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

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