FUNMONTREV
Funerary monuments from western civitas Treverorum in an
interregional context
Self-representation of a local Elite
FunMonTrev is a research project that investigates local funeral monuments from the Gallo-Roman period. We aim to reconstruct & analyse these important historical sources in order to get a better understanding of the individuals behind the monument. It is part of an INTER-project financed by the FNR and the Austrian FWF
The western civitas Treverorum is a region that comprises nowadays G.D. of Luxembourg and the Belgian Province du Luxembourg. Here, archaeologists have unearthed numerous fragments of funeral monuments (1st to 3rd century AD). These finds are nowadays preserved in three major collections throughout the region: Musée Archéologique d’Arlon (BE), Musées Gaumais (BE) and Musée national d’histoire et d’art Luxembourg/CNRA (LU).
These collections are now being investigated in a joint project by researchers from the University of Luxembourg (A. Binsfeld – C. Ruppert) and the Austrian Academy of Sciences (G. Kremer). The aim of the project is the reconstruction of the original architectural forms and the holistic evaluation of this rich archaeological material. The development of funeral architecture in the area of investigation will be evaluated according to different criteria: chronology, typology, architectural forms, iconography, workshops, etc. This will allow to identify specific local characteristics and connections to other areas in the Roman Empire. Issues such as the self-representation of a Treveran elite and the mechanisms of assimilation, integration and exclusion in a gallo-roman society of a border region will be investigated.
The Luxembourgish project part focuses on the collections of the Musée Archéologique d’Arlon, one of the largest collections of Roman funeral art in our region. Over 400 fragments of funeral monuments from the ancient vicus Orolaunum (Arlon, Belgium) are nowadays preserved in the museum.