PRESS RELEASE
THE GALLO-ROMAN MUSEUM
COLLECTION
The Gallo-Roman Museum (PGRM) has grown historically from collections which
have been excavated in and around the Roman 'Atuatuca Tungrorum' - the modernday Tongeren - since the nineteenth century. As the only Roman city in Flanders,
Tongeren and its hinterland are exceptionally important for the history of Flanders, as
evidenced by the riches of its archaeological patrimony. Its subsoil still consists of
Roman layers, sometimes as much as four metres thick. It was here that the GalloRoman Museum's collection originated. However, the story of the Roman 'Atuatuca
Tungrorum' and its hinterland cannot be told without also looking at what came
before and what came afterwards.
Totalling some 170,000 objects, the collection essentially consists of three large
entities:
• Prehistory (Stone Age & Metal Ages)
• Gallo-Roman period
• Merovingian period
The collection as a whole provides a good overall picture of the history of habitation
in the region from the arrival of the first people up to and including the Merovingians.
It is – mutatis mutandis – representative of the early history of our country. For
instance, the finds from the oldest site in Belgium, some 300,000 years old, together
with, for example, the largest cache of bronze axes and the largest Celtic hoard of
gold in Belgium, are represented in the museum. It goes without saying that the most
important finds dating from the Roman period come from Tongeren. Finally,
Belgium's earliest Christian grave, a double grave discovered in KoninksemTongeren in the nineteenth century, will once again be on show in Tongeren from
2009. The collection is never complete; it is added to whenever relevant material is
discovered.
This means that the collection on show to the public is far from static. It consists of
2,500 objects. The rest of the archaeological treasures are kept in the reserves and
can be viewed and studied by researchers by arrangement. Objects are regularly
taken out of storage and integrated into the public collection; hence its dynamism.
The core collection consists of finds from the Roman Atuatuca Tungrorum and
surrounding area. In recent years, however, major efforts have been made to acquire
ensembles of both national and international importance.
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For instance, finds from the main Neanderthal camps (Veldwezelt and Kesselt)
discovered around the end of the last century are on show in the Gallo-Roman
Museum. Furthermore, in 1995 the King Baudouin Foundation reached an
agreement with the rightful owners to purchase the most important cache of bronze
axes in Belgium, known as the 'Bronze Heppeneert Cache', drawing on its Cultural
Heritage Fund. That cache is now on loan to the Provincial Gallo-Roman Museum. In
1997 the PGRM, with the support of the Visual Arts Department and Museums of the
Department of Culture (Ministry of the Flemish Community) was able to purchase the
Beringen Celtic gold cache. In 2001 with the support of the Ministry of the Flemish
Community, the PGRM acquired the Heers gold cache, known as the 'Treasure of
Ambiorix': a collection of 94 Celtic gold staters (coins), including coins minted by the
Eburones, the Nervians, the Trevierans and the Bellovaci. For the Gallo-Roman
department, the PGRM was able to acquire an important gold ring with an intaglio of
Emperor Commodus. A bronze balsamarium in the shape of a leather boot, together
with five game pieces made of white glass paste were also purchased. This
collection of grave-goods from the municipality of Hoeselt is quite extraordinary. To
date we know of no more than five comparable finds in the whole of the Roman
Empire. A lead staff bearing Emperor Tiberius' name which was discovered in
Vermeulenstraat in Tongeren in 2008 can also be added to the new display. In 2006
a find of national importance, namely the early Christian tomb of Koninksem
(Tongeren), was acquired for inclusion in the new public presentation. This grave is
one of the most important early-Christian testimonies in Western Europe.
Collection highlights:
Heppeneert-Maaseik bronze cache (c. 8th-7th BC)
This cache comprises 47 bronze axe-heads and a bronze spear-head, making it the
largest find of its kind in the Benelux. Most of the axes were produced in Northern
France (‘Plainseau culture') and date from the transition from the Bronze Age to the
Iron Age. There is still no conclusive explanation for such finds. Most experts think
they were ritual sacrifices to the gods. Interestingly, most of these types of find have
been discovered close to water, near rivers or small meres.
