Praetorium Agrippinae was a Roman settlement in the province of Lower Germania, in the area of the

Cananefates The Cananefates, or Canninefates, Caninefates, or Canenefatae, meaning "leek masters", were a Germanic tribe, who lived in the Rhine delta, in western Batavia (later Betuwe), in the Roman province of '' Germania Inferior'' (now in the Dutch pr ...

, located in modern-day Valkenburg,

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It was an army encampment (Lat.: ''

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 ...

'') on the Old Rhine (at the time the major branch of the river

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

), on the northern border of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

, the

limes Limes may refer to: * the plural form of lime (disambiguation) * the Latin word for ''limit'' which refers to: ** Limes (Roman Empire) (Latin, singular; plural: ) is a modern term used primarily for the Germanic border defence or delimiting ...

. Praetorium Agrippinae is mentioned on the

Tabula Peutingeriana ' (Latin Language, 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 m ...

between the ''castella'' of

Matilo Matilo or Matilone was once a Roman fort (''castellum'') in modern-day Leiden. Positioned on the southern banks of the Oude Rijn, it served to protect the Roman borders in the province of Germania Inferior ('' Limes Germanicus''). On the Peu ...

in the east and

Lugdunum Batavorum Brittenburg was a Roman ruin site west of Leiden between Katwijk aan Zee and Noordwijk aan Zee, presumably identical to the even older Celtic Lugdunum fortress. The site is first mentioned in 1401, was uncovered more completely by storm erosion ...

to the west.

History

Castellum

A ''

praetorium The Latin term (also and ) originally identified the tent of a general within a Roman castrum (encampment), and derived from the title praetor, which identified a Roman magistrate.Smith, William. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, 2 ed., ...

'' is a military headquarters, and Praetorium Agrippinae takes its name from the mother of the emperor

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

Vipsania Agrippina Vipsania Agrippina (; 36 BC – 20 AD) was the first wife of the Emperor Tiberius. She was the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Pomponia Caecilia Attica, thus a granddaughter of Titus Pomponius Atticus, the best friend of Cicero. Biogr ...

, who died in 33 AD. It is almost certain that Caligula stayed in the area in 39 or 40 AD, since a wine barrel from his personal vineyards was found during excavations at Valkenburg. Most probably, he visited the area in preparation for a never executed invasion of

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

, and the castellum may have been erected for this operation. However, finds of coins and ''

terra sigillata Terra sigillata is a term with at least three distinct meanings: as a description of medieval medicinal earth; in archaeology, as a general term for some of the fine red Ancient Roman pottery with glossy surface slips made in specific areas of t ...

'' pottery suggest that Roman army units may have been stationed there before its construction. The fort was built in the current centre of Valkenburg, and was at first fortified by a palisaded earthen wall and three moats. Initially, two maniples (or four ''

centuriae ''Centuria'' (, plural ''centuriae'') is a Latin term (from the stem ''centum'' meaning one hundred) denoting military units originally consisting of 100 men. The size of the century changed over time, and from the first century BC through most ...

'') of

legionaries The Roman legionary (in Latin ''legionarius'', plural ''legionarii'') was a professional heavy infantryman of the Roman army after the Marian reforms. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the late Republi ...

and two ''

turma A ''turma'' (Latin for "swarm, squadron", plural ''turmae''), (Greek: τούρμα) was a cavalry unit in the Roman army of the Republic and Empire. In the Byzantine Empire, it became applied to the larger, regiment-sized military-administrative ...

e'' of cavalry from the ''cohors III Gallorum Equitata'' were stationed at the fort. After the

Revolt of the Batavi 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 t ...

(69–70 AD), however, when the local tribes had razed the fortress to the ground, the entire ''cohors IV Thracum'' was relocated here. Around 180 AD the Romans enlarged the fort and rebuilt it in stone. In total, seven building phases have been distinguished. Like all other forts on the Dutch ''limes'', Valkenburg was deserted after the collapse of the Roman border defense around 275 AD. Valkenburg, however, is one of the few ''castella'' where evidence for Late Roman building activities was found. During the reign of

Constantius I Chlorus Flavius Valerius Constantius "Chlorus" ( – 25 July 306), also called Constantius I, was Roman emperor from 305 to 306. He was one of the four original members of the Tetrarchy established by Diocletian, first serving as caesar from 293 t ...

a granary was constructed here for the shipment of grain to Britannia.

Vicus

To the southeast of the fortress, a large civil settlement (''

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus r ...

'') developed, stretching for approx. 1 km along the ''via militaris''. It was inhabited between approx. 70 and 240 AD. Archaeological investigations have uncovered living quarters, storehouses and granaries, and possibly a bath house. A large cemetery containing over 700 graves was found as well. Between 70 and 110 AD, a small military encampment ("mini-castellum") was located here as well. Valkenburg - N206 - Romeinse weg

Remains

Some of the finds can be seen in the ''Torenmuseum'' in Valkenburg. On the central square of town, the Castellumplein, the contours of the fort are visualised with bronze dots in the pavement. The foundations of one of the fort's gates have been reconstructed as well. Outside town, on the N206 provincial road, a reconstruction of the military road can be seen.

Excavations

Valkenburg is one of the best excavated Roman sites in the Netherlands. Investigations started already in 1875, but the main excavations were done between 1941 and 1953 under the direction of

Albert Egges van Giffen Albert Egges van Giffen (14 March 1884 – 31 May 1973) was a Dutch archaeologist. Van Giffen worked at the University of Groningen and University of Amsterdam, where he was a professor of Prehistory and Germanic archaeology. He worked most of his ...

. These excavations yielded large quantities of finds, and since the remains of the castellum were found below groundwater level, they were very well preserved and included many organic remains, such as foodstuffs, bone, leather and rope. This allowed for detailed reconstruction of Roman building practices and feeding habits. In the 1970s and 1980s, further excavations were done in the area of the ''vicus''. A recent re-analysis showed that the houses here were built in narrow rectangular parcels, perpendicular to the military road. 2012. ''Romeinen op de Woerd, Reconstructie van een woonwijk op grond van een vergeten opgraving in Valkenburg (ZH)''. Leiden, Hazenberg Archeologie

References

External links

PRAGRIS (PRaetorium AGrippinae Roman Information Site)
- digitized information about the Van Giffen excavations
Livius.org: Praetorium Agrippinae (Valkenburg ZH)
*
Torenmuseum Valkenburg
{{coord, 52.1797, N, 4.4317, E, source:wikidata, display=title Archaeology of the Netherlands Germania Inferior Military of ancient Rome Roman frontiers Netherlands in the Roman era Roman sites in the Netherlands