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Several years ago, construction work for a new school in Frankfurt led to a discovery of regional importance: a large Roman sanctuary. This was followed by extensive excavations carried out by Frankfurt’s Monument Office. The findings can now be subjected to comprehensive scientific analysis by an interdisciplinary research team. Funding for this work has been jointly secured by the Archaeological Museum Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, and the University of Basel.
This marks another milestone for Roman-period archaeology in Hesse: The German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) have jointly approved more than €1 million to support the analysis of excavations at the large Roman sanctuary in the ancient city of Nida (Frankfurt-Heddernheim). Over the next three years, the funding will enable researchers to conduct a comprehensive investigation of one of the most significant recent archaeological discoveries in Roman Germania.
Grant application spanning Frankfurt and Basel
Applicants for the project “Exploring the dynamics of a Roman sanctuary – Interdisciplinary studies on spatial organisation and depositions at the central sanctuary in Nida-Heddernheim” include the Archaeological Museum Frankfurt (Dr. Carsten Wenzel); the Institute for Archaeological Sciences at Goethe University Frankfurt (Prof. Anja Klöckner, Classical Archaeology; Prof. Markus Scholz, Archaeology and History of the Roman Provinces; Prof. Astrid Stobbe, Archaeobotany); and the Institute for Integrative Prehistoric and Scientific Archaeology (IPNA) at the University of Basel (Prof. Sabine Deschler-Erb (ⴕ), Dr. Barbara Stopp). Additional cooperation partners include Frankfurt’s City Monument Office [Denkmalamt] and the Roman-Germanic Commission (RGK) of the German Archaeological Institute, also based in Frankfurt. The approved research project was officially presented today at a press conference held at the Archaeological Museum of the City of Frankfurt.
Dr. Ina Hartwig, Frankfurt’s City Commissioner for Culture and Science, commented on the project: “The central cult district of Nida represents an archaeological discovery of almost unparalleled significance in Europe. Its comprehensive scholarly investigation will further establish Frankfurt as a hub of international cutting-edge research. The project demonstrates the strength of our research landscape when museums, universities, non-university research institutions, and heritage conservation work hand in hand to make research visible within the city.”
School construction uncovers Roman cult complex
The cult district of Nida was uncovered during excavations conducted by the Monument Office between 2016 and 2018, and again in 2022, in Frankfurt’s Nordweststadt district. In the course of constructing the new “Römerstadtschule,” an area of more than 4,500 square meters in the center of the Roman city was excavated, revealing a walled complex. The site was almost completely excavated and documented using modern archaeological methods. The findings have been preserved in a coherent state, with only minimal post-Roman disturbance.
Marcus Gwechenberger, Frankfurt’s City Councilor for Planning and Housing, emphasized the discovery’s broader significance: “The newly uncovered cult district of the Roman city of Nida is among the most important archaeological finds in Frankfurt in recent years. The funding now makes it possible to scientifically analyze this exceptional discovery in depth. At the same time, it recognizes the continuous and highly professional work of our municipal heritage office. This project also illustrates how urban development and research go hand in hand in Frankfurt. The fact that the discovery was made during construction of the new Römerstadtschule vividly demonstrates how past and future intersect in our city.”
Archaeological Evidence of Roman Cult Practices
The cult site comprises eleven stone buildings constructed in several phases, as well as around 70 shafts and ten pits used for (ritual) depositions. The building layouts are highly unusual and have no known parallels in the Germanic or Gallic provinces of the Roman Empire. More than 5,000 fragments of painted wall plaster, together with bronze fittings from doors and windows, attest to the elaborate architectural design of the structures.
The shafts and pits yielded numerous ceramic vessels and large quantities of plant and animal remains, including fish and birds. These finds are interpreted as remains of ritual meals and offerings made to the gods. To facilitate detailed analysis, 150 samples were collected for archaeozoological and archaeobotanical study.
The analysis of 254 Roman coins and more than 70 silver and bronze garment clasps (fibulae), some of them fully preserved, is central to reconstructing the ritual and sacrificial practices carried out at the site. Such objects are widely attested as offerings and votive gifts in Roman sanctuaries throughout the empire. By contrast, the evidence pointing to possible human sacrifice at the cult district of Nida is entirely exceptional. Despite the excellent state of preservation and the richness of the material record, conclusions regarding the specific deities worshipped at the site remain limited. Inscriptions and iconographic evidence attest to the veneration of several gods, including Jupiter, the chief Roman deity; Jupiter Dolichenus, particularly revered by soldiers; Mercurius Alatheus, god of trade and commerce; Diana, goddess of nature; Apollo, god of healing; and Epona, the Celtic-Roman goddess of fertility. This constellation suggests that the site functioned as a sanctuary of regional importance in which multiple deities were worshipped side by side.
Based on current evidence, the cult district was established at the beginning of the 2nd century CE. A dedicatory inscription from a soldier to Mercurius Alatheus, dated 9 September 246 CE, confirms that the sanctuary remained in use at least until the mid-3rd century CE.
Interdisciplinary Research Team Enables Comprehensive Study
The approval of this large-scale research project underscores the importance of archaeological research in the Frankfurt region. It also serves as a strong example of the close networking of academic institutions within the Rhine-Main area, both among themselves and in collaboration with international partner institutions.
