searchMenu
753 - Rome hatches from the egg! This mnemonic is probably known by everyone, but what does it have to do with Rheinhessen? The answer: quite a lot!
Without the Romans and their 500-year settlement history in the region, Rheinhessen would probably not be what it is today. Many of the most important cities in Rheinhessen today look back on a millennia-old urban history, which is largely shaped by the Romans and their settlements, whose influence is still palpable and tangible in many places today.
Join us on a journey into the past and walk in the footsteps of the Romans in Rheinhessen.
"Mogontiacum," as the city of Mainz was called during Roman times, belonged to the Roman Empire for almost 500 years. The city originated from the legionary camp established by Drusus in 13/12 BC, which was located on a hill overlooking the Rhine River along the Roman Rhine Valley road. Even today, the traces of the Romans are visible at numerous locations in the city and can be explored independently, with the help of the interactive MAINZ app, or through one of the numerous guided tours.
Not only in the exhibition rooms of the Mainz museums can the Roman era be experienced up close, but also at many other locations throughout the city, there are testimonies of the Roman settlement history in Mainz.
You can get a first glimpse into Roman Mainz and its attractions in this video:
Rheinhessen is one of the most important regions with Roman heritage in Germany. Numerous museums in Mainz, Alzey, Bingen, and the surrounding area are dedicated to Roman history—sometimes as a central exhibition theme, sometimes in specialized collections. High-quality original finds, archaeological exhibits, and vivid presentations illustrate the lives of the Romans along the Rhine: from the military and trade to religion and everyday life in Roman settlements. The Roman museums in Rheinhessen bring antiquity to life and invite visitors to discover one of Germany’s most historically rich cultural landscapes by following in the footsteps of the Empire.
A half millennium of Roman rule in the region has profoundly shaped Rheinhessen. Important stone witnesses, providing insights into the Roman way of life in the region, can be discovered and visited scattered throughout Rheinhessen. The origin of the extensive vineyard landscape itself is often attributed to the Roman settlement period. Although this has not yet been scientifically proven, the assumption is very likely that the Romans were already practicing viticulture in Rheinhessen.
Rheinhessen is scattered with stone witnesses of a long-gone era. At many locations, these testimonies of Roman settlement history have been excavated and prepared again, and can now be admired and explored by visitors.
In this video, you'll get an overview of Roman Rheinhessen along with its exciting and noteworthy stone witnesses, bringing Roman history to life before your eyes.
You can find even more information and interesting facts about the Roman era in Rheinhessen at www.regionalgeschichte.de.