Porcetum

Porcetum was a Roman village ( Vicus ), which served as a place of worship and pilgrimage, in the area of ​​today's Burtscheid .

Finds

In 1969, the foundations of a nymphaeum dedicated to Apollo Grannus were found in the area of ​​today's Burtscheider market . In the eastern corner of the 15 × 15 × 3  Roman foot (about 4.5 × 4.5 × 0.9 m) large interior there was a natural spring. A staircase leads to the side of the building. A corresponding altar made of Lorraine limestone, which was discovered in 1957 during excavation work in the Schwertbad rehabilitation clinic , underlines the cultic character of the nymphaeum. The altar has a five-fold profiled base and is 87.5 cm high and 57.0 cm wide. Both the inscription of Latinius Macer, a Primus Pilus of the IX. Legion from Verona , as well as the corresponding relief image showing Apollo with a kithara , prove that it was consecrated to the god Apollo (Grannus). Apollo is shown seated. He carries a bow and a quiver on his back. Due to the stationing of troops, Petrikovits and Nesselhauf date the altar after the Legion left Britain in 108 to before 119 AD, when the unit was assigned to the Parthian Empire by Emperor Trajan .

inscription	translation
L (ucius) Latinius L (uci) f (ilius) Publilia (tribu) / Macer Ver (ona) p (rimus) p (ilus) Leg (ionis) VIIII Hisp (anae) / praef (ectus) castr (orum) pro se et suis / Apollini / v (otum) s (olvit) l (ibens) m (erito).	Lucius Latinius Macer, son of Lucius, from the tribus Publilia, born in Verona, Primus Pilus of the 9th Hispana Legion, camp commander, has happily redeemed the vow to the god Apollo for himself and his relatives.

The findings are supplemented by the discovery of a small, 36.0 cm high nymph altar from the 2nd / 3rd centuries. Century with a thank you inscription on the front.

inscription	translation
Nymphis / Marcia / Vangionis / li (berta) Verec / unda v (otum) / s (olvit) l (ibens) m (erito).	Marcia Verecunda, the freedwoman of Vangio, happily redeemed her vow to the nymphs and paid a fee.

In addition to other small finds, twelve fragments of a life-size female statuette, stylistically dated to before 70 AD, come from the area of ​​the source house. During the excavation, the remains of a stone fresh water pipe leading to Aquae Granni (Aachen) were also found.

Monument protection

The area of ​​the vicus is a ground monument according to the law for the protection and maintenance of monuments in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Monument Protection Act - DSchG) . Investigations and targeted collection of finds are subject to approval, and accidental finds are reported to the monument authorities.

literature

• Paul Derks: Porcêtum "Schweinetrift". The name of Burtscheid and the Latin-Romanesque relics in the Aachen area , In: Zeitschrift des Aachener Geschichtsverein , (ZAachenerGV) 100, 1995/96, pp. 153–245
• Heinz Günter Horn (Ed.): The Romans in North Rhine-Westphalia . Theiss, Stuttgart, 1987. p. 328. ISBN 3-8062-0312-1 .
• Christoph Keller: Archaeological research in Aachen. Zabern, Mainz 2004, ISBN 3-8053-3407-9 .
• Peter Rothenhöfer: The economic structures in southern Lower Germany. Investigations into the development of an economic area on the periphery of the Imperium Romanum. Verlag Marie Leidorf, Rahden / Westfalen 2005, ISBN 3-89646-135-4 .

Remarks

1. ↑ AE 1968, 323 ; Images  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .  
2. ↑ AE 1977, 544 ; Illustration  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .  
3. ↑ Law on the protection and maintenance of monuments in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Monument Protection Act - DSchG)

Coordinates: 50 ° 45 '48.24 "  N , 6 ° 5' 27.6"  E