Three rivers cycle trip: report for the Roman Society

Summary:

Between 2 June and 15 July, I cycled 2039km from the Hook of Holland to Vienna, following the course of the rivers Rhine, Moselle and Danube through 6 countries, and visiting 32 Roman sites and museums on the way – please see map below for the route and itinerary. I wrote a blog of places I saw and reflections from the road, and at 3 August had attracted over 720 visits to the site and well over 3700 views of the 35 articles largely through promotion on social media, through the Society, and by word of mouth amongst personal contacts. Blog posts with more information, including details of every visit, can be found here: https://cyclingarchaeologist.wordpress.com

My aims before setting out were to examine art at the edge of the Empire, especially sculpted stone, to see those objects and archaeological sites within their landscapes, and to travel at approximately the pace of a Roman horseman to gain a sense of perspective on trade and movement of goods such as stone. In addition, I made appointments to meet experts on provincial sculpture in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and was interested to see how different museums and sites were displayed in different ways.

It was a particular thrill to see in real life so many of the towns, monuments, and artefacts I had only read about. From the Igel monument, possible comparator for the tomb monument at Stanwick, Northamptonshire discovered in the 1990s which I have been helping to research for Historic England, to the amazing preservation of buildings in Trier, often through consecration as churches, and the beautiful collections of the Habsburgs on display in Vienna, I feel I have acquired deeper understanding not only of the sites and objects from 2000 years ago but also of the layers of history in between.

Key findings:

Sources of stone and materialsAnalysis of stone type is a growing area of work, and can offer incredible insights into trade routes and value of artworks in the ancient world. Several European research projects are underway or already published, but museum labels have often not yet been updated with more information than broad identifications such as limestone, sandstone, tufa or marble. Some sites and museums did offer full explanations; at Xanten and Augusta Raurica for instance, where archaeologists have carefully reconstructed sections of the settlements, using ancient techniques and materials, and there is a display of analysis of the decorative stone from the Barbara thermae in the Rheinishces Landesmuseum Trier. Nonetheless, even with relatively brief descriptions, it was possible to start to see patterns emerging and I would like to look into this further.

Mediterranean marble was seen only in small quantities except as imports within later collections, but there were large sculptures at Trier and Cologne, reliefs at Tulln, and smaller figurines in Vienna, some of exquisite quality.

There was some bronze statuary, but most was very fragmentary, the largest pieces being some whole feet, hands and fingers. The magnificent bronze head possibly of Trajan or of an important figure keen to resemble him at Nijmegen was an exception, and reminded me of the heads of Hadrian and Claudius (or perhaps Nero) that we have also from rivers in southern

Britain. Also exceptional was the cache of bronze cavalry parade armour from Straubing, moulded with figures of gods and heroes, in an incredible state of preservation, having been concealed in the 3rd century. Pre-Roman bronzes of Hallstatt and La Tène cultures were in evidence at sites and museums along the Danube.

Movement of large objects by river, insight into ancient pace and perspective of travelMy average of 50km per day was a little more than a Roman rider might complete, and allowed me to adopt their steady pace. Cycle paths also took me away from roads, through woods and on riverbanks, affording in a small way the sense of remoteness an ancient traveller may have felt. The rivers were in flood when I visited, it having rained for some weeks with little abatement, and the speed of the stream and swirling eddies created even in the shallows emphasised the impetus behind offerings to gods for safe passage.

I followed the route of several main Roman roads: the Limes road on the west bank of the Rhine all the way from the North Sea to Basel; parts of the Ausonius road near the Moselle; the road south of the Danube between Regensburg and Passau; and I took a train along the route of the Agrippa road out from Cologne to Nettersheim. Surface often determined the speed of my progress by bike and well-made Roman roads would no doubt have sped travel considerably. Nonetheless, travel by boat, especially for large cargoes, would no doubt have been more efficient. However, as shown in the fascinating Museum für Antike Schiffart in Mainz, from watching flat-bottomed boats with shipping containers on the Rhine, and on all ferry schedules on the Danube, the difference between passage upstream and downstream was significant.

Types of monument, iconography and motifsIt is very hard to generalise briefly for such a large area and number of sites, each kind of object warranting considerable research on its own, but it was clear that while the familiar groups of Roman sculpted objects can be seen across the areas visited (stelae, tomb monuments, dedicatory altars, some reliefs and free standing sculpture), there were also regional differences. Jupiter column fragments and the totenmahl relief tombstones were generally seen only in the Rhineland, for example, while reliefs associated with Mithras were infrequent. The range of tomb monuments seen was impressive, especially the vast collection at Rheinisches Landemuseum Trier, where scenes of daily life, travel and trade featured, and the volume and detail of those at the Römisch-Germanisches Museum Köln was staggering.

