This study investigates dietary practices and local interaction in Roman and pre-Roman Nijmegen, the Netherlands, through strontium isotope ratios (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) and concentration measurements on cremated human remains from rural, urban, and military contexts, which primarily reflect the geological provenance of dietary strontium.

In this article we examine the dominant, militaristic interpretation of the Roman Limes, particularly within UNESCO World Heritage sites and national heritage narratives. Focusing on the Dutch context of the Lower Germanic Limes and comparing it with Germany and Britain, we trace how national research traditions, political agendas, and site materiality have shaped a narrow, one-dimensional view of the Limes as a military borderline.