The Roman Gate on the Kaestrich - Mainz
N 49° 59.787 E 008° 15.826
32U E 447232 N 5538495
It was only 20 years ago in 1985 that the remains of a city gate from the last years of antiquity around 4th Century A.D. were found above the Kupferberg Terrace.
Waymark Code: WM1692
Location: Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Date Posted: 01/29/2007
Views: 107
The Roman stronghold of castrum Moguntiacum, the precursor to Mainz, was founded by the Roman general Drusus in 13 BC.
Moguntiacum was an important military town throughout Roman times, probably due to its strategic position at the confluence of the Main and the Rhine. The town of Moguntiacus grew up between the fort and the river. The castrum was the base of Legio XIIII Gemina and XVI Gallica (AD 9–43), XXII Primigenia, IIII Macedonica (43–70), I Adiutrix (70-88), XXI Rapax (70-89), and XIIII Gemina (70–92), among others. Mainz was also the base of a Roman river fleet. The city was the provincial capital of Germania Superior.
The gate was made from stone taken from a Legion encampment and then erected on the grounds of what today are the University Clinics on the Kaestrich Embankment immediately to the west of downtown Mainz .
The ruts worn in the gate’s entrance measure almost two meters wide, about six-and-a-half feet, and serve as an historical “fingerprint” in stone, revealing details of life back in antiquity some 1600 years ago.
The street was part of the Via Praetoria or Praetorian Way which led through the Main Gate of the Camp, the Porta Praetoria (Praetorian Gate) to the staff headquarters building. It can be assumed that the Gate itself was laid out as a square and was at least two storeys high above the passageway. On each of its sides it had three windows. Originally it was equipped with two large wooden gate winged which were mounted on sturdy hinges and could be locked when closed.
You can reach the Kupferberg Terrace from the Schillerplatz by taking the Emmerich-Josef Strasse. The Roman Gate is found at the “Am Roemertor” Straße above the Kupferberg Terrace.
Most Relevant Historical Period: Roman Empire > 27 B.C.
Admission Fee: Free
Opening days/times:
24/7
Web Site: [Web Link]
Condition: Partly intact or reconstructed
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