The Roman city of Colonia Ulpia Traiana (CUT) is located in the urban area of ​​today's Xanten, but was never built over in post-antique times. Since the 16th century and increasingly in the 19th century, archaeological research and excavations have been carried out in the area of ​​the CUT, which culminated in the founding of the LVR Archaeological Park (APX) in 1973. By protecting the archaeological monuments, archaeologists have since had an almost unique opportunity to research a Roman city in the north-western provinces in all its facets. The APX thus represents the ideal environment for aspiring archaeologists to learn archaeological fieldwork and improve the skills they have already acquired. In a five-year research campaign (2016-2020) by the Archaeological Institute of the University of Cologne, training in all aspects of a modern excavation - including 3D surveying and 3D documentation - will be provided on the one hand, and a previously largely unknown residential quarter of the CUT (Insula 22) will be scientifically examined in more detail. After the first two years of this project were financed with the company's own funds, the excavation has been funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation since 2018.

The primary goal of the excavations was a large, multi-phase building on the northern edge of the ancient quarter from the Colonia period (from the late 1st century AD), which included, among other things, an extensively designed entrance area with a water basin. Below this building, earth pits rich in material were found, which are evidence of an early phase of Roman settlement in Xanten from the early 1st century AD.

In addition to the cooperation with the APX and its scientists, the research campaigns can primarily rely on the collaboration with the Cologne University of Applied Sciences (Institute for Construction Management and Surveying + Institute for Computer Science) and the Integrative and Prehistoric Scientific Archaeology (IPNA) of the University of Basel-CH. This makes it possible, on the one hand, to develop new ways of fully recording an archaeological excavation in three dimensions and, on the other hand, to include ancient animal and plant remains from the start of the excavation for the evaluation and interpretation of the uncovered findings.

The research/teaching excavations in the CUT are scheduled to run until 2019. A comprehensive evaluation of the excavations is scheduled for the final year of the project in 2020, which will culminate in a publication of the results.

Responsible:

Prof. Dr. Eckhard Deschler-Erb
Prof. Dr. Michael Heinzelmann

Coordination:

Ing. Stefan Pircher MA
Stefanie Braun MA (excavation manager)
Dipl.-Ing. Sabrina Geiermann (3-D documentation)

Cooperation partners:

Archaeological Park Xanten (Dr. Martin Müller, Dr. Norbert Zieling)

Cologne University of Applied Sciences - Institute of Computer Science and Engineering (Prof. Dr. Horst Stenzel)

Institute of Construction Management and Surveying (Prof. Dr.-Ing. Knud Sauermann)

University of Basel - Integrative Prehistoric and Scientific Archaeology (Dr. habil. Sabine Deschler-Erb)

Funding: Fritz Thyssen Foundation (2018-2019)

Reports for current research:

• 2016
• 2017
• 2018

Publications:

•   S. Pircher, INTRA MUROS – Vorbericht zur ersten Grabungskampagne des Archäologischen Instituts der Universität Köln in der Insula 22 der Colonia Ulpia Traiana. KuBa 6, 2016 (2017) 131-138.
• S. Deschler-Erb/Ö. Akeret/S. Häberele, Gemeinsam stark – Der archäobiologische Feldkurs in Xanten 2016. KuBa 6, 2016 (2017) 139-141.
• S. Pircher, Zwischen Mauern und Scherben – Vorbericht zur zweiten Grabungskampagne des Archäologischen Instituts auf Insula 22 der Colonia Ulpia Traiana. KuBa 7, 2017 (2018) i. Druck.