The Reconstruction of three Roman Houses at the Archaeological Park at Xanten (Germany)

In Roman times the Colonia Ulpia Traiana (CUT) located in the lower Rhine area of Germany was second only to the provincial capital Colonia Claudia Ara Aggrippinensium (Cologne) in germania inferior. In the late 1960s the extent of the Roman city was known and large areas of the Roman city were used by agricultural means. However, some parts of the archaeological site were scheduled to become an industrial estate. To prevent further destruction the Archaeological Park at Xanten (APX) was founded in 1973 at the site of the Roman Colonia Ulpia Traiana to protect and to present the remains of this major Roman city.
The APX employed physical reconstructions as one of several methods to explain the importance of the site and the Roman past to a wider audience. From 2007 to 2014 three Roman houses were reconstructed in the eastern quarter of the Colonia at the original site of the excavations. Strong emphasis was put on a careful protection of the historic remains with elaborate foundation methods. The reconstructions were executed in rammed earth technology and timber framing partition walls reflecting the building methods of Roman times in the lower Rhine area. The roof was covered with replicated tiles produced in a wood-fired kiln. Many materials and building techniques from Roman times were studied and re-invented for its practical use. The aim of the reconstruction work was to get as close as possible to the Roman original building methods in order to understand the ancient construction processes and the time and knowledge necessary to execute the work.
The scholarly results of the building process will be published while the physical reconstructions will serve the visitors to learn more about the Roman past, the ancient building technologies and modern conservation methods and will serve the scholars to learn more about the long-term performance of the building materials and construction techniques from the Roman
period.

Author - Dr. Kienzle, Peter, LVR Archaeologischer Park Xanten, Xanten, Germany (Presenting author)
Co-author(s) - Dr. Mueller, Martin, LVR Archaeologischer Park Xanten, Xanten, Germany