User:Blue translator/Via Belgica

The Via Belgica or Via Agrippinensis was the Roman road between Bavay and Cologne, connecting Bavay, the Nervian capital (Bagacum Nerviorum), to Cologne (Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium), the capital city of the province Germania Inferior, via Tongeren (Atuatuca Tungrorum). It is also one of the seven Brunehaut roadways spreading around Bavay. This Roman road was 283 km long. It would take around 2 days and 10 hours to walk its length.

Critical fortune
Throughout the modern period, the Roman road has been used by travellers as well as by merchants and it still durably marks the landscape. Like other monumental ancient remains such as Hadrian's Wall, it has considerably aroused the curiosity of scholars and travellers who would quickly wonder what are its origins and hypothesize about it.

The most famous of these scholars is without the shadow of a doubt Lodovico Guicciardini who mentioned during the 16th century the remains in Gallia Belgica of a Roman road linking Paris to Tongeren. According to him, it was an “architectural marvel”, a miraculous road (strada miracolosa) due to its straight path and its strength.

World heritage
This road section is currently following the procedure to figure on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Therefore this site, one of the biggest and oldest remains in Belgium of an early European civilization, will be preserved for future generations. A true symbol of union, it has fulfilled its mission of allowing trade and communication since antiquity.

Compared analysis
History and archaeology confirm the presence of this road since Gallo-Roman times. It is described relatively accurately in the Peutinger Table and the Antonine Itinerary.

Stopping points identification
The identification of the different antique stopping points was progressive. As the main cities were easily identified, archaeologists and historians were just debating about the location of the stations and the vicus of lesser importance up until the 20th century.
 * Bagacum, Bavay never was a problem.
 * The location of Vogo Dorgiacum or Vogdoriacum was a mystery for a long time. During the 19th century, it was still identified as Givry by Fortia d'Urbain, a French scholar and historian. It is only during the second half of the 20th century that it was identified as the vicus of Waudrez thanks to the work of the Service National des Fouilles (National Excavation Service). Since 1976, its history has been featured in the local museum.
 * Geminiacum was first thought to be Gembloux. But the excavation sites of Liberchies, Brunehaut and Les Bons Villers, found during the second half of the 19th century and systematically excavated since 1956, are now considered as the remains of Geminiacum.
 * Pernacum or Perniciacum was traditionally thought to be Perwez due to a hypothetical deformation of *Perviacum. Archaeologists would rather identify it as Braives because they found there the remains of a rather important vicus on both sides of the Roman road.
 * Atuaca Tungrorum is by all means Tongeren. However, it is very unlikely to be the fortress of Atuaca mentioned in Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars because the description of the area doesn't match with the local terrain.
 * Coriovallum was identified late as Heerlen. Some other historic sites such as Fauquemont or Rolduc were also suggested. Excavation during the 20th century brought the evidence to light that it was in fact Heerlen.
 * Iuliacum can only be Jülich as the Roman road that connects this city to Cologne was still one of the main roads between the 2 cities until the 19th century.
 * Tiberiacum has always been identified as Bergheim. In the past, Bergheim was thought to be the natural evolution of the Roman name Tiberiacum, just losing its first syllable. Since then, advances in linguistics show that Zieverich (a village less than one kilometre away from Bergheim) is the normal evolution of the name Tiberiacum.
 * Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensis can only be Cologne.

From the Nervian to the Ubian Civitas
Itinerary description Bavay is 235 kilometres away from Cologne as the crow flies. This long antique road can objectively be divided into several sections. Tongeren lies halfway through the road. It was the tribe of the same name's capital city. The road that leaves Bavay clearly heads towards Tongeren, not Cologne. Only the first half of the section between Bavay and Tongeren has a straight path. Then, after Tongeren, the road is straight until Maastricht. Between Maastricht and Jülich, it is not straight any more, as the Romans were systemically avoiding swamps. Finally, from Jülich to Cologne, the road is again straight.

Architecture Several archaeological samples highlighted the road's architecture. Its foundations are composed of two or more layers of local materials placed on level ground. Small and compact components at the basis are covered by a layer of stones or gravel. More often than not, the surface is a pavement more similar to compact stones than a proper pavement. The camber works as a drainage system, sometimes reinforced with one or two ditches. A particular attention was paid to its installation. Lateral ditches dug 20 metres away from the central axis of the road, which is marked by a swale, separate the public area from the private one.

Civitas Bagacum Nerviorum
During Antiquity, Bagacum was the capital of a Roman civitas founded between 19 and 15 B.C. Seven roads connected the Nervian capital to neighbouring tribes' capitals, allowing the Romans to move their troops quickly.

In 4 B.C., a monument was erected on the forum to commemorate Tiberius' arrival in the civitas, which seems to have boosted the expansion of the city.

Potters from the city and its surroundings were exporting their very light-coloured ceramics in north-eastern Gaul and Brittany as early as the first century A.D. A vase with representations of divinities excavated in a villa near Jupille-sur-Meuse on the Roman road of the Ardennes and exposed in the Curtius Museum in Liège further proofs the existence this trade. Last signs of human occupation around the forum do not exceed 430-450 A.D. Nowadays, Bavay is a small town (4000 inhabitants) located between Valenciennes and Maubeuge.

From Bavay to Binche
At nine kilometres from Bavay, the road reaches the Belgian border and deviates from a 5 degrees angle. It goes by the ancient commune of Gognies-Chaussée and merges with the French-Belgian border for 5 kilometres before entering Belgium (N563).

Communes
 * 1) Bavay : « Rue Eugène Mascart » → D932 →
 * 2) Gognies-Chaussée « Rue de la Libération » → « Rue Albert 1er » →
 * 3) Quévy « Rue de la Chaussée » → « Chaussée Romaine » → « Chaussée Brunehaut » →
 * 4) Estinnes « Chaussée Brunehaut » →

Vicus Vogdoriacum
Vicus Vogdoriacum or Vogo Dorgiacum is 29 kilometres away from Bavay and 2 kilometres away from the city centre of Binche. It was a relatively important commercial city and stopping point where products of local industry were sold. The excavation site is 70 ha in extent. Archaeologists found there a large house with bath facilities; a 3 metres wide and 14 metres deep well; coins; potteries; iron and bronze items; and terra sigillata ceramics.

The location of Vogo Dorgiacum or Vogdoriacum was a mystery for a long time. During the 19th century, it was still identified as Givry by Fortia d'Urbain, a French scholar and historian. It was only during the second half of the 20th century that it was identified as the vicus of Waudrez thanks to the work of the Service National des Fouilles (National Excavation Service). Since 1976, its history has featured in the local museum. A military milestone erected under Antoninus Fulvus Pius (2nd century A.D.), excavated in Péronnes-lez-Binche, indicates that it is 22 Roman miles away from Bavay.

From Binche to Gembloux

 * 1) Binche « Chaussée d’Estinnes » → « Chaussée Brunehault » → lost (escarpment) → « Mont de la Justice » → country lane → « Chaussée Brunehault » →
 * 2) Morlanwelz « Rue de Cronfestu » → « Chaussée Brunehault » →
 * 3) Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont « Rue Haute Chaussée » → « Chaussée Romaine » →
 * 4) Courcelles « Rue de la Chaussée » →
 * 5) Pont-à-Celles country lane → « Rue de la Chaussée » → lost (canal)

Vicus Geminiacum
Geminiacum was first thought to be Gembloux. But the excavation sites of Liberchies, Brunehaut and Les Bons Villers, found during the second half of the 19th century and systematically excavated since 1956, are now considered as the remains of Geminiacum.
 * 1) Villers-Perwin lost canal → parcel boundaries → « Chaussée de Brunehault » → country lane → « Chemin du Vicus » → « Rue de la Couronne » → country lane → « Rue de Chassart » →
 * 2) Villers-la-Ville (??)
 * 3) Chassart (Fleurus) « Chaussée Romaine » → lost (Éts. Chassart) → « Rue de l’Étang » → country lane →
 * 4) Sombreffe « Chaussée Romaine » →
 * 5) Chastre
 * 6) Gembloux

From Gembloux to Braives
Communes
 * 1) Gembloux,
 * 2) Perwez,
 * 3) Ramillies
 * 4) Éghezée,
 * 5) Wasseiges,
 * 6) Hannut.

