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Augusta Vindelicum - Augsburg. Roman finds from one of the oldest cities in Bavaria
The earliest evidence of a Roman presence in Augsburg - the Roman Augusta Vindelicum (named after Emperor Augustus and the Celtic Vindelic tribes who lived in the foothills of the Alps) - can be found in the present-day Oberhausen district in the north of Augsburg. In the course of the conquest of the Alpine foothills (the Alpine campaign of 15 BC), a military camp was established here on the Wertach river in the Middle to Late Augustan period (reign of Emperor Augustus, 27 BC-14 AD). It was strategically located near the confluence of the Wertach and Lech rivers, but was destroyed – most likely by a flood.
A subsequent camp was established around 15/20 AD on the high plateau between Wertach and Lech in the area of the present-day cathedral city and was in existence until 70 AD. Excavation findings suggest that the camp and the associated vicus (civilian settlement built next to the camp) were destroyed by a fire, which has been linked to the civil war unrest following the death of Emperor Nero (68 AD). Unlike the vicus, the camp was not rebuilt. However, the civilian settlement of Augusta Vindelicum developed into the flourishing capital of the Roman province of Raetia and an important trading centre. Under Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD), it was granted city rights as a municipium in 122 AD and was henceforth known as Municipium Aelium Augustum, or Aelia Augusta for short.
The exhibition, which is divided into the chapters "Life and Living", "Trade", "Gods" and "Death", is intended to give an insight into people’s lives at that time. What do the finds tell us about the everyday life of the Roman inhabitants of this province? What was traded, what was eaten? Which gods were worshipped and what do the funerary monuments and burials tell us about the people of Augusta Vindelicum?
