Strasbourg Museum of Archeology - Ancient Roman Civilization on Waymarking.com

At the site of Strasbourg, the Romans established a military outpost and named it Argentoratum. It belonged to the Germania Superior Roman province.

Originally the capital of the German tribe of the Triboci, it was known to the Romans as Argentorate (or Argentoratum), silver fort. Augustus' stepson Drusus senior (Nero Drusus, died 9 BC) may have established a garrison of auxiliaries there.

From soon after AD 16 until 43 a fortress existed, forming part of the military command (subsequently province) of Germania Superior (Upper Germany); it was occupied by a legion, and later by legionary detachments, who constructed the first basalt wall (to supplement an earthen bank). After the city's destruction in the Gallo-German rebellion of 69-70 AD, Argentorate resumed its role as a legionary headquarters in c 80 (shortly before Upper Germany was elevated to the status of a province).

Further serious damage followed in 235 AD, for during the 3rd and 4th centuries the place was severely exposed to German invasions, which led the inhabitants of its adjoining civilian settlement (canabae) to abandon their quarter and crowd into the fortress for protection. !

In fact, Strasbourg should have been named Drusenheim, as it was founded by the Roman General Drusus, the brother of Tibère. General Drusus constructed more than fifty forts along the Rhine river. These forts, built from Switzerland to Holland, constituted a sort of Maginot line before its time. This development took place between 12-16 B.C. One may suppose that under Emperor Augustsus, Argentorate was composed of five or six thousand inhabitants, who for the most part were foreigners who had not set out to settle there. Thus, this small town had already taken on a very cosmopolitan character which was also a bit unstable.

Different legions succeeded one another in what had become a legionary camp. An important period of growth and relative prosperity took over the military and civil agglomeration. This agglomeration would, little by little, take on the same proportions of an insular island. The Germanic tribe, which included the Suèves, submitted to a Roman peace. Henceforth, the Roman Empire's border would find itself projected towards the east, beyond the Black Forest. Argentoratum remained the most important logistical homefront base for the Romans until 260 A.D.

In the new civilization that developped on the border of the Roman Empire's decadence, Strasbourg was an ardent melting pot in which the adverse elements of this new world dissolved. In 352, the Alamanni and the Franks totally destroyed about forty of the fortified towns along the Rhine, including Strasbourg. But Rome decided to reconquer Argentoratum and drive the Alamanni out. Caesar Julian , known as the "Apostate" who opposed Christianity, would defeat the Alamanii troups in 357 A.D. Thanks to this battle, the Roman Empire had a short respite. The city of Argentoratum was partially restored.

In 406 A.D. an ethnic downpour covered the city of Mayence or Mainz, on the German side of the Rhine. Under the Huns' pressure the Burgondes, Vandales and the Suèves pounced on Gaul, the region which is now known as France. It was Attila who definitively destroyed the city in 451 A.D. After the devastating passage of the Huns, the Alamanni established themselves as the rulers of the region. During the next several decades, history would lose all trace of Argentoratum.

Located since the end of the 19th century in the basement of the Palais Rohan, the Archeological Museum has one of the riches collections in its field of French national antiquities. Reopened in 1992 after a reorganization of its collections it offers the opportunity to discover the earliest human activities in Alsace, from pre-historic times beginning with 600,000 B.C. until the dawn of the Middle Ages (800 A.D.)

By far the largest collection is related to the history of the Ancient Romans in Alsace. There is a good audio guide available in many languages including English which make a visit to this museum worthwhile for non-French speakers.

Most Relevant Historical Period: Roman Empire > 27 B.C. Admission Fee: €4.00 Opening days/times: Open daily from 10h - 18h, closed Tuesdays. Web Site: [Web Link] Condition: Partly intact or reconstructed

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