Belgica vicus
The Belgica vicus near Euskirchen - Billig is one of the best researched Roman vici in the Rhineland . It is located at a junction of the ancient trunk road from Trier to Cologne , known as the Römerstraße Marmagen-Wesseling , the Römerstraße Trier-Cologne , and after the Itinerarium Antonini is brought into congruence with the Belgica vicus mentioned there . The Roman road Marmagen-Wesseling led from the settlement area of the Vicus Marcomagus , which was not far from today's Marmagen , via the Vicus from Billig to Wesseling . In the area of the vicus a crossing with a Roman local road to Zülpich is assumed; In addition, a road branched off within the Vicus Belgica , which probably led to Bonn and gave the settlement its triangular floor plan.
The vicus of cheap was excavated by Auf'm Weerth in the 1880s. In total, around 1/5 of the settlement has been archaeologically recorded to date. The floor plans of 20 strip houses were recorded. It is noticeable that none of these houses seem to have been hypocausted . This is possibly an indication of the lack of wealth in this place. The foundations of the southernmost house indicate a multi-storey building. Possibly a mansio or a beneficiary station stood here . According to Harald von Petrikovits, finds of matron consecration stones from the vicinity of the vicus prove the existence of such a beneficiary station. Remnants of agricultural equipment were found in one of the strip houses. Perhaps the residents of this building were connected to the supply of the villae rusticae in the area of Billig.
The Belgica vicus is assumed to be founded after the Batavian revolt , i.e. after AD 69/70. As with the other Rhineland vici , it is a conceived settlement by Germanic Ubians , without a Celtic predecessor settlement could be proven. Unlike in other Lower Germanic vici such as Jülich ( Iuliacum ) or Jünkerath ( Icorigium ), this settlement was not fortified in late antiquity . Coin finds, however, also suggest an occupancy up to the 5th century.
The area of the Belgica vicus is a ground monument according to the law for the protection and care of monuments in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Monument Protection Act - DSchG) . Investigations and targeted collection of finds are subject to approval, random finds must be reported to the monument authorities.
See also
literature
- Christoph B. Rüger : Euskirchen-cheap: Roman settlement (vicus). In: Heinz Günter Horn (Ed.): The Romans in North Rhine-Westphalia . Konrad Theiss Verlag, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-8062-0312-1 , p. 422 ff.
- Harald von Petrikovits : Belgica (Euskirchen cheap). In: Northeastern Eifel foreland - Euskirchen, Zülpich, Bad Münstereifel, Blankenheim. Part II: Excursions (= Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz et al. [Hrsg.]: Guide to prehistoric and early historical monuments. Volume 26). Verlag Philipp von Zabern , Mainz am Rhein 1974, p. 142 ff.
- Peter Rothenhöfer: The economic structures in southern Lower Germany. Investigations into the development of an economic area on the periphery of the Imperium Romanum . (= Cologne studies on the archeology of the Roman provinces . Volume 7), 2005.
- Alfred Wolber: Roman roads in the Euskirchen district. In: District Euskirchen (Hrsg.): Yearbook of the District Euskirchen 1975. P. 48–50.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Law on the protection and maintenance of monuments in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Monument Protection Act - DSchG)
Coordinates: 50 ° 37 ′ 24 ″ N , 6 ° 47 ′ 14 ″ E
