![Fossa Corbulonis map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Fossa_Corbulonis_map.png)
Matilo or Matilone was once a Roman fort (''
castellum
A ''castellum'' in Latin is usually:
* a small Roman fortlet or tower,C. Julius Caesar, Gallic War; 2,30 a diminutive of ('military camp'), often used as a watchtower or signal station like on Hadrian's Wall. It should be distinguished from a ...
'') in modern-day
Leiden
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...
. Positioned on the southern banks of the
Oude Rijn, it served to protect the
Roman borders in the province of
Germania Inferior
Germania Inferior ("Lower Germania") was a Roman province from AD 85 until the province was renamed Germania Secunda in the fourth century, on the west bank of the Rhine bordering the North Sea. The capital of the province was Colonia Agrippin ...
(''
Limes Germanicus
The (Latin for ''Germanic frontier'') is the name given in modern times to a line of frontier () fortifications that bounded the ancient Roman provinces of Germania Inferior, Germania Superior and Raetia, dividing the Roman Empire and the unsub ...
''). On the
Peutinger map
' (Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated ' (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the ''cursus publicus'', the road network of the Roman Empire.
The map is a 13th-cen ...
, it lies between the encampments of ''
Albaniana'' (
Alphen aan den Rijn
Alphen aan den Rijn (; en, "Alphen upon Rhine" or "Alphen on the Rhine") is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Old Rhine), where the r ...
) and ''
Praetorium Agrippinae
Praetorium Agrippinae was a Roman settlement in the province of Lower Germania, in the area of the Cananefates, located in modern-day Valkenburg, Netherlands. It was an army encampment (Lat.: ''castellum'') on the Old Rhine (at the time the ma ...
'' (
Valkenburg). The seventh-century ''
Ravenna Cosmography
The ''Ravenna Cosmography'' ( la, Ravennatis Anonymi Cosmographia, "The Cosmography of the Unknown Ravennese") is a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland, compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around 700 AD. Text ...
'' gives its name as ''Matellionem''.
Name
Matilo probably derives its name from a body of water near which it was situated, as is usually the case with Roman place-names ending in -on, -one, -an or -ane. This particular water body had most likely already received its name before Roman settlement along the Oude Rijn. It is therefore of
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
or
Germanic origin and its meaning remains unclear.
History
Due to lack of any evidence predating Roman finds, archaeologists usually conclude that the Romans were the first to settle in this particular location. Before their arrival, people mostly lived further from the river.
The first Romans arrived at the site in 47 AD as part of a larger operation to reinforce the Germanic lines. In order to increase the efficiency of supply chains and communication lines within his army, general
Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo
Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo (Peltuinum c. AD 7 – 67) was a popular Roman general, brother-in-law of the emperor Caligula and father-in-law of Domitian. The emperor Nero, highly fearful of Corbulo's reputation, ordered him to commit suicide, which ...
had a canal built (known as the ''
Fossa Corbulonis
The Fossa Corbulonis (Dutch: ''Kanaal van Corbulo'') was a Roman canal that was dug around 50 AD under the direction of Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo. The project was mentioned by the historians Tacitus and Cassius Dio,Tacitus ''Annales'' XI 20; Cassiu ...
'', or Corbulo's Canal), connecting the
Meuse
The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...
and
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
. Matilo was erected there, at the meeting place of the Oude Rijn and the newly dug canal, because of its strategic importance.
Archaeological evidence seems to suggest that the Romans only constructed the fort itself somewhere at around 70 AD, whereas a small watchtower might have taken its place in the years before. The construction of Matilo therefore immediately followed the
Batavian Rebellion
The Revolt of the Batavi took place in the Roman province of Germania Inferior between AD 69 and 70. It was an uprising against the Roman Empire started by the Batavi, a small but militarily powerful Germanic tribe that inhabited Batavia, on th ...
in 69 and as such played an important role in restoring order to the province of
Germania Inferior
Germania Inferior ("Lower Germania") was a Roman province from AD 85 until the province was renamed Germania Secunda in the fourth century, on the west bank of the Rhine bordering the North Sea. The capital of the province was Colonia Agrippin ...
.
Somewhere between 85 and 116, the moat was
palisade
A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade.
Etymology
''Palisade' ...
d and between 130 and 196 AD the Romans added three
moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...
s and rebuilt the
armoury
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
(''armamentarium'') in stone. They did this once more sometime in 196–243, and replaced the wooden outer wall with a stone one as well. The wall and moats were then rebuilt once more after that.
This ''castellum'' was home to the
cohors XV ''Voluntarium'' from the last quarter of the first century up to at least 196–198, the
''cohors I Lucensium (Hispanorum)'' occupied the outpost during
Trajan
Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...
's reign (103 or 110) and another inscription mentions the ''Numerus Exploratorum Batavorum (Antoniniarum)''. Archaeological findings of ammunition for an
onager
The onager (; ''Equus hemionus'' ), A new species called the kiang (''E. kiang''), a Tibetan relative, was previously considered to be a subspecies of the onager as ''E. hemionus kiang'', but recent molecular studies indicate it to be a distinct ...
indicate that an
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
division was once garrisoned there.
[''Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum'' XIII.8823-25; Brandenburg & Hessing (2005) 27, 31.]
Notes
References
Bibliography
*Brandenburg, C.R. & Hessing, W.A.M. (2005) ''Matilo - Rodenburg - Roomburg: De Roomburgerpolder van Romeins castellum tot moderne woonwijk'' (Amersfoort).
*Lems, E. (1995) ''Op zoek naar Matilo: Sporen van de Romeinen in Leiden'' (Leiden).
External links
*Lendering, J. (2009
''Matilo'' Accessed: 02-02-2013
{{coord, 52.1497, N, 4.5184, E, source:wikidata, display=title
Archaeology of the Netherlands
Germania Inferior
History of Leiden
Military of ancient Rome
Roman frontiers
Roman sites in the Netherlands
Roman legionary fortresses in Netherlands