Daniëlle Slootjes writes from Nijmegen to alert us to a conference on Lower Germany in Roman times. She forwarded the following announcement published by the conference organizers:
Central Places In Roman Lower Germany:The Army, the Government and the Tribes
International Workshop 26-27 October 2004 (Nijmegen)
The Dutch research school ARCHON organises in cooperation with the Valkhof Museum in Nijmegen 26-27 October 2004 an international workshop on central places in Roman Lower Germany, the role of army and government and their relationship with native tribes. Organising participants are the various research groups involved in research of Roman Nijmegen and the Batavian area.
Military legion headquarters and civilian capitals have been of crucial importance to the integration of the native tribal communities in the northern frontier zone of the Roman empire along the Lower Rhine/Meuse, where central places were almost non-existing. What exactly are the general characteristics of development, structure and continuity of this earliest phase of urbanisation in northwest Europe and what aspects have been specifically determined by place, time and historical context?
Roman Nijmegen is composed of two areas with military forts and surrounding semi-civilian occupation, two areas with urban character and six military and civilian cemeteries dating from the 1st-5th century AD. It illustrates its importance as central place in the military and civilian organisation established to integrate the Batavian region in the northern frontier zone of the Roman empire.
Comparing Roman Nijmegen with the other central places in the northern frontier zone like Xanten, Cologne and Tongres and placing the urbanisation in northwest Europe in the general framework of Roman expansion and consolidation will throw light on the regional conditions and modifications of its development.
Four topics are considered to be characteristic for a central place like Roman Nijmegen and its relation to the surrounding rural area:
- Topography and monumentality of the central place
- Central place and the monetization of the surrounding region
- Man and animal as expression of socio-economic relations, status and food-preferences
- Central place as phenomenon and the intermediary role of specific socio-economic and ethnic groups
Contributions will be made by:
- Dr. G. Precht (Xanten, Germany) and W. Moschek (Darmstadt, Germany)
- Dr. M. Peter (Augst, Switzerland) and Dr. R. Reece (Londen, United Kingdom)
- Dr. M. Carroll (Sheffield, United Kingdom) and Dr. H. Hüster-Plogmann (Basel, Switzerland)
- Prof. J. Collis (Sheffield, United Kingdom) and Prof. J. Bintliff (Leiden, Netherlands)
Subscription
Those who plan to attend the workshop are invited to reply before 15 October 2004 to:
Mrs. Elisabeth Segers
Amsterdam Archaeological Centre
Nieuwe Prinsengracht 130
1018 VZ Amsterdam
Tel. (**-31)-(0)20-5255830
E-mail: Elisabeth.Segers@uva.nlWe look forward to welcoming you on 26-27 October 2004.
On behalf of Archon,
Prof. dr. J.H.F. Bloemers (UvA)
Prof. N.G.A.M. Roymans (VU)
Dr. R. Lauwerier (ROB)
