Archaeological Journal ISSN: 0066-5983 (Print) 2373-2288 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/raij20 The Roman Antiquities of Switzerland By Bunnell Lewis M.A., F.S.A. To cite this article: By Bunnell Lewis M.A., F.S.A. (1885) The Roman Antiquities of Switzerland, Archaeological Journal, 42:1, 171-214, DOI: 10.1080/00665983.1885.10852174 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00665983.1885.10852174 Published online: 15 Jul 2014. Submit your article to this journal View related articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=raij20 Download by: [University of California Santa Barbara] Date: 18 June 2016, At: 04:49 THE ROMAN ANTIQUITIES OF SWITZERLAND. By BUNNELL LEWIS, M.A., F.S.A. Many persons, well-informed in other respects, think that there are no Boman antiquities in Switzerland. This mistake results from various causes. Most people travel there to enjoy the scenery, and recruit their health. The Bomans have not left behind them in that country vast monuments of their power, like the temples, theatres and aqueducts, which in regions farther south are still to be seen ; but, speaking generally, we must be content with smaller objects stored in museums, sometimes unprovided with catalogues.1 Moreover, no English writer, as far as I know, has discussed this subject at any length; attention has been directed almost exclusively to pie-historic remains made known by Dr. Keller's book on Bfahlbauten (lake- dwellings), of which an excellent translation has been published.2 However, I hope to show that the classical antiquities of Switzerland, though inferior to those of some other countries, ought not to be passed over with contemptuous neglect, and that they deserve study quite as much as similar relics of the olden time in Britain, 1 A very good account of the Collections 2 Dr. Keller gives only three references at Bale has been written by Professor J. to Roman remains—key, tiles and J. Bernoulli, author of Romische Ikono- amphora—pp. 121, 133, 183, English graphie ; it is entitled, " Museum in Basel. translation by J. E. Lee. Victor Gross's Downloaded by [University of California Santa Barbara] at 04:49 18 June 2016 Catalog fiir die Antiquarische Abthei- book may be regarded as supplementary lung," 1880. Compare Kurzer Bericht to Keller's : on account of its importance iiber die fur das Museum iu Basel erwor- I add the title in extenso, " Les Proto- bene Sehmid'sehe Sammlung von Alter- helvetes ou les premiers colons sur les thiimern aus Augst. Von Prof. Wilhelm bords des lacs de Bienne et Neuchatel, Vischer. 1858, 4to, with one Plate con- Berlin, 1883, 4to, avec 33 Planches en taining eight figures. phototype figurant 950 objets trouves The Catalogue Descriptif of the Musee pendant les fouilles." Fol at Geneva is an elaborate work in See also Sir John Lubbock's Pre-his- four volumes, of which the first and second toric Times, chap, v, The Lake-Habita- are devoted to Antiquities. Among the tions of Switzerland, pp. 119-170, ed. illustrations, some coloured plates of 1863, Ferns Antiques deserve special notice. 172 THE ROMAN ANTIQUITIES OF SWITZERLAND. which, our own local antiquaries have so carefully in- vestigated. I. The Eoman inscriptions are replete with interest, but they have been scarcely noticed by our countrymen, with the exception of the forgery relating to Julia Alpinula, which Lord Byron has immortalised.1 A few specimens will suffice to show the importance of these historical monuments. A block of marble, nine feet high and thirty inches wide, found in the baths at Avenches and now preserved in the museum there, exhibits the following characters, i u I i a e DOMINaE AVGl MATRIcASTROfl HEL PVBLIC/// Juliae Dominae Augustae Matri Castrorum Helvetii public,e. The Helvetians have officially erected this monument in honour of Julia Domna Augusta, mother of the camp.2 I have selected this inscription on account of the title Mater Castrorum, which was first conferred on Faustina Junior, wife of Marcus Aurelius. Accordingly, the empress is represented on her coins with this legend and three military standards in front.3 Her example was followed by Julia Domna, Mamaea and other princesses.4 1 iulia . alpinula . hie . iaeeo ] infelieis. Memoir are Mommsen's, unless otherwise patris . infelix . proles | deae auent . specified. I have used the edition of saeerd | exorare . patris . neeem . non . Orelli, which appeared in 1.828. potui | male . mori. in . fatis. illi. erat | • No. 169. Baron de Bonstetten, Carte uixi. annos. xxiii. Archeologique du Canton de Vaud accom- These words are derived partly from pagnee d'untexte explicatif, 1874, p. 6. Tacitus, Histories, I, 68, In Julium 3 Cohen, Me dailies Imperiales, vol. ii, Alpinum e principibus ut concitorem p. 577. M. Aurfcle . lui (Faustine belli Caecina animadvertit : partly from Jeune) avait donne le titre de mere des inscriptions, Nos. 154, 150, containing camps qu'on voit sur les medailles 24, Dea Aventia, found at Miinchweiler; and 60, 145 et 194, parce qu 'elle l'avaitsuivi No. 241, where Alpinula occurs, found at a la guerre. Cf. PI. XIX, Grand Bronze, Wettingen, near Baden in the Canton 194 ; and p. 599. Eckhel, Doct. Num. Aargau. See Orelli, note on Tacitus, loc. Vet., vol. vii, p. 79. Capitolinus in the Downloaded by [University of California Santa Barbara] at 04:49 18 June 2016 citat., insc: . conficta a Paulo Guli- Augustan History, M. Antoninus Philo- elmo, and Collectio Inscriptionum Latin- sophus, chap. 26, quam secum et in arum, vol. i, p. 123, No. 400 ; Mommsen, aestivis habuerat, ut matrem castrorum in Mittheilungen der Autiquarischen appellaret: see the note of Casaubon. Gesellschaft in Ziirich. Zehnter Band, Dion Cassius, Hist. Rom., LXXI, 10 fin. 1854, Inscriptiones Confoederationis Hel- •η μέντοί φαυστίνα μήτηρ των στρατοπέδων veticae Latinae ; Falsae, No. 15. Byron, iir εκλήθη. Childe Harold, III, 66, 1 Julia Domna, wife of Septimius And there—oh ! sweet and sacred be the Severus : Cohen III, 339, Nos. 67-70 ; name !— Eckhel, VII, 196. Mamaea, mother of Julia—the daughter, the devoted—gave Alexander Severus : Cohen IV, 83, Nos. Her youth to heaven, &c. 54-56.; Eckhel VII, 288. The numbers of inscriptions in this THE ROMAN ANTIQUITIES OE SWITZERLAND. 173 The monuments corroborate the statement of Tacitus, who, in his account of the appearance of Caractacus before Claudius and Agrippina, mentions it as a novelty, at variance with ancient usage, that a woman should preside over Eoman standards.1 As might be expected, the wives of provincial governors imitated the empresses ; Plancina, daughter of Munatius Plancus, in Syria, and Cornelia in Pannonia are censured because they assisted at the military exercises of the legions.2 This interference of Eoman ladies in politics and war, which is indicated by our inscription, forms the subject of a debate in the Eoman senate recorded by Tacitus, and has a special interest now, as history is repeating itself, and a tendency to exceed the limits of nature is spreading amongst ourselves.3 GENIO PAG. TIGOR P. GRACClVS PATERNVS T.P.I. SCRIBONIA LVCANA H.F.C. Genio pagi Tigorini P. Graccius Paternus testamento (aram) poni jussit, Scribonia Lucana haeres fciciendam curavit. P. Graccius Paternus has ordered by his will that this altar should be erected to the Genius of the Tigurine Canton, Scribonia Lucana his heir has carried his wish into effect.4 This inscription was found at 1 Tacitus, Ann. XII, 37, Novum sane, Ipsa loqui recta facie, strictisque mamillis. et moribus veterum insolitum, foeminam Chat with great generals, though her lord signis Romanis praesidere. be there, 2 Plancina, wife of Cn. Piso: Tacitus, With lawless eye, bold front, and bosom Ann. II, 55, Exercitio equitum, decursibus bare. Gifford's Translation. cohortium interesse. Cornelia, wife of See liuperti's Commentary. Calvisius Sabinus : Dio LIX, 18, Και yap Friedlaender (to whom I am indebted εκείνη, ως φύλακας τε έφοδεύσαιτα καΐ robs for some of the preceding references), Sit- στρατίώτας άσκοΰvras Ιδονσα, αίτίαν εσχεν. nd Downloaded by [University of California Santa Barbara] at 04:49 18 June 2016 tengeschichte Roms, 2 edit., 1865, vol. 3 Tacitus, Ann. Ill, 33, 34, Caecina I, chap. V, Die Frauen, p. 338 sq. proposed that provincial governors should Ehrgeiz der Frauen und The.ilnahme an not be accompanied by their wives, Mes- der Politik. It would be well to com- salinus and Drusus took the opposite pare the 4'h edit., 1873, vol. I, p. 478. side. The discussion affords a curious 4 No. 159 ; Bonstetten, Op. citat. p. 5 parallel with the case of English officials Orelli, No. 366, gives the inscription less going to India. In the latter chapter the correctly ; after Paternus he reads CVR. expressive phrase modum excedere occurs. COL. ET. for T.P.I., and after Lucana Juvenal, Sat. VI, 399, V. FEC. for H.F.C., which he explains as Et ccetus possit quam ferre virorum, equivalent to vivi fecerunt ; but V might Cumque paludatis ducibus, praesente stand for uxor. The form Tigoiinus for marito, Tigurimm should be observed. For the VOL. XLII. Ζ 1 76 THE ROMAN ANTIQUITIES OF SWITZERLAND. Miinchweiler near Morat, and about five miles from Avenches. The word altar for which there is ho equiva- lent in the Latin text may be supplied from a similar monument at Hasparren, near Bayonne, where we find the phrase, genio pagi hanc declicat aramCombined with evidence from other sources, our inscription leads to the conclusion that Aventic.um was the capital of the Canton, and therefore agrees with the description of Tacitus, gentis caput? But it more directly illustrates Cassar, who in his Gallic War, Book I, chap.