The tributary between city and island: harbor of or obstacle to Roman Cologne?

• Applicant: Dr. Constanze Höpken
• Subject Area: Prehistory and World Archaeology
• Term: from 2015 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 285494940

Ancient Cologne, located on the Rhine, one of the most important trade routes of the Germanic provinces, was one of the largest Roman centers north of the Alps; for the supply of up to 20,000 inhabitants it needed a harbor. From the beginning this port must meet the logistical challenges and serve as an interface to the land transport system. Since the integration of Britain in the Roman Empire AD 43 Cologne must be regarded as a commercial hub and one of the major distribution centers in the long-distance trade of the north-western provinces. Therefore the harbor was always of central meaning to the development of the city.The Roman settlement was founded at the end of the 1st century BC on the west bank of the Rhine. Opposite, there was, separated by a tributary of the Rhine, an island. This, there were three possibilities for ships to land: the two banks of the about 60 m wide tributary as well as the eastern, river-facing bank of the island. Further possibilities existed south and particularly north of the island where the land coastline curved back bay-like. In the late 1st century the Romans started an artificial filling of the tributary; this process seemed to be completed and the island connected to the mainland in the 2nd century. But the examination of excavation documents from 1979/80 (Excavation Museum Ludwig/Philharmonie) and a revision of dendrochronological dating have now shown that in the second half of the 2nd century there must have been a part of the tributary which was still open to traffic. In this project, the history of the northern section of the tributary will be investigated. In this context also its use as a port in connection with a port in the area north of the island will be discussed.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants