The Herwen Roman sanctuary turns out to be a gold mine: 80,000 finds

A Roman-era shrine discovered last summer near Zevenaar in Gelderland has turned out to be even more extensive than initially thought. According to archaeologist Eric Norde of the archaeological research agency RAAP, some 80,000 finds were made.

The Roman sanctuary was discovered in June in Herwen-Hemeling, near the border with Germany. The temple complex is located exactly on the limes, the former northern border of the Roman Empire. Those involved have already mentioned the find, which has been preserved relatively well unique to the Netherlands.

Large-scale archaeological excavations were carried out at the site until August and more were found. Two more graves have been discovered.

The finds are stored at a branch of the RAAP in Zutphen. Numerous special pieces are displayed on the table, but there are also dozens of crates and boxes with other exhibits stored in another room.

Valuable items, such as coins and jewelry, are in the safe. “We even considered renting an extra warehouse, but luckily that’s all there is to it,” says Norde Gelderland broadcast.

The research at Herwen’s location has been completed, but it will take another three to four years to process everything and document it. According to Norde, it is now a matter of perplexity.

For example, various stones with Roman texts have been recomposed. “By putting together such a puzzle, we also discovered, for example, the existence of a still unknown Roman goddess, who was worshiped in Herwen.”

Norde is thrilled with the result of the excavation. “It’s so detailed and well preserved, I haven’t seen anything like it in the last 20 years.”

While now just a small town, Herwen was probably a hot spot in Roman times. “It was obviously not a big city, like Nijmegen at the time, but there was an army station nearby,” Norde explains.

“And if we look at the inscriptions on the stones, we know that important soldiers came here and built several temples. This must have had a huge attraction for all kinds of people. Herwen was really the place to stay.”

Some masterpieces have been on display since June in the Het Valkhof museum in Nijmegen. However, Norde hopes that some of the finds will soon be available for viewing near the site as well. “The Liemers Museum in Zevenaar is already investigating what they want and what they can do with it,” he says. “It would be great if locals could see all of this.”