and here.

This museum was visited in a/o 2008-2019.

78 pictures related to this museum

Elst, Temple, diploma	Bronze object mentioning LEG HISP IX, from Ewijk	Nijmegen-Hunerberg, Civil settlement, Unfinished bronze statuette of Luna	Tiberius
Nijmegen, Oil lamp, erotic scene	Valentinian I	Nijmegen, Amber portait of a girl	Nijmegen, Objects from the tomb of a fourth-century lady
Nijmegen, Oil lamp, Mercury	Nijmegen, Glass vase	Nijmegen, Ring of a shoemaker	Nijmegen, Kops Plateau, Helmet
Nijmegen, Agraphe with christogram	Cornelia Superia	Nijmegen, Monument to Tiberius: Ceres	Elst, Temple, Model
Coin of Vespasian, showing a personification of Judaea mourning the loss of her independence. Legend: JUDAEA CAPTA, "Judaea conquered".	Nijmegen, Noviomagus, Double temple, Mercury	Berg en dal, Silver pan	Nijmegen, Tomb of a girl of about ten years old
Berg en dal, Silver pan, handle with portrait of Tyche or Cybele	Nijmegen, Inscription mentioning three relatives in X Gemina	Nijmegen, British mirror	Nijmegen, Batavian horsemen
Lucilla	Julia Soeamias	Nijmegen, terra sigillata with an inscription "Carnuntum"	Nijmegen, Inscription of Bisius of X Gemina
Berg en Dal, Pottery factory, Tile	Faustina II	Nijmegen, Terra sigillata	Copy of an inscription from Rome, mentioning Noviomagus
Rome, Forum Romanum, Temple of Janus, Coin	Nijmegen, Tombstone of Scanius of X Gemina	Nijmegen, terra sigillata with the Thracian name "Mucatra"	Otacilia Severa
Beek, Milestone	Tiel, Runic inscription	Ulpia Severina	Nijmegen, Oil lamp, Jupiter and his eagle
Berg en Dal, Pottery factory, Tile with shoe print	Nijmegen-Hunerberg, Cavalry mask from the Beekmansdal	Nijmegen, Kops Plateau, Aquillius Medal	Cavalry mask, found in the river Waal
Coin commemorating Drusus' German victories, minted by his son Claudius	Nijmegen, Monument to Tiberius: sacrifice	Nijmegen, Inscription of an aquilifer of X Gemina	Nijmegen, Monument to Tiberius: Apollo
Nijmegen, Noviomagus, Double temple, Fortuna	Roman coin, commemorating the annexation of Arabia Nabataea	Lent, Frankish sword and spear	Herennia Etruscilla
Nijmegen, Monument to Tiberius: Diana	Nijmegen, Tomb of a girl of about ten years old	Cavalry mask, found in the river Waal	Elst, Temple, Fragment of a wall painting
Nijmegen, Kops Plateau, Helmet	Nijmegen-Hunerberg, Early Helmet	Nijmegen, Valkhof, Oil lamp with Victoria	Nijmegen, Crystal ring
Nijmegen, Dedication to the Mopatian Mothers by Liberius	Berg en Dal, Pottery factory, Dedication to Vesta	Nijmegen, Crystal dice	Cavalry mask, found in the river Waal
Theodosius I	Nijmegen, Tambourine of a girl of about ten years old	Nijmegen-Hunerberg, Officers' mansion, Wall painting of a deer and a peacock	Aquilia Severa
Julia Maesa	Nijmegen, Oil lamp with gladiators saluting the organizer of the games	Nijmegen, Kops Plateau, Imported mackerel	Nijmegen, Dedication by Candidinius, signifer of XXX Ulpia Victrix
Nijmegen, Amber carving of Amor	Nijmegen, Bridge, pile-shoe	Cavalry mask, found in the river Waal	Nijmegen, Late Roman pottery
Nijmegen-Hunerberg, Rim of an amphora, mentioning its Macedonian owner	The Herwen Mole Inscription