Grenzfall - Borderline
During an excavation at Obernburg/Main, a station for Roman “beneficiarii” (privileged soldiers) as well as its associated sanctuary were uncovered. This is the first of its kind in the entire area covered by the former Roman Empire. The building is designed in the emphasised Mediterranean peristyle surrounded by columns and pillars, with underfloor heating as well as decorated and painted furnishings. Within the sanctuary, there are 75 alters dedicated to the supreme god Jupiter and his wife Juno. Nineteen of these are completely intact. The stone monuments up to 1.70 m high have a high supra-regional quality with respect to their inscriptions as well as their pictorial and ornamental design. In addition to numerous individual discoveries that are made of all sorts of materials, a depot was found that was buried in the ground as a votive offering. The depot contained a 26 cm high bronze statuette of the god Mercury that was carefully covered with a votive plaque of the same size made of silver with some gold-plating. This plaque also has a hammered relief that represents Mercury. It is embedded in an architectural frame and is flanked by various attribute animals of the deity. The studio exhibition in the Bavarian State Archaeological Collection presents a number of these important groups of finds and also insights into the close cooperation between restorers, archaeologists and scientists as well as the complex challenges facing the conservation and restoration work.
01.08. - 01.10.06 | daily except MON 09.30-17.30, THU 09.30-21.00
Archäologische Staatssammlung, Lerchenfeldstraße 2, 80538 München,
see site map 02
