Objekttexte The decline of Roman Antiquity Emperor Vespasian Gold coin, AD 74 Vespasian (AD 9–79, Emperor from AD 69) probably spent part of his youth in Aventicum (present-day Avenches in the Canton of Vaud). In AD 70, he raised Aventicum to the rank of a colony. The previously insignificant town became a regional centre and by AD 200 its population had grown to 20,000. The saying “Pecunia non olet” (money does not stink) goes back to Vespasian. He levied a tax on the latrines, from which urine was collected for tanning. This is the only gold imperial coin in the collection of the Abbey Library. It was found by peat diggers in Rüti, near Rapperswil. Rome – AD 74 – gold Found: in Rüti, near Rapperswil Obverse: Head of Vespasian, IMPCAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG Reverse: Fortuna on a pedestal with oar and cornucopia, FORTVNA AVGVST St Gall, Abbey Library, coin cabinet, drawer 79, No. 6 !6 Objekttexte The decline of Roman Antiquity Emperor Hadrian Bronze coin, AD 119–122 It was during the rule of Hadrian (AD 76–138, Emperor from AD 117) that the Roman Empire reached its zenith. In AD 122 he had Hadrian’s Wall (named after him) built in Britain. This border fortification marked the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. He fought comparatively few wars and was more concerned with the development of the empire’s infrastructure. For example, he built roads and aqueducts. Hadrian was highly educated. He was also interested in music, painting, poetry, mathematics, medicine and astronomy. Rome – AD 119–122 – bronze (orichalcum) Obverse: Head of Hadrian, IMP CAESAR TRAIANVS HADRIANVS AVG Reverse: Felicitas with caduceus and cornucopia, PONT MAX TR POT COS III / S C St Gall, Abbey Library, coin cabinet, drawer 30, No. 17 !15 Objekttexte The decline of Roman Antiquity Constantine the Great Bronze coin, AD 305–317 Constantine the Great (c. AD 280–337, Emperor from AD 306) permitted Christians living in the Roman Empire to practise their religion freely. According to legend, Constantine saw a cross of light the night before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in AD 312, and he read the words: “In this sign you will conquer”. When Constantine actually won the battle, he attributed the victory to the God of the Christians, whose religious symbol is the cross. However, Constantine always had the Roman sun god Sol minted on his coins. Here, the god is even called the “companion” of the emperor. Rome? – AD 305–317 – bronze Obverse: Head of Constantine, IMPCONSTANTINVS PF AVG Reverse: Sol with globe and raised hand, SOLI INVICTO COMITI St Gall, Abbey Library, coin cabinet, drawer 62, No. 17 !24 Objekttexte The decline of Roman Antiquity Fibula (brooch) from the area around the fort at Arbon Post AD 350 Roman soldiers and oficials fastened their cloaks with fibulas like this one. At the same time, these brooches served as insignia of rank. This is a crossbow brooch with onion-shaped knobs. However, the middle knob is missing. Seen from the front, the fibula appears to be cross-shaped. For this reason, such brooches have sometimes been assumed to be Christian symbols. If this assumption is correct, this fibula would be one of the earliest artefacts to attest to the presence of Christianity in Switzerland. Post AD 350 – bronze with traces of gold plating Findspot: Arbon On loan from the Archaeology Department of Canton Thurgau, www. archaeologie.tg.ch, AATG, Inv. Nr. 2014.090.9.1 !33 Objekttexte The decline of Roman Antiquity Rim fragment of a mortarium from the area around the fort at Arbon AD 300/400 The Romans used this type of vessel to prepare certain recipes from the Mediterranean region. Such vessels were in common use in the territory of present-day Switzerland until the withdrawal of the Roman troops in AD 401. They bear witness to a Mediterranean lifestyle which the Romans stationed north of the Alps were not willing to abandon. By the time Gallus stayed in Arbon in the 7th century, recipes and food imports from the south were a thing of the past. AD 300/400 – pottery Findspot: Arbon On loan from the Archaeology Department of Canton Thurgau, www. archaeologie.tg.ch, AATG, Inv. Nr. 1961.031_62.473 !42 Objekttexte The decline of Roman Antiquity Terra sigillata fragment from the area around the fort at Arbon AD 300/400 Terra sigillata is the name given to high-quality Roman tableware with relief decoration and a bright red slip. This fragment has a delicate roller-stamped decoration. It was probably manufactured in the Moselle region of Germany. Whether such vessels were still in use in Gallus’s time is a matter of speculation. In any case, the mixed Romano-Germanic population certainly produced their own pottery. Moselle region (?) – AD 300/400 – pottery Findspot: Arbon On loan from the Archaeology