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Ommetje Door Het Achterland Van De Oostelijke Limes De Romeinse

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Ommetje Door Het Achterland Van De Oostelijke Limes De Romeinse Ommetje door het achterland van de oostelijke Limes De Romeinse Limes loopt dwars door Nederland, maar begint of eindigt niet bij Lobith. Van daaraf buigt die grenslijn stroomopwaarts met de Rijn mee naar het zuidzuidoosten via Xanten en Keulen naar Bonn, waarna de Provincia Germania Inferior (Neder-Germanië) overgaat in de Provincia Germania Superior (Opper-Germanië). Naast de noordelijke is er dus een oostelijke Limes van het Romeinse Rijk. Van dit deel vormden de vruchtbare lössgronden van wat nu Zuid-Limburg is het achterland. Dit gebied had in de Romeinse oudheid een robuuste infrastructuur. Vanaf Colonia Agrippina (Keulen) liep een heerbaan via Coriovallum (Heerlen) naar Atuatuca Tungrorum (Tongeren) en verder. Deze Via Belgica werd vanaf de 2de eeuw bij Coriovallum gekruist door de weg vanuit Aquae Granni (Aken) via Teudurum (Tudderen) en Sablones (Venlo) naar Castra Vetera (Xanten). In onze tijd spreken we van de Via Traiana. Marcus Ulpius Traianus was keizer van 98 tot 117. Naar hem werd de oorspronkelijke legerplaats Castra Vetera ‘Colonia Ulpia Traiana’ genoemd. Ten westen van de Maas werd in de 4de eeuw de Via Mosae aangelegd, ook wel Via Valentiniana genoemd naar keizer Valentinianus (365-374), die in 368 Cuijk zou hebben bezocht. Deze weg liep van Maastricht via Blariacum (Blerick) en Ceuclum (Cuijk) naar Nijmegen. Op grond van enkele aanwijzingen wordt vermoed dat er ook een verbindingsweg is geweest van Maastricht naar Tudderen. De mogelijkheid bestaat dat deze bij Munstergeleen de Geleenbeek heeft gekruist. In het beekdal bij Geleen en Munstergeleen zijn op verschillende plaatsen nederzettingen gevonden die gerekend worden tot de bandkeramische cultuur, een van de oudste landbouwculturen van Midden- en West-Europa. In de afgelopen vijf jaar is bij Munstergeleen door het samenwerkingsproject Corio Glana de Geleenbeek en het beekdal op de schop genomen. De beek meandert weer en het beekdal is voor een deel heringericht. De vondst van een munt (op 18 juli 2016), uitgegeven door keizer Constantijn, heeft aanleiding gegeven tot een monument in het Geleenderveld: de Romulus en Remussteen. Op een maaskei van ca. 2.750 kg zijn aan weerszijden muntmedaillons bevestigd met een doorsnee van 40 cm. Aan de ene kant de beeldenaar (25 x vergroot) met de godin Roma, aan de andere kant de keerzijde met Romulus en Remus gezoogd door de wolvin. Door deze munt wordt niet alleen de mythe verteld van de stichting van Rome maar ook het historische verhaal van Constantijns besluit een nieuwe rijkshoofdstad te stichten in het oosten. Een drietal vitrines in het dorp laten andere vondsten zien: uit de bandkeramische periode, uit de Romeinse tijd en uit de tussenliggende tijden en latere tijd. Langs de (deels vernieuwde) Geleenbeek is een wandelroute uitgezet, globaal genomen tussen de NS-stations Sittard en Geleen Oost. Behalve de eerder genoemde Romulus en Remussteen bezichtigen we de Glanissteen die Geleen en Munstergeleen in verband brengt met het Keltische Glanum (in de Provence) dat tot in de Romeinse tijd een heiligdom had voor de brongod Glanis. Ter gelegenheid van de Romeinenweek 2020 was voor zondag 26 april een ommetje gepland langs deze objecten. Door de Corona-crisis kan de Romeinenweek 2020 niet doorgaan in fysieke zin. In de plaats van het ommetje wordt de mogelijkheid geboden de wandeling op eigen gelegenheid te maken m.b.v. foto’s. Beste lezer van Ontdek De Romeinen, special van De Romeinenweek Het Geleenbeekdal kan met recht betiteld worden als het achterland van de oostelijke Limes, de grens van het Romeinse Rijk die gevormd werd door de rivier de Rijn. Keulen en Xanten waren in het begin van onze jaartelling de belangrijkste en meest nabije grensplaatsen, van waaruit een proces van romanisering in gang werd gezet. De vruchtbare lössgrond zal daarbij een rol hebben gespeeld: veteranen van de Romeinse legioenen vestigden zich in het Geleenbeekdal, waar meerdere vondsten zijn gedaan die erop wijzen dat er, zoals elders in het huidige Zuid- Limburg, in de Romeinse tijd Villae = Romeinse boerenhoeves zijn geweest. Binnen de gemeente Sittard-Geleen is in de afgelopen decennia veel archeologisch materiaal tevoorschijn gekomen, met name ook bij de uitvoering van het samenwerkingsproject Corio Glana bij Munstergeleen. Die vondsten hebben geïnspireerd tot het oprichten van monumenten langs de door IVN Munstergeleen ontwikkelde wandelroute Glana Nova, drie geschakelde ommetjes langs de Geleenbeek. Het thema van de zevende editie van de Nationale Romeinenweek is de Neder- Germaanse limes, die vanaf de Noordzee dwars door Nederland en vanaf de grens met Duitsland via de eerder genoemde grensplaatsen verder loopt tot aan Bonn, waarna in de Romeinse tijd de Provincia Germania Superior (Opper- Germanië) begon. Over een jaar, zo is de bedoeling, wordt bekend gemaakt of deze Neder- Germaanse limes op de werelderfgoedlijst van de UNESCO zal worden geplaatst. Voor IVN Munstergeleen was deze gelegenheid een goede aanleiding om de monumenten van Munstergeleen die in de afgelopen vijf jaar zijn geplaatst en die merendeels verwijzen naar het Romeinse verleden, alsook de tentoongestelde archeologische vondsten, onder de aandacht te brengen. Helaas heeft het Corona-virus de fysieke uitvoering van deze Romeinenweek gedwarsboomd. Nadat een special over het thema in elkaar was gezet in samenwerking met het Historisch Nieuwsblad, is besloten tot een digitale uitvoering. IVN Munstergeleen heeft daar van harte aan meegewerkt en biedt het ommetje alsnog aan op izi.travel.nl onder de benaming Ommetje door het achterland van de oostelijke limes, en is onder deze link te vinden: https://www.romeinen.nl/ontdek-romeins- nederland/romeinenweek/programma/3492743894/ommetje-door-het-achterland-van-de- oostelijke-limes Belangstellenden kunnen dus op elk door henzelf gekozen moment of desnoods vanuit hun luie stoel, het ommetje beleven d.m.v. Google Maps en aan de hand van vele foto’s. IVN Munstergeleen wenst u een fijne wandeling! Ben Bongers, secretaris. .
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