Nijmegen, Valkhof

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

Nijmegen, Dedication to the Mopatian Mothers by Liberius (EDCS-11100819)	Double temple, Mercury	Batavian horsemen	Cavalry mask, found in the Beekmansdal east of the Hunerberg
Copy of an inscription from Rome, mentioning Noviomagus (EDCS-22900218)	Cavalry mask	Part of a fresco	Glass vase
Agraphe with christogram	Theodosius I	Oil lamp with gladiators saluting the organizer of the games	Tombstone of Scanius of X Gemina (Nijmegen; EDCS-08901053)
Nijmegen, Dedication by Candidinius, signifer of XXX Ulpia Victrix (EDCS-11100813)	Cavalry mask	Nijmegen, terra sigillata with an inscription "Carnuntum"	Crystal dice
Helmet from the Kops Plateau	Roman coin, commemorating the annexation of Arabia Nabataea	Tiberius	Lucilla
Faustina II	Julia Maesa	Terra sigillata	Pile-shoe
British mirror	Aquilia Severa	Tomb of a girl of about ten years old	Nijmegen, Aquillius Medal (EDCS-11801060)
Nijmegen, terra sigillata with the Thracian name "Mucatra"	Coin commemorating Drusus' German victories, minted by his son Claudius	Beek, Milestone (EDCS-12400325)	Fresco from one of the officers' mansions at the Hunerberg
Closed gate of Janus	Nijmegen, inscription of an aquilifer of X Gemina	Dedication to Vesta (EDCS-11100823)	Coin of Vespasian, showing a personification of Judaea mourning the loss of her independence. Legend: JUDAEA CAPTA, "Judaea conquered".
Late antique pottery	The Herwen Mole Inscription (EDCS-25800680)	Inscription of Bisius of X Gemina (Nijmegen; EDCS-11100827)	Tomb of a ten-year old girl
Nijmegen, Rim of an amphora, mentioning its Macedonian owner (EDCS-71200321)	Objects from the tomb of a fourth-century lady	Elst, temple, model	Otacilia Severa
Nijmegen, oil lamp with a portrait of Mercury	Valentinian I	Amber portait of a girl	Imported mackerel
Ring of a shoemaker (EDCS-11801061)	Ulpia Severina	Amber carving of Amor	Tile
Cavalry mask	Tambourine of a tomb of a ten-year old girl	Herennia Etruscilla	Bronze object mentioning LEG HISP IX, from Ewijk
Oil lamp, erotic scene	Helmet from the Kops Plateau	Diploma from Elst (EDCS-24600743)	Double temple, Fortuna
Cornelia Superia	Tile	Cavalry mask	Silver pan
Unfinished bronze statuette of Luna, from the civil settlement near the Hunerberg fort	Oil lamp, Jupiter and his eagle	A Frankish sword and spear, found in Lent, across the Waal River	Crystal ring
Monument to Tiberius: Ceres	Oil lamp with Victoria	Nijmegen, Monument to Tiberius: sacrifice (EDCS-20500331)	Silver panhandle with portrait of Tyche or Cybele
Julia Soeamias	Monument to Tiberius: Diana	Monument to Tiberius: Apollo	Runic inscription
Inscription mentioning three relatives in X Gemina (Nijmegen; EDCS-11100826)	Helmet from the Hunerberg