Vicus Perniciacum
Pernacum or Perniciacum was traditionally thought to be Perwez due to a hypothetical deformation of *Perviacum. Archaeologists would rather identify it as Braives because it is where they found the remains of a rather important vicus on both sides of the Roman road. Perniciacum is first mentioned during the 1st century A.D. and became a flourishing colony with stone houses. During the 3rd century A.D., a small castellum was built there. It consisted in a broad earth wall topped by a palisade surrounded by a V shaped ditch. Around 310 A.D., the palisade was replaced by a wall due to frequent Germanic raids.

From Braives to Tongeren
The layout is the same as the current road between Braives and Tongeren. Communes
 * 1) Braives,
 * 2) Geer,
 * 3) Waremme,
 * 4) Oreye,
 * 5) Tongeren

Civitas Tungrorum
Caesar writes about a stronghold named Atuatuca: “This is nearly in the middle of the Eburones, where Titurius and Aurunculeius had been quartered for the purpose of wintering. This place he selected as well on other accounts as because the fortifications of the previous year remained, in order that he might relieve the labour of the soldiers.”

The city became the Roman or Gallo-Roman capital city of Civitas Tungrorum.

From Tongeren, it was possible to go to Aquis Grana, Augusta Treverorum, Aachen, Trier and other big Roman and Carolingian cities along the Ardennes Roman road thanks to the ford on the Meuse at Jupille-sur-Meuse. From the 2nd century A.D. on, Civitas Tungrorum was surrounded by a fortified wall (4544 metres long and 2 metres large). His hight varied between 5 and 6 metres. It was made out of flint or sandstone blocs. The city walls were reinforced with round towers, which were 9.5 metres high. Two V-shaped ditches were dug at the feet of the wall. Gates were placed at the entering posts of the roads connecting the city to other cities in the area.

During the 4th century A.D., a second wall was built due to Germanic invasions to protect the city-centre. It was smaller (only 2680 metres long) and was fortified with 60 towers.

The itinerarium
It is a milestone from the 2nd or 3rd century A.D. It shows the names of different places. Distances are indicated in league (a Gallic measure equivalent to 2222 metres). These milestones were indicating routes and crossroads like our modern road signs. The milestone of Tongeren gives informations about journeys along the Rhine in Champaign and across north-eastern France. Detailed article: Tongeren itinerarium

From Tongeren to Maastricht
It is the current road between Tongeren and Maastricht (Tongerse Steenweg, or Maastrichtersteenweg)

Communes
 * 1) Tongeren
 * 2) Belgian border
 * 3) Maastricht

Vicus Trajectum ad Mosam
Maastricht: (Maas-trecht), Trajectum ad Mosam, ford on the Meuse, is a middle-sized vicus where the Roman roads connecting the Tungrian civitas and Ubian Colonia, which are separated by the Mosa river, join together. The city was fortified during the 4th century A.D.

From Maastricht to Heerlen
On the river Meuse : Saint-Servais Bridge,

In Wijk : «Wijker Brugstraat»

In Ambij : «Bergerstraat»

In Berg en Terblijt : «Rijkweg»

In Valkenburg : «Cauberg» → «lost part» → «Trichtergrubbe» → «Cauberg» → «partially under the city (munstraat (?)» → «Sint Peterstraat» → «Hekerbeek straat

In Klimen : «Hekerweg» → «Barrier» → «Terveurt» → «Heerlenweg» → «Valkenburgerweg»

In Voerendaal : «Barrier» → «lost part» → «path» → «kunderkampstraat» → «Pontstraat» → «Valkenburgerweg»

In Heerlen : «Heerlenweg» → «Valkenburgerweg» → «Geleenstraat» → «Saint-Pancrace Place».

Vicus Coriovallum
Coriovallum, Heerlen in the Netherlands, is a small Roman settlement founded in 5 A.D. It further grows under Hadrian's reign. Thermae facilities were built between 120 A.D. and 400 A.D. in the Roman province of Germania Inferior. Their remains were excavated there. But locals were also making potteries. The walls of the Saint-Pancrace church are made out of Roman stones. Remains of 5 villae have also been excavated. Coriovallum is the crossroad linking Trier road in Xanten with the Via Belgica. Detailed article: Coriovallum

From Heerlen to Jülich
There are 32 kilometres between Coriovallum and Iuliacum from thermae in Coriovallum.