Wijshagen-Meeuwen-Gruitrode Celtic grave finds (c. 5th – 4th BC)
These Celtic grave-goods were discovered during an archaeological dig in 1986 1987. The utensils, two ‘situlae’ (bucket-shaped vessels) and a ‘cista’(casket) were
interred as urns in the burial mound of a rich tribal chief. They derive from the Mosel
region and from Northern Italy and are typical of the Celtic culture. We don't know
why the local tribal chiefs of Wijshagen had contact with the Celts. Perhaps they
traded local products such as skins or cattle for prestigious Celtic objects. In the main
area occupied by the Celts such objects were used for mixing wine with water in
ritual ceremonies.
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Beringen Celtic hoard of gold (end c. 2nd BC)
These gold objects - various necklaces, a fragment of a bracelet and 25 coins - were
found by chance when a house was being built. It is more than likely a ritual cache,
even though we don't know which favour this offering sought from the gods. What is
remarkable is that we know of ten such hoards throughout Europe with an almost
identical makeup. Most of the coins are so-called ‘rainbow dishes’ from Central
Europe. Several coins may be some of the earliest to be minted by the still young
Eburone community.
Heers Celtic coin cache (middle c. 1st BC)
This find comprises 78 gold coins belonging to the Eburones, 21 to the Nervians, one
to the Trevians and one to the Bellovaci. Found quite by chance in a field, it is the
largest Celtic coin cache discovered in Belgium to date. There is a great temptation
to link the finds to the uprising of the Eburone king Ambiorix against Julius Caesar's
legions. With the help of other tribes, namely the Nervians and the Trevians,
Ambiorix defeated two Roman legions in the winter of 54 – 53 BC.
Balsamarium in the shape of a Nubian head from Vlijtingen-Riemst (c. 2nd)
This balsamarium, a small container for ointment or oil, may derive from an
impressive collection of burial gifts belonging to a Roman gentleman farmer. It must
have been a strange sight for the local people who had only just come into contact
with the Roman culture. The Romans were in fact responsible for introducing the
local population to the wider world. In Mediterranean regions it was customary for
African slaves to be put to work in the public baths. Hence, too, the balsamariumNubian connection.
Tongeren Jupiter giant (c. 2nd)
This sculpture of a horseman defeating a group of giants - terrifying creatures with
the body of a snake - was excavated on the site of the former temple on the north
side of Tongeren. In the Roman period it was the largest temple in the northern part
of Europe. The horseman is holding several thunderbolts, and thus represents the
god Jupiter. The giants are the sons of Mother Earth who rose up against the gods.
The sculpture thus represents the victory of good over evil, but perhaps also the
triumph of the emperor in his struggle against the 'barbarians'. Jupiter giant
sculptures such as this one, which are found in the Benelux, in northern France and
in south-west Germany, are a typical indigenous creation.
Tongeren glass collection
Hundreds of graves have been discovered outside the Roman city walls since the
eighteenth century. In the Roman period there were two large necropolises, one on
the south-west side of the city and another on the eastern side. The Tongeren graves
are some of the richest in north-western Europe. The Gallo-Roman Museum has a
particularly impressive collection of glass, the majority of the items deriving from
richly-endowed graves. Tongeren had no glass production of its own. Most of the
glass came from Cologne and was transported from there to Tongeren along the
most important communication route in the north, the road from Cologne to
Boulogne-sur-Mer.
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Koninksem ‘early-Christian’ tomb - Tongeren (c. 4th)
This tomb – actually a double grave – was discovered in a loam pit in 1880. The find
came as a real bombshell. The walls of the tomb are decorated with magnificent
paintings featuring garlands and doves - unmistakably Christian symbolism, or so it
was thought at the time. In those days there was no archaeological museum in
Tongeren and so the tomb was taken to Liège, then the episcopal see. Thanks to the
cooperation of the ‘Trésor de la Cathédrale de Liège', in 2006 the Gallo-Roman
Museum was able to bring the tomb back to Tongeren. For the first time in almost
130 years and after an intense restoration campaign, the tomb can again be admired
in the place where it was discovered. The find played an important role in the
discussion about the earliest Christinization of our country. We now know that the
iconography on the grave also appeared in early, non-Christian graves, so the
discussion about its Christian character is not yet closed and, indeed, is the subject
of further research.
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