The funding provides a unique opportunity to investigate this regionally significant complex through an interdisciplinary approach. Focusing on the analysis of interior design and depositional practices, the project aims to reconstruct the ritual activities carried out at the site. In doing so, the cult district of Nida will be embedded within the broader cultural and historical context of the sacred landscapes of the Roman north-western provinces. The project will involve five early-career researchers in doctoral and postdoctoral positions across the participating institutions.
One year after the presentation of the “Frankfurt Silver Inscription”: Research on Nida enters the next phase
In addition to the cult district, other excavations conducted by the Monument Office over the past decades have yielded important insights into the settlement history and topography of Nida. Just over a year after the presentation of the “Frankfurt Silver Inscription” – the oldest known Christian written testimony north of the Alps – the Roman city on Frankfurt soil is once again the focus of public attention. The research team now has the unique opportunity to collaboratively explore Roman religions in Frankfurt and investigate temples, sacrifices, and rituals. The high-quality, exceptionally well-preserved findings underscore the exceptional importance of Nida for Roman-period archaeology in Germany. Founded as a military base in the 70s of the 1st century CE, the settlement developed into the economic and cultural center of the Limes region by the early 2nd century. Characterized by remarkable cultural diversity, Nida remained one of the most important urban centers in Roman Germania until its abandonment around 275/280 CE.
Images and captions can be downloaded at: https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/182413177
Selection of quotes from members of the project “Exploring the dynamics of a Roman sanctuary”
“For many years, the Roman city of Nida has been a focal point of Frankfurt’s archaeological heritage work, yielding exceptional discoveries that continue to advance scholarly understanding. Step by step, these findings are bringing the ancient city into clearer focus and highlighting its remarkable importance within the Roman Empire on the right bank of the Rhine. Meticulous excavation and documentation have now revealed a Roman sacred district in Nida whose scale and character are without parallel anywhere in the empire.”
Dr. Andrea Hampel, Frankfurt’s City Monument Office [Denkmalamt]
“Depositional practices can play a decisive role in shaping both the sacralization and the secularization of spaces. Using Roman Nida as a case study, an international and interdisciplinary research project is examining these processes and underscoring the central importance of religious practices in a major urban center located along the Roman frontier.”
Dr. Kerstin P. Hofmann, Roman-Germanic Commission (RGK) of the German Archaeological Institute
“In many ancient sanctuaries, our knowledge is limited to the ground plans of the cult buildings. At Nida, however, the large number of preserved wall-painting fragments allows us to gain far deeper insight into room heights, spatial organization, and interior design. These findings offer a more nuanced understanding of how the sanctuary functioned as a space – and of the ritual practices that can be inferred from its architecture and decoration.”
Prof. Dr. Anja Klöckner, Goethe University Frankfurt, Classical Archaeology
“In most Roman cities, the urban center was defined by a forum. Nida presents a striking exception. Here, excavations have revealed a multi-phase sanctuary comprising several temples – an arrangement that is highly unusual. The complex likely functioned as the spiritual heart of the settlement and may even have served a wider regional role. Might it have been a pilgrimage center? The evidence points to influences from Gaul, the Mediterranean, and the eastern provinces. Deposits from more than eighty shafts and pits preserve traces of ritual activity, including remains of sacred meals – what might be described as ‘holy refuse.’ Might some of this evidence point to a deliberate abandonment or even desecration of the sanctuary in the third century?”
Prof. Dr. Markus Scholz, Goethe University Frankfurt, Archaeology and History of the Roman Provinces
“Animals and animal products appear to have played a central role in ancient religious practice – whether in ritual meals, acts of communication with the divine, or as offerings. For the first time, this interdisciplinary research project enables a comprehensive and systematic examination of these functions at the Roman site of Nida.”
Dr. des. Benjamin Sichert, IPNA, University of Basel
“Plants and plant-based products played an important role in everyday life, including religious practice, in antiquity. At Roman Nida, archaeobotanical research offers a unique opportunity to examine these functions in a differentiated way, while also gaining insight into patterns of cultivation, importation, and the surrounding environment.”
Prof. Dr. Astrid Stobbe, Goethe University Frankfurt, Archaeobotany Laboratory
“The discovery of Nida’s sacred district came as a remarkable surprise, coinciding with my arrival at the Archaeological Museum in the summer of 2016. As curator for the Roman period, it was an exceptional beginning – and an opportunity to develop a long-term project together with colleagues. With its many distinctive features, the sanctuary not only underscores Nida’s outstanding importance within Roman Germania; its systematic study within the DFG-funded project promises far-reaching new insights into religious life and cult practices in the northern reaches of the Roman Empire.”
Dr. Carsten Wenzel, Archaeological Museum Frankfurt
Prof. Dr. Markus Scholz
Archaeology and History of the Roman Provinces
Goethe University Frankfurt
Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Dept. II
Phone +49 (0)69 798-32265
E-Mail m.scholz@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Holger Kieburg M.A.
PR and Science Communication
Archaeological Museum of the City of Frankfurt
Phone +49 (0)69 212-36747
Mobile +49 (0)151 184 01046
E-Mail: holger.kieburg@stadt-frankfurt.de
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