Netherlands, well-preserved Roman shrine discovered in the province of Gelderland

In the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland, a complete and relatively intact Roman sanctuary has been found. The astonishing discovery was made by archaeologists from RAAP Archaeological Consultancy, the largest independent archaeological company operating in the Netherlands, founded in 1985, near the Herwen-Hemeling site (Zevenaar municipality), near Lower Germany’s Limes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site from 2021. Part of the credit, however, goes to the volunteers of the Association of Volunteers in Archaeology (AWN) who made the first finds in late 2021. The first finds were immediately reported to the Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE), and after the first discoveries, the excavation continued after a survey by the RCE, after which RAAP conducted a further survey in early 2022 on behalf of the Province of Gelderland. The province and the central government provided resources to conduct the activities.

The remains show that several temples were located at this site: remains of devotional sculptures, reliefs, and painted plasters were found. A special feature is the discovery of several intact votive stones, which served as altars dedicated to various gods and goddesses. This is, RAAP archaeologists explain, an exceptional discovery for the Netherlands, and also very relevant internationally.

The Herwen-Hemeling site was occupied between the 1st and 4th centuries by Romanian soldiers on the borders of the empire. The site occupies a knoll where at least two temples stood in ancient times, but there may have been more. One of these was a Gallo-Roman temple with brightly painted walls and a tiled roof. A few meters away was another small temple, also with painted walls. Peculiar are the remains of several dozen votive stones (small altars) that were placed by high-ranking soldiers to fulfill their vows. The stones are dedicated to Hercules Magusanus, Jupiter-Serapis and Mercury. Also discovered is a large stone well.

Several Roman shrines are known in the Netherlands, but this is the first temple found right on the border of the Roman Empire (Limes). The temples at Elst, Nijmegen, Empel and Aardenburg are well-known examples today, but the Herwen-Hemeling sanctuary, RAAP archaeologists say, is special for a number of reasons. Never before has such a complete sanctuary with a temple, votive stones and pits with the remains of sacrifices been found in the Netherlands. In addition, the amount of limestone carving fragments is unprecedented. Moreover, another peculiarity lies in the fact that the Herwen-Hemeling shrine has suffered very little, compared to other sites, from the phenomenon of reuse, when the stones were used as construction material for new buildings.

The shrine was mainly used by soldiers. This can be seen from the numerous stamps on the tiles: tile making was a typical activity of the army at that time. In addition, many parts of horse harnesses, parts of armor and, for example, spearheads and spears were found. Dozens of votive stones were erected by senior officers of the Roman army, thanking a god or goddess for fulfilling their wish (e.g. surviving a sojourn in these northern regions, sometimes far from home, was reason enough to thank the deity).

“Gelderland,” says Heritage Commissioner Peter Drenth, “has unexpectedly gained a special Roman site. A valuable addition to our story about Roman limes. We will now examine this beautiful site as best we can and show it to the residents of Gelderland.” Some finds from the site, the most interesting ones, will be on display at the Museum Het Valkhof in Nijmegen from Friday, June 24.

Pictured (RAAP): RAAP technicians at work on the newly discovered sanctuary.

Netherlands, well-preserved Roman shrine discovered in the province of Gelderland

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