Saturday, 24.07.2004 - Strasbourg, France

At this place, west of the Rhine, was built in 12 BC a roman camp. Obviously next to an existing local settlement. It was named Argentoratum, or Argentorate. This name went presumably back to the local settlement. The camp was surrounded by rivers on all sides. In it was stationed the ala Petriana.

In the year 16 BC the Legio II (Augusta?) built a first legion camp of timber and turf. It was stationed here until the year 48 and moved then to Britain.

The camp was reused after the Batavian insurrection (AD 68/69). The Legio XXI (Rapax?) constructed against the end of the 1st century a wall with irregular basalt blocks and towers of limestone.

The Legio VIII Augusta constructed a new wall of stone in the first half of the 2nd century. With the shift of the boundary to north the importance of the camp decreased, it seems that it only served as a supply basis.

With the fall of upper German - Raeti limes (AD 259/260) the importance of the camp increased again. Several repair works occurred at the fort.

The camp suburb (canabae) seems have arisen around the whole camp. However, the priority was in the north, west and south. These civilian settlements were given up in the late empire and the population moved in the protecting camp walls.

In the year AD 352 the camp was destroyed completely by the Alamani and Franconians but was reconquered by the Romans in the year 357. A part was rebuilt. At the beginning of the 5th century the roman control ended. The camp, or rather the city was destroyed in the year 451 by Attila.

Today no visible remains of the camp are to be seen. In the Archaeological Museum are among other things a tomb of a veteran of the Legio II exhibited.

Remark: Unfortunately I have not much information about the Roman Strasbourg. Furthermore they are inconsistent. I mentioned only the plausible information. However, in a source is mentioned that the first camp was used only to AD 43.