Excavations at the Place du Chateau in Strasbourg

Past Horizons Archaeology ^ | September 2012 | Source: INRAP

[SunkenCiv]

This excavation... presents a unique opportunity to explore the ancient origins of the city, to discover the Roman camp of the Legio VIII Augusta, and to uncover remains associated with the construction of the cathedral.

The origins of Strasbourg coincide with the installation of the Roman army. The Legio VIII Augusta was established in the ancient city of Argentorate in the 90's AD. Its 6000 men built a permanent camp covering nearly 20 hectares, which would later become the core of the Episcopal city during the Middle Ages, now the current centre of the city.

In the context of several previous operations, Inrap archaeologists have already explored this camp, including the rue Brûlée in 2008 where part of the barracks of the legionnaires was uncovered. Today, the excavation of the Place du Château concerns another part of the camp, the praetentura, which contains, among other things, the houses of six tribunes and other barracks of the legionnaires and their centurions.

Despite the small area excavated, the exploration of a single trench, 1.10 m wide and 3 m deep, has yielded several walls. One of the partition walls, which collapsed all at once, has a high quality mural painting on both of its sides.

One painting represents columns and a panel framing a standing woman. The other consists of a beautiful red garland with a green knot. This painted plaster illustrates the status of the occupant of this building, who must have been a tribune, or at least a centurion. The two paintings were carefully removed and are currently being cleaned and restored.

[SunkenCiv]

Fragment of a Roman tile or brick with the stamp of the Eighth Legion Augusta ("LEG VIII AUG"). Image: © Denis Gliksman, Inrap

[SunkenCiv]

It's in Alsace, right up against Germany nearly straight north from Monaco.

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
That's four, count 'em, four Roman Empire topics in this new week. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[cornelis]

While you're on this topic . . . I just watched "The Lost Legions of Varus." Good production. It suggests Roman empire building could be good, German empire building could be not so good! Fun to watch.

[SunkenCiv]

I don’t have streaming vid here (dialup) — is it a simulation / game kind of thing?

[cornelis]

Episode from the History channel.

[blueunicorn6]

I’m not going to be positive that this was a military facility until they excavate a latrine and on the wall is written “Centurion Marcus is an excretum head!” Joe writes the same things throughout time.

[colorado tanker]

A very strategic sector of the Imperial frontier.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks ct!