Objects and sites within landscapeThe chance to make the links between museum collections some way apart from each other was fantastic, especially as collections were often built up of objects from a wide area. In Mainz, I saw a scale model of a boat I had seen on a monument in Trier, and I could compare the stones I saw in museums to that in the hills I cycled past. The chance also to understand the topography and accessibility helped me understand why some settlements grew up where they did and why certain trade routes were preferred. The Igel monument placed by a river had additional impact and the situation of the Celtic Heuneburg on top of a hill was eminently defensible, while the sanctuary of the Matres at Nettersheim by a river felt still imbued with some numinous force on a balmy sunny day.

Varying approaches to museums and display of archaeology and ancient artEach museum and site I visited, while all focused on displaying Roman artefacts and archaeological remains to visitors, approached the task in different ways and it was interesting to compare them. Several museums also housed collections of different media (for instance paintings) and from different periods, since they were the landesmuseum for a state or area. While some presented this local history chronologically, others like the museum at Bonn offered thematic displays focused on large topics such as power, transport, and religion. I found this approach could be more inspiring and thought provoking, but the chronological easier to follow, especially for the non-specialist. Most sought to present finds innovatively, and ensured that the limits and advantages of retrieving finds archaeologically were well conveyed, especially at the Archäologisches Landesmuseum for Baden-Württemberg in Konstanz. The experimental archaeology on display at the Museum für Antike Schiffart in Mainz was especially impressive and absorbing, giving real insights into how the boats worked, how they were made, and what it was like to operate them.

At some sites there were large structures to visit – at Trier, for instance, where many buildings are preserved – or sections that had been reconstructed, and the explanations of how this was done were interesting. The archaeological park at Archeon may have been selective in its presentation of the past, but it really brought the sights, smells and sounds of history to life for lots of children!

Meeting continental scholarsThis was a real highlight and I was very grateful for the kindness and time of several European experts on provincial sculpture to talk to me about work underway or sites to visit, and to show me around their institutions and give me insights into the academic culture in their areas. It was fantastic to tell them more about my own plans for research, to highlight some of the great examples we have of different sculptures in Britain too. Everyone to whom I spoke was keen to involve British researchers, and I look forward to building on these meetings. A further highlight was the opportunity to stay with local families by finding accommodation through the Vrienden op de Fiets organisation or Warm Showers website, and to enhance my language skills too. I was made so welcome.

What next?

I was most grateful for the support of the Roman Society, both financial to enable me to undertake this trip and in terms of publicity of my blog. What I saw and learned will be invaluable for my DPhil project, due to start in October 2016. This research will build on my experience as co-author of the London and South East volume of the International CSIR series, and will examine links especially between the south east of Britain and the Rhineland and Moselle region in terms of motifs, stone types, artistic styles and practice. I learned a huge amount on my trip, though now have even more questions to pursue!

I also hope that this will prove to be the first leg of a complete circuit of the Roman Empire by bike, and am planning the next stage to complete the Danube frontier, though at the moment several areas through which I would need to pass later on are sadly unsafe for lone travel. Do keep an eye on the blog site for more travel tales and missives from the edge of the Empire.

Penny Coombe, August 2016

Main route – red pointsLondonHarwich International Port Hook of HollandLeidenAlphen aan den Rijn UtrechtWijk bij Duurstede WageningenArnhemNijmegenMillingen aan de Rijn XantenNeussCologneNettersheimBonnDrachenfelsRemagenKoblenzTrierBernkastel-KuesCochemBingenMainzWormsSpeyerStrasbourgRiquewihrBiesheimBadenweilerBaselSchaffhausenKonstanzSigmaringenEhingenUlmDonauwörth Ingolstadt RegensburgStraubingKünzingPassauAschach an der Donau Linz MauthausenGreinKrems an der Donau TullnVienna

Sites and Museums visited – blue squares Rijksmuseum van Oudheden ArcheonFort VechtenMuseum het Valkhof LVR-Römermuseum and park, XantenClemens Sels Museum Roman-Germanic Museum Köln Naturzentrum Eifel, NettersheimLVR-LandesMuseum Bonn Igeler Säule St Peter's Cathedral, TrierImperial Baths, Trier Konstantin-Basilika, TrierPorta Nigra TrierRheinisches Landesmuseum TrierMuseum für Antike Schiffahrt MainzRömisches Theater, MainzRGZM, Mainz Musee Archeologique Strasbourg Musee Gallo-Romain BiesheimAntikenmuseum Basel Augusta Raurica Archäologisches Landesmuseum KonstanzHeuneburgmuseum, HundersingenTemple of Apollo Grannus, FaimingenGäubodenmuseum Straubing Museum Quintana, KünzingRömermuseum Kastell Boiotro, PassauRömermuseum TullnRömermuseum WienKunsthistorisches Museum Wien Naturhistorisches Museum Wien