Department of Canton Thurgau, www. archaeologie.tg.ch, AATG, Inv. Nr. 1961.031_3248 !51 Objekttexte The decline of Roman Antiquity The Migration Period From the 4th to the 6th centuries, Germanic tribes migrated across large parts of Europe. The so-called Migration Period led to the decline of ancient culture. After the withdrawal of the Roman troops in 401 from the region that is now Switzerland, the Gallo-Roman population began to mix with the Germanic tribes. In the west, the Burgundians adopted Latin, whereas in the east the Alemanni retained their mother tongue. This gave rise to the diferent language regions in present-day Switzerland (western Switzerland: French; eastern Switzerland: German). Through the migration of peoples, Roman Christianity was eclipsed or suppressed by Germanic cult forms. !64 Objekttexte The decline of Roman Antiquity Fragment of a flue tile with traces of soot from the area around the fort at Arbon AD 300/400 This box-flue tile (“tubulus”) came from a Roman public bath complex (“thermae”). Roman baths comprised several rooms: the hot bath (“caldarium”), the warm room (“tepidarium”) and the cold pool (“frigidarium”). Tiles like this fragment were used in practically identical form in baths throughout the Roman Empire. They channelled of fumes and heated the walls with a supply of warm air. In fortified towns like Arbon, neither the occupying army nor the civil population were willing to forgo the pleasure of bathing. AD 300/400 – tile Findspot: Arbon On loan from the Archaeology Department of Canton Thurgau, www. archaeologie.tg.ch, AATG, Inv. Nr. 1986.001.23.100 !69 Objekttexte The legacy of the monasteries The Rule of St Benedict The most historically significant transcription C. 820 Charlemagne introduced the Benedictine Rule in all the monasteries of his empire. For this, it was necessary to disseminate a reliable standard text of the Rule. Charlemagne believed Benedict’s original copy to be in Montecassino, so he had the Rule transcribed there and declared this copy to be the standard text that should be adopted by all the monasteries. In 817, two of the monks at the Abbey of Reichenau transcribed Charlemagne’s standard copy. They made critical annotations of variants from another manuscript in the margins. This text was copied again at St Gall. Since all the older manuscripts have been lost, the St Gall codex is today the most historically significant transcription of the Benedictine Rule. St Gall – c. 820 – parchment – 272 pages The scribblings in the margin date from the 16th century St Gall, Abbey Library, Cod. Sang. 914 !79 Objekttexte The legacy of the monasteries The Rule of St Benedict in the chapter ofice book 1542/1543 The Abbey of St Gall followed the Benedictine Rule for over a thousand years: from 747 until the dissolution of the abbey in 1805. Over the years, the Rule was transcribed several times. Here it is part of a so-called chapter ofice book. Every morning, a monk would read out a chapter from this book. This manuscript was written by the cathedral organist and calligrapher Fridolin Sicher in 1542/1543. Abbot Diethelm Blarer (ruled 1530– 1564) had commissioned him with this task. Diethelm Blarer’s family coat of arms, a red cock, can be seen at the beginning of the text in an initial drawn in gold ink. St Gall (Fridolin Sicher) – 1542/1543 – parchment – 268 pages Two initials drawn in gold ink St Gall, Abbey Library, Cod. Sang. 452 !88 Objekttexte The legacy of the monasteries Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” with many comments in the margins 1100/1150 The “Metamorphoses” of the Roman poet Ovid († A.D. 17) was among the ancient works read by pupils at the monastic school. Ovid explains the world through myths: 15 books written in verse describe how gods and humans are transformed into animals, plants or stars. This manuscript was used in lessons at the school. For several centuries, teachers or students added comments in the margins and between the lines. There is other evidence that this was a much-used manuscript: the parchment is very worn, particularly at the corners. St Gall (?) – 1100/1150 – parchment – 112 pages Page 3 bears a small map of the world with climate zones; page 112 mentions an earthquake that took place in 1298 St Gall, Abbey Library, Cod. Sang. 866 !98 Objekttexte The legacy of the monasteries A compendium of medical texts 850/900 This manuscript contains a miscellany of writings. In all, there are 39 medical texts dating from Antiquity. One of these is a collection of recipes for remedies, classified according to area of application from head to toe. This enabled people to find the right remedy for every ailment. Another text informs us of the healing properties of diferent plants. The Mandragora (mandrake) is even depicted in a small drawing.