Rijswijk (Gld.)

The river finds near Rijswijk suggest military occupation from the Batavian revolt (70) until the beginning of the fourth century. Among the occupiers of the fort may have been a Cohors civium Romanorum (an auxiliary unit made up from Roman citizens), because the names of the Roman soldiers are distinctly Roman (e.g., Titus Allienus Martialis and a centurion Antonius Fronto). Another unit seems to have been the First equestrian cohort of Thracians (Cohors I Thracum equitata). It is interesting to note that the Second equestrian cohort of Thracians (Cohors II Thracum equitata) was stationed in nearby Maurik.

The fort remained in use and was known in the Merovingian and Carolingian period as Dorestad.

The old identification of Rijswijk with "Levefanum", a place known fromt the Peutinger Map, has turned out to be incorrect; Levefanum probably is identical to Arnhem-Meinerswijk.

Literature

J.G.M. Verhagen argues in "De Gelderse limes herzien. Een nieuwe identificatie van Romeinse plaatsnamen in Gelderland" (in: Archeobrief 17/3 (2013) 29-37) against the identification of Rijswijk and Levefanum.