The ''Ara Ubiorum'' (Altar of the

Ubii 350px, The Ubii around AD 30 The Ubii were a Germanic tribe first encountered dwelling on the east bank of the Rhine in the time of Julius Caesar, who formed an alliance with them in 55 BC in order to launch attacks across the river. They were ...

) was a Roman sanctuary in the

Oppidum Ubiorum Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...

(modern day

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

). It was erected in the last decade of the 1st century BC and was dedicated to the goddess Roma and the Roman emperor. It was a central location for the Germans conquered by

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

to demonstrate their loyalty to Rome and the Emperor through offerings. Like the ''

Ara trium Galliarum The ''Ara trium Galliarum'', or ‘Altar of the three Gallic provinces’, was a Roman sanctuary near Lugdunum (today Lyon in France). The altar was consecrated to the goddess Roma and Augustus. In the 2nd decade of the 1st century BC, Drusus bu ...

'', the altar was the site of the '' concilium provinciae'' ("pronvicial council") for the planned province of

Germania Magna Germania ( ; ), also called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman province of the same name, was a large historical region in north-c ...

. The priests who serviced the altar were drawn from high-ranking Germans.

History

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

reports that in AD 9, the Cherusci prince

Segimundus Julius Segimundus was a nobleman of the Germanic peoples, Germanic Cherusci. Segimundus was a son of Segestes. His father was a close ally of the Roman Empire and were therefore followers of the Imperial cult of ancient Rome, imperial cult of Au ...

was serving at the altar. When he learnt of the defeat of Publius Quinctilius Varus in the

Battle of the Teutoburg Forest The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, described as the Varian Disaster () by Roman historians, took place at modern Kalkriese in AD 9, when an alliance of Germanic peoples ambushed Roman legions and their auxiliaries, led by Publius Quinctilius ...

, Segimundus is meant to have ripped the priestly headband from his head and fled over the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

to Germany in order to join the war effort. After the abandonment of the territories on the right bank of the Rhine in AD 16, the sanctuary lost its regional significance. It continued to be maintained in Roman Cologne.

Location

The ''Ara Ubiorum'' must have been located in a significant and highly visible spot, but we lose track of it in later Roman Cologne (

Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium was the Roman colony in the Rhineland from which the city of Cologne, now in Germany, developed. It was usually called ''Colonia'' (colony) and was the capital of the Roman province of Germania Inferior and t ...

). The Oppidum Ubiorum was located within the walls erected after the founding of the '' colonia'', probably on the main street of the Roman city, which ran through the forum. This means that the altar probably was located in the area of and , which archaeological evidence also supports.Eck 2004, pp.88f.

References

Bibliography

Werner Eck Werner Eck (born 17 December 1939) is Professor of Ancient History at Cologne University, Germany, and a noted expert on the history and epigraphy of imperial Rome.Eck, W. (2007) ''The Age of Augustus''. 2nd ed. Oxford: Blackwell, cover notes. Hi ...

: ''Köln in römischer Zeit. Geschichte einer Stadt im Rahmen des Imperium Romanum''. Köln 2004, {{ISBN, 3-7743-0357-6, pp. 86ff. * Rudolf Haensch: ''Das römische Köln als „Hauptstadt“ der Provinz Germania inferior.'' In: Geschichte in Köln 33, 1993. pp. 5–40. Religious buildings and structures in Cologne Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Germany