Spot on! Scenes of a Roman city

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH TO SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31st, 2022

Important Roman cities were planned on the drawing board with streets and house fronts running at right angles. To do this, the Romans used the groma, a surveying instrument consisting of a sighting cross and plumb bobs. But how did people live in a Roman city like Trier?

There were public squares with administrative buildings and sanctuaries. For wells and thermal baths - and sometimes also for the water supply to individual houses - water from the surrounding area was brought into the city via water pipes many kilometers long. Statues glorified emperors and deserving personalities. A fortification wall with impressive gates and towers secured the city. Wealthy citizens decorated their houses with wall paintings and floor mosaics. Their houses had courtyards and gardens and usually their own bathrooms. The ordinary population, on the other hand, had to make do with multi-story apartment buildings. Instead of their own kitchens, they had numerous food stalls at their disposal. Public bathing facilities were used by all classes of the population, as was the amphitheater, where people could watch animal baiting and gladiator fights
amused.

Numerous finds that were previously hidden in the depots clearly illustrate life in a major Roman city. In thematically completed stations on topics such as “Planned city founding”, “Life in a Roman city”, “Water for the city”, “Spectacle for the masses” and many others, the exhibition is vividly dedicated to these aspects of Roman city life.

AN EXHIBITION OF RHEINISCHE STATE MUSEUM TRIER