Nijmegen, Valkhof

Q1127079

The Valkhof Museum in Nijmegen, the capital of the ancient Batavians, is one of the most important archaeological museums in the Netherlands. It has a splendid collection with finds from six Roman settlements:

the Kopse Hof (once the HQs of Drusus, later used as fort by a unit of mounted auxiliaries);
the Hunerberg (a legionary base, used by Drusus);
Batavodurum (a town destroyed during the Batavian Revolt in 69-70);
Ulpia Noviomagus (built after the revolt);
the Hunerberg (again in use as legionary base, by X Gemina, to control the Batavians);
the late-Roman castle at the Valkhof, almost at the site of former Batavodurum.

Many objects tell a little story. I select the silver medallion that once belonged to one Gnaeus Aquillius Proculus, centurio of the Eighth Legion Augusta, found at the Kopse Hof auxiliary fort. This man is known to have played a role during the Batavian Revolt. When the forts along the lower Rhine were attacked, he was able to bring the garrisons to Nijmegen, where they were – for the time being – safe.

This would have been interesting enough: it is not often that archaeologists find an object that belonged to someone we know from the written sources. However, the object proves something else: that shortly before the revolt, the Romans sent soldiers of the Eighth legion Augusta, which was at that moment stationed at Sishtov in Bulgaria, to Nijmegen. This strongly suggests that the Romans were aware that the Batavians were becoming restless, which proves that the governor, Hordeonius Flaccus, was more capable than the historian Tacitus wants us to believe. He presents us with a Roman commander who is incompetent, indolent, and decadent, but archaeology proves otherwise.

The museum, which offers several other collections and a splendid view on the Nijmegen bridge (of World War II fame), is closed on Mondays. You can find photos from the museum here and here.

This museum was visited in a/o 2008-2019.

78 pictures related to this museum

Valentinian I	Nijmegen, Tambourine of a girl of about ten years old	Nijmegen, Crystal dice	Cornelia Superia
Berg en Dal, Pottery factory, Tile with shoe print	Copy of an inscription from Rome, mentioning Noviomagus	Faustina II	Rome, Forum Romanum, Temple of Janus, Coin
Nijmegen, Monument to Tiberius: Apollo	Nijmegen, Late Roman pottery	Cavalry mask, found in the river Waal	Nijmegen, British mirror
Roman coin, commemorating the annexation of Arabia Nabataea	Nijmegen, Oil lamp, Jupiter and his eagle	Nijmegen-Hunerberg, Rim of an amphora, mentioning its Macedonian owner	Beek, Milestone
Nijmegen, Dedication by Candidinius, signifer of XXX Ulpia Victrix	Nijmegen, Oil lamp, erotic scene	Otacilia Severa	Nijmegen-Hunerberg, Officers' mansion, Wall painting of a deer and a peacock
Cavalry mask, found in the river Waal	Nijmegen, terra sigillata with the Thracian name "Mucatra"	Nijmegen, Crystal ring	Nijmegen, Inscription mentioning three relatives in X Gemina
Nijmegen, Kops Plateau, Helmet	Elst, Temple, diploma	Nijmegen, Glass vase	Nijmegen, Noviomagus, Double temple, Fortuna
Tiberius	Nijmegen, Terra sigillata	Nijmegen, Oil lamp, Mercury	Cavalry mask, found in the river Waal
Nijmegen, Batavian horsemen	Nijmegen, Dedication to the Mopatian Mothers by Liberius	Julia Maesa	Nijmegen, Ring of a shoemaker
Berg en Dal, Pottery factory, Dedication to Vesta	The Herwen Mole Inscription	Nijmegen, Objects from the tomb of a fourth-century lady	Nijmegen, Noviomagus, Double temple, Mercury
Bronze object mentioning LEG HISP IX, from Ewijk	Theodosius I	Aquilia Severa	Nijmegen, Tombstone of Scanius of X Gemina
Nijmegen, Kops Plateau, Aquillius Medal	Nijmegen-Hunerberg, Cavalry mask from the Beekmansdal	Ulpia Severina	Nijmegen, Amber carving of Amor
Coin of Vespasian, showing a personification of Judaea mourning the loss of her independence. Legend: JUDAEA CAPTA, "Judaea conquered".	Berg en dal, Silver pan	Nijmegen-Hunerberg, Civil settlement, Unfinished bronze statuette of Luna	Herennia Etruscilla
Nijmegen, Inscription of Bisius of X Gemina	Nijmegen-Hunerberg, Early Helmet	Nijmegen, Oil lamp with gladiators saluting the organizer of the games	Nijmegen, Valkhof, Oil lamp with Victoria
Cavalry mask, found in the river Waal	Nijmegen, Kops Plateau, Imported mackerel	Elst, Temple, Fragment of a wall painting	Nijmegen, Tomb of a girl of about ten years old
Nijmegen, Inscription of an aquilifer of X Gemina	Nijmegen, Amber portait of a girl	Elst, Temple, Model	Nijmegen, Kops Plateau, Helmet
Nijmegen, Agraphe with christogram	Berg en dal, Silver pan, handle with portrait of Tyche or Cybele	Nijmegen, Monument to Tiberius: Ceres	Nijmegen, Bridge, pile-shoe
Tiel, Runic inscription	Nijmegen, Monument to Tiberius: sacrifice	Nijmegen, terra sigillata with an inscription "Carnuntum"	Julia Soeamias
Nijmegen, Tomb of a girl of about ten years old	Coin commemorating Drusus' German victories, minted by his son Claudius	Lucilla	Berg en Dal, Pottery factory, Tile
Nijmegen, Monument to Tiberius: Diana	Lent, Frankish sword and spear