Altrip Castle
| Altrip Castle | |
|---|---|
| Alternative name | Alta Ripa |
| limes |
Danube-Iller-Rhein-Limes Germania I , (route 1, Rhine line) |
| Dating (occupancy) | Valentinian, late 4th-5th centuries AD |
| Type | Cohort fort |
| unit |
a) Milites Martenses , b) Foederati ? |
| size | 0.5 ha |
| Construction | Stone construction |
| State of preservation | trapezoidal complex with polygonal corner and square gate towers, no remains visible above ground |
| place | Altrip |
| Geographical location | 49 ° 25 '58.8 " N , 8 ° 30' 7.2" E |
| height | 95 m above sea level NHN |
| Previous | Rheingönheim Castle (north) |
| Subsequently | Fort Speyer (Noviomagus / Nemetae) (south) |
.jpg)
Fort Altrip is a late antique fort of the Rhine Limes in the area of the municipality of Altrip , Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis , in Rhineland-Palatinate ( Germany ). The camp was part of the last massive reinforcement and expansion program of the Rhine Limes under Valentinian I and was founded in the second half of the 4th century AD. Alta Ripa is a good example of the Valentine fortifications in the late phase of the Rhine Limes. It controlled - together with two smaller Burgi - the imperial border at the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar rivers .
Surname
The ancient name alta ripa (= high bank), which is probably due to the location of the fort on a floodplain terrace, has been preserved in the place name to this day. In an eulogy ( Panegyrikus ) that Quintus Aurelius Symmachus gave before the emperor around New Year 370, a - "... bank, which its height gave its name ..." - is mentioned. Alta Ripa is also mentioned in the Notitia Dignitatum as a garrison location and again in the Codex Theodosianus published in 438 as the place of the promulgation of a law of June 19, 369.
Location and topography
The fort belonged to the administrative area of the Roman province Germania prima and was built directly on the left bank of the Rhenus ( Rhine ) on an alluvial plateau. The Nicer ( Neckar ) resulted at that time in more arms into the Rhine. In Roman times, the course of the Rhine around Altrip formed a peninsula protruding to the northeast with a high bank, which met a threshold on the right bank of the Rhine near Rheinau . This bottleneck was an easy to pass crossing point on the otherwise strongly meandering Rhine with its densely vegetated islands and large and marshy alluvial forests on the banks' edges.
function
The garrison of the fort monitored - together with the crews of two Burgi on a river island or on the opposite bank of the Rhine - the surrounding area and the confluence of the Neckar into the Rhine. The border fortifications secured a key position here, as the hydrographic situation at that time with numerous tributaries of the two rivers caused a difficult-to-access river and swamp-meadow landscape, which only allowed a relatively easy-to-fortify and controlled transition at Altrip.
Research history
In the second half of the 18th century Pastor Georg Litzel reports in a letter about Roman walls in the Rhine near Altrip. First investigations on the fort area took place in the 19th century, in the years 1835, 1842/43, 1884–1887 under Rudolf Harster (Historischer Verein der Pfalz). However, Harster did not come to any essential information about the extent and exact purpose of the fortifications, as the lack of support from the property owners, who in some cases refused permission to excavate or only allowed superficial investigations, made this impossible. In the 20th century, Eduard Anthes examined the area from 1910 , Gerhard Bersu , Friedrich Sprater , Robert and Ignaz Baumann in 1926/27 and 1932 , Günther Stein in 1961 and Helmut Bernhard in 1981 .
During construction work since 1835, Roman artifacts have repeatedly come to light, which were either sold on to antique collectors or - as in the case of a consecration stone (clay sandstone slab, 82 cm high, 1.36 meters wide and 27 cm thick) the Nemeter - in the possession of the Mannheimer Antiquity Association arrived. When the Rhine was low, the remains of the two burgi protruded from the river bed, an event that often attracted numerous onlookers. In 1887 an ancient statue of a youth came to light in a garden. After analyzing Rudolf Harster's research results, Eduard Anthes finally recognized the remains of the late Roman fort in 1917.
In particular, the two excavation campaigns under Gerhard Bersu, from 1926/27 and 1932, brought about significant progress in the exploration of the Altriper fort by setting 98 excavation cuts. Since the facility was located under the eastern edge of the densely built-up town center, the stitch excavations could only be carried out in a few courtyards and house gardens. Both the size of the facility and its unusual floor plan soon caused a sensation in the professional world. On the side facing the Rhine castle side and a work space of the Roman stonemasons could be discovered that this spoils such. B. the upper middle section of a scaled, 2.20 meter long Jupiter giant column, altars, ashlar stones from previous buildings, etc., roughly prepared for their further use. A bronze lamp in the shape of a dove that was found in the fort is considered an early Christian find. In the course of its existence, the camp was probably also repeatedly hit by flood events. Because of his Jewish descent, Bersu had to stop working on site and move to safety in England for the duration of the war. The findings of the excavations of these years were brought to Berlin, but were later lost again due to the Allied bombing of the city between 1939 and 1945.
At the beginning of the 1960s, manhole works offered the opportunity for new investigations in the fort area. From October 16 to December 8, 1961, Günter Stein was able to carry out individual exploratory excavations over a length of 78 meters - from Reginostraße to the war memorial. These excavations, initiated by the State Office for Prehistory and Early History of the Palatinate, were also supported by employees of the Roman-Germanic Commission of the German Archaeological Institute and the German Research Foundation. The aim was to review the results that had been obtained since 1884 and to supplement them if necessary. Above all, the remains of the walls of the interior buildings, the pile foundations of the foundation and antique ceramics were discovered. It was also possible to prove that a Roman settlement ( vicus ) existed here before the late antique fort . Remnants of a floor lined with brick slabs, the discovery of tubuli (hollow bricks), brick pillars or brick slabs and painted wall plaster indicated a villa rustica (Roman estate) or a building of a vicus . At the height of the parish church in the middle of the street, the four-meter deep fort well was discovered. From this 1700 year old wooden fragments were recovered and preserved. In addition, the remains of buildings and a burial ground from the Merovingian period were uncovered. On the occasion of the excavation in 1981, Helmut Bernhard also located the east gate.
development
4th century
At the time of the usurpation of Magnentius , between the years 352 and 353 there were devastating incursions by the neighboring Germanic tribes . The Alamanni conquered the area between the Upper Rhine and the Nava ( Nahe ). The Franks advanced further to the north , the entire Lower Rhine province of Germania secunda with its capital Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium ( Cologne ) was overrun, even the imperial residence of Augusta Treverorum ( Trier ) was affected by the attacks. All places in the Rhine valley and the hillside settlements of the Palatinate Forest were largely destroyed and looted. It was not until 357 that the Caesar (lower emperor) of the western empire, the later emperor Julian , succeeded in pushing the Germanic peoples out of the empire again.
The constant encroachments forced the Romans to build a deeper tiered border defense. Around 369 the middle part of the Rhine border was reinforced with additional watchtowers and fortresses, including Alta Ripa . These fortifications were able to ensure relative stability on the Rhine front for another 40 years. In 368 Valentinian I led two campaigns from here into the Neckar area. The emperor probably stayed in the area of Altrip for a short time in 369 to monitor the progress of the building work, which was particularly difficult here. The construction work on the Ländeburgi (see below) - according to the contemporary chroniclers Ammianus Marcellinus and Quintus Aurelius Symmachus - may even have been personally supervised by the emperor. Ammianus reports the following about the construction work in the Altrip and Neckarau area :
“When he then considered that the high and safe bulwark - for which he himself had laid the ground from the draft - could gradually be undermined by the powerful surge of waves - because the Neckar flows past it - he decided to divert the main current. He summoned experienced hydraulic engineers and a well-equipped section of his troops and went to the difficult work. For many days, fixtures that had been put together from oak wood and left in the river and next to which huge piles had been driven into the ground - which had to be repeated often - were thrown into confusion by the dammed water and walked away by the force of the current , lost. Nonetheless, the emperor's increased zeal and the effort of his disciplined soldiers, who often stood up to their chins in the water while working, won out. Finally, and not without the mortal danger of individual people, the border fortress was withdrawn from the unrest of the pushing river and is now strong and secure.
5th century
In 401 the Visigoths invaded Italy under Alaric . Thereupon the Roman army master ( magister utriusque militiae ) Stilicho was forced to withdraw most of the border troops in the north to protect the western Roman heartland. The Limes of the Rhine border had practically dissolved after this enormous bloodletting. At the turn of the year 406/407 the Alans together with Suebi and Vandals were therefore able to cross the river unhindered at Mogontiacum ( Mainz ), destroy it and burn down all the forts between Bingen and Seltz ; the civil cities - such as Borbetomagus Vangiones ( Worms ) and Noviomagus Nemetum ( Speyer ) - were looted. Whether the fort was destroyed by its occupation itself or in the course of the events described above can no longer be said with absolute certainty today.
The Romans were no longer in a position to throw the Germanic tribes that had invaded back across the Rhine. The tribes that had not moved further into Gaul established themselves on the western bank of the river. The government in Ravenna made a virtue out of necessity, contracted most of them as foederati and left the defense of the Rhine border to the new allies. The section at Borbetomagus was assigned to the Burgundians around 413 ; the terms of the contract included the manning of the border fortresses and the restoration of the watchtowers / Burgi . The Burgundian empire under King Gundahar , which was soon developing and striving for more and more independence , only lasted for a short time. In 436 Aetius put his Hunnic auxiliaries on the march, which bloody ended the Burgundian independence. This punitive expedition should later contribute part of the historical background for the Old High German epic the Nibelungenlied . Those who escaped the massacre were forcibly relocated to Lake Geneva or the Rhone Valley around 443 .
In many places and settlements, traces of continued use of the forts by the Romanesque remaining population and Germanic new settlers can still be found in the first half of the 5th century. It is possible that there was still a functioning administration (at least at the local level), but Roman rule had largely dissolved by this time. Around the year 455 the last traces of Roman life are lost in the Vorderpfalz. The castle ruins were finally destroyed by stone robbery. Even parts of the foundations were pulled out to a depth of four meters. By the 14th century at the latest, the fort must have completely disappeared.
Fort
Gerhard Bersu remarked the following about the structural features of the fort:
"The whole thing gives a picture of the most ingeniously conceived, late Roman fortification building under oriental influences, from which the Roman forts of the Limes period, such as the Saalburg, are weak prey."
In fact, the Altriper camp had very little in common with its mid-imperial predecessors. The complex had the shape of a slightly displaced trapezoid with four polygonal corner towers and two almost exactly opposite, square and single-gate gate towers on the west and east sides and covered an area of around 5000 square meters. The curtain wall was 3.2 meters wide, probably up to eight meters high and probably provided with a battlement protected by battlements . As was often the case in this period of time, second-used stone blocks, so-called spoilage , tombstones or consecration altars with inscriptions and pictorial representations were built into it. The east side of the fortification facing the Rhine was 141 meters long. The whole camp was also surrounded on three sides by a nine to ten meter wide moat, the walls of which were secured by fascines . A small drainage trench was also dug into the 16 meter wide berm .
The presumably multi-storey crew barracks as well as the command and storage building had been attached to the rear wall directly. This saved space and protected the buildings somewhat better from incendiary projectiles during sieges . During the excavations, up to 40 rooms in four orders of magnitude were detectable on the basis of their foundations. They were very comfortably furnished, and some of their floors were even covered with tiles. Remnants of underfloor heating and wall paintings were also preserved. In addition to the team accommodation, u. a. Administration, storage and storage rooms as well as stables are assigned to their function. Two larger rooms in the north and south wings may have been reserved for the administration and as quarters for the camp commandant. The - presumably paved - inner courtyard had been kept free of buildings, the regular supply of the crew with drinking water was ensured by a well in the southwest corner.
The fortification also included a landing stage on the banks of the Rhine, the support posts of which could be found. It is possible that the semicircular central part of the embankment was artificially raised as a pier.
garrison
The following occupation units are known for Alta Ripa :
| Time position | Troop name | |
| 4th century AD | Milites Martensium (the soldiers of Mars) | The Martensians are likely to have moved into their quarters here immediately after the camp was completed. According to the troop list of the Notitia Dignitatum , this unit, which was commanded by a prefect and was under the command of the Dux Mogontiacensis , provided the occupation force of the fort. Presumably it was a vexillation of a legio palatina of the same name (guard region), the Legio I Martia . It was set up under Diocletian , its name is derived from the god of war Mars , who was also the patron god of the tetrarch of the western half of the empire, Maximian . In the 350s years Martenses were during the division of the kingdom between the emperors I. Valentinian and Valens in Iuniores - and Seniores split units. The Milites Martenses could therefore also have emerged from the pseudocomitatensischen Martenses seniores / iuniores , who were under the command of the magister equitum Galliarum , or from the Legio I Flavia Martis . The Martenses seniores can be found in the troop list of the Magister militum per Orientem . |
| 5th century AD | foederati (mercenary) | After the Roman border guards on the Upper Rhine were dissolved in the early 5th century, the fort was presumably taken over by Burgundian fortified farmers. |
Bridgeheads
The fort was part of a fortification system that also included a Ländeburgus on the right bank of the Rhine and a somewhat smaller Burgus on an island on the Rhine. A fixed bridge connection between the individual fortifications probably never existed, at most the river crossing was only possible on a temporary ship bridge. Its last remains were blown up between 1866 and 1891 as an obstacle to shipping or as part of the regulation of the Rhine.
Course of the Danube-Iller-Rhein-Limes from Fort Altrip to the legion camp Strasbourg ( Argentoratum )
Listed from north to south
| Surname | Description / condition |
|---|---|
| Mannheim-Neckarau State Castle |
Its remains were known to the local population as the "monastery walls" since 1357. The fortification consisted of a multi-storey, square core structure measuring 21.5 × 17 meters with walls up to three meters thick, which was reinforced on both sides with wing walls angled to the southwest, which reached into the bed of the Rhine. The foundations sat on a wooden frame made of squared timber and a layer of river rubble. The wing walls, reinforced with four small corner towers, sealed off a 170 square meter harbor basin between the Burgus and the river, in which the Classis Germanica ships (Rhine fleet) could dock, well protected from attacks and the current. |
| Burgus Altrip | The Burgus was originally located halfway between Altrip and Neckarau on a river island and consisted of a rectangular core, which was probably also surrounded by a wall. There are no more traces of it today, as it has been completely flooded by the Rhine since the course of the river was changed in 1609. The remains were measured in the 19th century and then blown up as part of the regulation of the Rhine. |
| Speyer Castle | The fortifications, which are very extensive in terms of area, have only been explored to a limited extent. It is believed to have been abandoned in the early 5th century AD (406–407). |
| Fort Germersheim ( Vico Iulio ) | Presumably the location of a late antique fort, which could have existed until the 4th century AD. |
| Rheinzabern fort | Presumably the location of a late antique fort. |
| Argentoratum Legionary Camp |
Monument protection
This ground monument has been protected as a registered cultural monument within the meaning of the Monument Protection Act of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate since 1959 . Investigations and targeted collection of finds are subject to approval, and accidental finds are reported to the monument authorities.
Note
Since May 2014, two portico poles, a pilaster and the fragment of a scaled Jupiter giant column from the fort have been set up in a small information center at the former location of the fort and explained by panels.
See also
List of forts in the Danube-Iller-Rhein-Limes
literature
- Georg Litzel: Historical news of a Roman castell, which was seen on Altrip in the middle of the Rhine in the year of Christ 1750. Speyer 1756 ( online ).
- Ralf Scharf: The Dux Mogontiacensis and the Notitia Dignitatum. A study of late antique border defense . Walter de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 2005, ISBN 3-11-018835-X ( Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Supplementary volumes, Volume 48. Limited preview in the Google book search).
- Exhibition catalog Imperium Romanum, Romans, Christians, Alemanni - The late antiquity on the Upper Rhine. Edited by the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe. Verlag Theiss 2005. Therein: Britta Rappold: Late Roman fortifications in the Neckar estuary. Pp. 194-197.
- Günter Stein: Results of the last excavation in the late Roman fort Altrip. In: Report of the Koldewey Society. 1967.
- Günter Stein, Wilhelm Schleiermacher : The investigations in the late Roman fort Altrip Kr. Ludwigshafen, in 1961, In: 49th report of the Roman-Germanic Commission 1968 . Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 1970, pp. 85-110.
- Günter Stein: The late Roman fort Altrip: new excavation results. Protocol of the lecture, Karlsruhe 1970.
- Gerhard Bersu: The late Roman fort in Altrip. In: Gerhard Bersu, Hans Zeiss : Roman-Germanic research. Roman-Germanic Commission of the German Archaeological Institute in Frankfurt am Main, Berlin / Leipzig 1928.
- Sigmar von Schnurbein, Heinz-Jürgen Köhler: The new plan of the Valentinian fort Alta Ripa. Reports of the Roman-Germanic Commission. No. 70, 1989, pp. 507-526.
- Jörg Fesser: Name continuity and settlement continuity using the example of “Altrip”. In: Contributions to name research. Tape. 47, H. 1, 2012, pp. 81-89.
- Theodor Maurer, Dieter Kirsch: Altrip, portrait of a village, commemorative publication on the occasion of its 1600 years of existence. Altrip municipal administration, 1970.
- Heinz Cüppers , Helmut Bernhard (ed.): The Romans in Rhineland-Palatinate. Verlag Theiss, Stuttgart 1990, ISBN 3-8062-0308-3 .
- Dietwulf Baatz , Fritz-Rudolf Herrmann , Bernhard Beckmann (eds.): The Romans in Hessen. Verlag Theiss, Stuttgart 1982, ISBN 3-8062-0267-2 .
- Günther Haselier: History of the City of Breisach. From the beginning to the year 1700 , 1st half volume, self-published by the city of Breisach am Rhein, 1969.
Web links
- Heimatblatt für Altrip: Description of the fort excavations (PDF; 1.5 MB)
- Reconstruction model of the fort
- Web presence of the home and history association Altrip
- Location of the fort on Vici.org
Remarks
- ↑ CIL 13, 6129 .
- ↑ … ipsa ripa barbariae, cui altitudo nomen inposuit… Otto Seeck (Ed.): Q. Aurelii Symmachi quae supersunt . Weidmann, Berlin 1883. Reprinted Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Munich 1984 ( Monumenta Germaniae Historica , Scriptores, 6, 1, p. 324, line 19), ISBN 3-921575-19-2 ( online ).
- ^ ND Occ: XLI, 5.
- ↑ CTh. 11.31.4 ( online ).
- ↑ Britta Rabold: 2005, p. 195.
- ↑ Nemeter inscription: "The Silvinians Justus and Dubikatus gladly and happily erected the monument to Mars and Nemetona in fulfillment of their vows."
- ↑ Günther Haselier: 1969, p. 33
- ↑ Ammianus, Res gestae 28, 2, 1–4: et quaesitis artificibus peritis aquariae rei copiosaque militis manu arduum est opus agressus. Translation after: Theodor Maurer, Dieter Kirsch (Hrsg.): Altrip - Portrait of a village. Festschrift on the occasion of its 1600 years of existence. Altrip 1970.
- ↑ Dietwulf Baatz: 1982, p. 223.
- ↑ Helmut Bernhard: 1990, p. 159.
- ↑ Britta Rapold: 2005, pp. 194–195.
- ↑ ND.Occ .: XLI, 5, Praefectus militum Martensium, Alta Ripa .
- ↑ ND or .: VII, 5, 40.
- ↑ Ralf Scharf: 2005, pp. 251-252.
- ^ Claudia Theune: 2004, p. 419
- ↑ Britta Rabold: 2005, p. 196.
- ↑ Britta Rabold: 2005, p. 197.
- ↑ H. Cüppers (Ed.): The Romans in Rhineland-Palatinate. Stuttgart 1990, p. 565 f.
- ↑ H. Cüppers (Ed.): The Romans in Rhineland-Palatinate. Stuttgart 1990, p. 372 f.
- ↑ H. Cüppers (Ed.): The Romans in Rhineland-Palatinate. Stuttgart 1990, p. 533 f.
- ↑ http://www.hgv-altrip.de/index.php/heimat-und-geschichte/alle-beitraege/524-einweihung-und-eroeffnung-der-informationsstaette-kastell-alta-ripa.html
Andernach Castle (Antunnacum) | Burgus Neuwied-Engers | Koblenz Castle (Confluentes) | Burgus Lahnstein | Fort Boppard (Bodobrica) | Fort Oberwesel | Bingen Castle (Bingio) | Bad Kreuznach Castle (Cruciniacum) | Legion camp Mainz (Mogontiacum) | Alzey Castle (Altineum) | Fort Worms (Vangiones) | Fort Altrip (Alta ripa) | Speyer Castle (Nemetae) | Fort Gernersheim (Vico Iulio) | Rheinzabern Castle (Tabernis) | Seltz Castle (Saletione) | Brumath Castle (Brocomagus) | Saverne Castle (Tres Tabernae) | Strasbourg legionary camp (Argentoratum) | Fort Ehl (Helvetium)