Leaderboard

Not surprisingly, Rome had a great presence in Switzerland. I am, however, surprised that this is the eighth Roman amphitheater found in that country. “The Kaiseraugst amphitheater is the second amphitheater in the canton of Aargau after the one in Vindonissa (Windisch). It is the third such monument in the Roman town of Augusta Raurica. Eight such buildings are now known throughout Switzerland. In addition to Vindonissa and Augusta Raurica, there is an amphitheater in Avenches (Aventicum), Martigny (Forum Claudii Vallensium), Nyon (Colonia Iulia Equestris) and on the Enge peninsula in Bern (Brenodurum). In Roman times, games such as gladiator fights and animal hunts were presented in the arenas, which were very popular at the time.” “Augusta Raurica, or Colonia Augusta Rauracorum, was founded by Lucius Munatius Plancus around 44 BC in the vicinity of a local Gallic tribe, the Rauraci. During the 2nd century AD, the town emerged as a prosperous commercial trading centre with an estimated population of around 20,000 inhabitants. The amphitheatre was uncovered during the construction of a new boathouse for the Basel Rowing Club on the Rhine in Kaiseraugst, revealing an oval ring of walls that measure around 50 metres long and 40 metres wide, west of the Kaiseraugst fort, the Castrum Rauracense.” https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/01/roman-amphitheatre-unearthed-in-switzerland/142560?amp https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/swiss-archeologists-dig-up-youngest-roman-amphitheatre-in-kaiseraugst?format=amp

The glass jug with inner jug, probably made in a factory in Cologne in the early 4th century, is a masterpiece of glassblowing art. Canton Archeology Schaffhausen / Rolf Wessendorf This is a wonderful Roman glass I first saw on a thread by Nina WillBurger @DrNWillburger. These objects were found many years ago, but are frequently overlooked by modern scholars. Here’s some background on the find: “In September 1969, when laying heating pipes in the greenhouse of a market garden situated next to the railway line from Stein am Rhein to Kreuzlingen, a workman came across two skeletons and a fragment of a glass bowl decorated with a motif of figures in relief. He had discovered the necropolis of the Late Roman fortress of Auf Burg, which lay about 250 metres to the north. Since then, several excavations have uncovered a total of 83 graves. The quality and the number of grave goods made of glass, as well as the comparatively intact context of castle and associated burial ground, are what make the site so special.” Here is another glass piece found at the site: https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/2020/07/roemisches-glas/