Through this overview of the shifting economic and political landscape of the Roman world, we gain a clearer sense of the circumstances that shaped Maastricht in the early 4th century. The castellum did not appear in isolation but emerged from decades of upheaval, recovery and imperial reorganisation. Its construction marked a deliberate return to this strategic crossing point where river, road and regional activities converged.
Yet many questions remain. What precise role did this modest fort play within the wider hinterland of the Rhine frontier? Was it primarily a local strongpoint securing the Meuse crossing, or part of a broader network of smaller castra designed to stabilise movement, supply and communication across the late Roman Limes?
We must look to the archaeological record in order to explore these questions. By examining the traces uncovered beneath modern city streets, we can better understand how the castellum was built, used and transformed, and how its surviving remains help us reconstruct the story of Maastricht during this moment in late Roman history.
Follow the next tour for a summary of the main archaeological discoveries and how they informed this virtual interpretation of the castellum and its environs.
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van der Meulen, B. (2017). The Late Roman limes revisited. The changing function of the Roman army in the Dutch river/coastal area (AD 260-406/7). University of Amsterdam.
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Verhagen, P., & Jeneson, K. (2012). A Roman Puzzle. Trying to find the Via Belgica with GIS. In A. Chrysanthi, P. Murrieta Flores, & C. Papadopoulos (Eds), Thinking beyond the Tool: Archaeological computing and the interpretive process: Archaeological computing and the interpretive process (pp. 123–130). Archaeopress. https://doi.org/10.30861/9781407309279
Verhagen, P., Joyce, J., & Groenhuijzen, M. R. (Eds). (2019). Finding the Limits of the Limes: Modelling Demography, Economy and Transport on the Edge of the Roman Empire. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04576-0