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

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