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

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