In Heerlen: Geleenstraat » → «Gasthuistraat » → «Limaweg » → «Schaesbergerweg » → «Heerlenseweg»

In Lichtenberg: Op de heugden» → «Hereweg» → «Haanweg»

In Landgraaf: Hoogstraat» → «Maastrichterstraat» → «Maastrichterweg

In Rimburg or Rimbourg castle : the road crosses the Wurm river. There, Roman pottery and bas-reliefs workshops were excavated. German border

Rimburg vicus
Excavated between 1926 and 1930 by O.E. Mayer, the vicus spreads on both sides of the bridge that crosses the Wurm river. In Übach-Palenberg: Maastrichter strasse» → «Carolus Magnus strasse

Baesweiler Vicus
Roman remains have been dicovered there in 1952 during excavating operations. There is a crossroad with a smaller road following a north-south axis.

In Aldenhoven, Römerstraße» → «

Vicus Iuliacum
Julius and -iacum, suffix given by a Roman governor. The vicus is located in a bend of a confluent uf the Rur river. The city now known as Jülich is located on the west of a small river calle Rur. There must have been bridges across nearby rivers.

The discovery of a tile of Legio VI Victrix proves that soldiers were sent there to guard the bridge. This tile can testimony the presence of this legion between 70 A.D., when it has been sent to crush the Batavi revolt, and 121 A.D. when it has been relocated in Britain. As it is mentioned in Peutinger Tabula, this place must have had some importance during the 4th century.

A statue of Jupiter sitting on his throne made out of sandstone was excavated there and may have been made during the III century. In 357, the historian Ammianus Marcellinus said that 14 towers were surrounding the city.

From Jülich to Bergheim-Zieverich
The road heads towards Tiberiacum 20 kilometres away. From Jülich right ahead to Cologne, it has the name of Römerstraße then Kölnerlandstraße (L136) for 3,5 km.

Elsdorf vicus
3 km away from Thorr stood a vicus where a crossroad with another Roman road can be identified. Discovering of a recumbent effigy and a dozen of tombs.

Between milestones XVI and XVII the road disappears for 6 km (due to an open pit bauxite quarry). This part was excavated before the minings. Two sarcophagi, several buildings including four villa rustica and a few dozen of tombs were discovered.

After the bauxite quarry, the road reappears as Köln-Achenerstraße until Elsdorf for 1400 metres. It then continues for 8 km as Römerstraße, crosses Grouven until Zieverich and Tiberiacum.

Vicus Tiberiacum of Bergheim-Thorr
22 km away from Cologne, Tiberiacum has always been identified as Bergheim. In the past, Bergheim was thought to be the natural evolution of the Roman name Tiberiacum, just losing its first syllable. Since then, advances in linguistics show that Zieverich (a village less than one kilometre away from Bergheim) is the normal evolution of the name Tiberiacum.

Tiberiacum was located on the road form Cologne to Jülich between Thorr and Grouven at the 17th milestone.

Very few remains were found. However, it is still possible to identify 3 villa rustica. Vicus Tiberiacum, mentioned on Peutinger Tabula, is supposed to be the last stopping point before Cologne.

From Bergheim-Zieverich to Cologne
From the place known as zum Römerturm, the roads continues under the name of Römerstraße for 1200 metres. It is cut by a canal to reappear as “Im Rauland”, crosses the old road of Aachen, continues under the “Rote Kreuz Straße” to disappear further under an earthwork from a nearby quarry. It reappears again 5 km further (Alte Aachenerstraße) in Königsdorf and follows the Aachenerstraße for 13 km, to finally reach Cologne's decumanus.

Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (CCAA)
Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium is a Roman colony, today known as Cologne (Köln in German).

The Roman city walls, built in 70 A.D., were approximatively 4,5 km long and contained 21 towers and 9 gates.

At the western gate of the colony, the decumanus, the east-west axis of each Roman city (Schiildergaße in Cologne), was converted into a Roman way. Detailed article: Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium