Neumagen wine ship

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Original from the Neumagen wine ship
Replica of the Neumagen wine ship
Work on the replica of the wine ship
Stella Noviomagi on the maiden voyage shortly before entering the port

The Neumagener Weinschiff is the tomb of a Roman wine merchant from around AD 220 .

original

A total of four ships were found, which were worked as counterparts and served to represent the profession of the deceased. The almost three meter long hull ends in a beak-shaped ram and is provided with eyes, which gives the ship's bow the appearance of a head. The front side shows 22 oars and eight men each, whose upper bodies and heads are visible above deck, and behind them four large wine barrels on each ship. The tomb was crowned by an attachment that shows 14 spherical amphorae packed with straw for safe transport. Based on the nature of the cargo and the fact that this ship is being rowed, it can be concluded that Moselle wine was shipped on such ships and exported to other parts of Gaul and Germania. The two dragon heads that decorate the stems and determine the overall impression , which is unusual for a cargo ship , are striking .

The remains of the tomb were found in Neumagen in 1878 as part of the foundation of the defensive wall of the late ancient Roman fortress Noviomagus Treverorum . Because of their age, this and other finds led to Neumagens being called "Germany's oldest wine town".

An original is now in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier . A replica is set up at the Peterskapelle in Neumagen-Dhron. Further copies can be found. a. in the Knauf Museum in Iphofen and in the entrance area of ​​the “ United Hospitals ” in Trier . A scaled-down replica is located in the outdoor area of ​​a Trier hotel and wine bar right next to the Liebfrauenkirche am Dom.

Replica

A wooden replica ( STELLA NOVIOMAGI , lat . For star Neumagens ) with 22 oars and a motor has been in the port of Neumagen-Dhron since September 30, 2007 . The ship was built by trainees from the Trier Chamber of Crafts . The total costs, contributed by various institutions as material or labor, amounted to € 400,000. The ship is the largest floatable Roman ship ever built in the German-speaking area.

The ship can be chartered by groups and, if necessary, rowed yourself. Otherwise it is powered by two 55 hp diesel engines.

Some data:

  • Width: 4.20 m
  • Width with strap : 10 m
  • Length: 17.95 m
  • Height: 3.90 m
  • Weight of the straps: 15 kg
  • Empty weight: 14 t
  • Draft : 0.60-0.80 m
  • Body speed : 18 km / h
  • Material: wood from local forests
    • Oak keel and frames
    • Larch planks
    • Douglas fir deck and railing
    • Spruce and pine straps
    • Linden tree heads

Historical context

Information boards in Neumagen about the ancient Moselle shipping and the wine ship monument

Scientists assume that Roman warships also transported goods in peacetime and were converted accordingly. The wine ship presumably represents a former combat or supply ship of the Rhine fleet ( Classis Germanica ) that came into the possession of a civilian. Especially the ram's spur , the eye ( oculus ) and the predator's heads as a stave decoration are signs that it could originally have been a military vehicle. The ship appears to have been considerably larger than the standard transporters of the Roman fleet, the Navis actuaria . The sculpture has 22 oars on each side, which suggests that it was rowed by 44 rowers ( remiges ). The units of the Rhine fleet were not only on the river and its tributaries, but also operated in the North Sea. For such journeys, ship types were necessary that could defy the local weather conditions. The continuous deck on which the crew is located speaks for its size. The men sit with their backs to the stern post . They are therefore presumably not rowers, but deckhands who had the task of ensuring that the wine barrels were properly stowed and monitored during the journey. Especially the man on the back shows this clearly. The rowers sat below deck and would not be visible to the outside observer. They sat with their backs to the stem so that they could operate the oars.

literature

  • Monika KN Weidner in: Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier (Hrsg.): Finds: from prehistory to modern times. ( Series of publications by the Rheinisches Landesmuseum , 36). Theiss, Stuttgart 2009, pp. 110-111.
  • Hans DL Viereck: The Roman fleet. Classis Romana. Köhlers Verlagsgesellschaft, Hamburg 1996, ISBN 3-930656-33-7 .

Web links

Commons : Neumagener Weinschiff  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Information board on the jetty
  2. ↑ Viereck 1996, pp. 87-88.