How often is a completely unknown Roman legionary fortress found? Very rarely, we would say. Yet this now appears to be the case at Valkenburg, in the Netherlands, where a major military base has been discovered. And what a base it is! This article describes step by step how this important new find came about, thanks to research at a former naval airbase undertaken by two Dutch archaeological companies (ADC ArcheoProjecten and Archol).
Excavating Valkenburg
Valkenburg is already renowned for its Roman archaeology, thanks to a military base that was excavated by A E van Giffen during and just after the Second World War. This fort held an auxiliary unit made up of soldiers recruited or conscripted from the occupied territories, who supported the Roman citizens serving in the legions, which were housed in much larger legionary fortresses. Valkenburg fort was made famous by the fantastic remains of timber and stone structures, which were preserved in the ‘wetlands’ of the western Netherlands. On the basis of the Tabula Peutingeriana – a medieval map believed to be copied from a Roman original – the fort may have been called Praetorium Agrippinae. Whatever the case, plenty of archaeological research has taken place in the vicinity of this fort over the last few decades. The investigated areas have toponyms like Veldzicht (investigated in 1994 and 1996-1997), Marktveld (1985-1988), Woerd (1972 and 1988), and Weerdkampen (2019), and they all lie to the south of the fort site, near the modern village of Valkenburg. Not all of the data from these explorations have, though, been scrutinised to the last sherd or soil discoloration, and in some cases work has largely stalled.
In 2010-2011, numerous trial trenches were opened on the western side of Valkenburg village, within the former naval airbase, and the results were published that same year. Various Roman structures were encountered during this work. Most striking was the combination of a number of V-shaped ditches, a dam or road, and a possible tower. One of the wooden posts supporting this apparent tower was set on a large block of wood that can be dendrochronologically dated to AD 39±6 years: a spectacular result. As we will see, quite a bit of Roman military activity was under way in the wider region during that period, so the date – together with the other finds – prompted much speculation. We believe this speculation has now come to a definitive end: the remains of a Roman legionary fortress have been found at the former naval airbase. This allows the history of Roman Valkenburg, and indeed that of the early Roman Netherlands, to be rewritten. Along the way, a gratifyingly large number of loose ends left over from earlier work can also be satisfactorily tied up.
