Work Package 2 investigates the archaeology of the border region of the Lower Germanic limes during the Roman period. Its aim is to understand how the limes functioned and what impact it had on communities on both sides. Was the limes a closed barrier between Romans and Germanic peoples, or did it sometimes function as an open “highway” for west-east transport along the Rhine?
The main research themes are:
- Settlements and cemeteries: the collection and analysis of data from excavated sites on both sides of the Rhine, from northern France and Belgium to northwestern Germany. PhD researcher Anna van der Weij (UU) specifically examines how the border region operated and how inhabitants and landscape interacted, using burial practices as a key source.
- Temporary camps: the study of the relationship between temporary camps and permanent military fortifications. This research is conducted by Wouter Vos and Jeroen Oosterbaan (Saxion), in collaboration with archaeology students.
- Distribution of material culture: the compilation of distribution maps of objects from various periods and types to gain insights into the movement of goods—and possibly people. PhD researcher Arjan Ruiter (VU) focuses on the distribution of material culture across the Netherlands, both within and beyond the Roman Empire.
- Postdoctoral researcher Mark Groenhuijzen (UU) works on integrating various spatial datasets collected and developed within the project. He also contributes to the (computational) analysis of this data to address archaeologically relevant questions about how the limes functioned.
Data on object distribution is gathered in close collaboration with volunteers through the PAN database, which also contributes to the expansion of find documentation.
Various historical phases are studied—from before the establishment of the limes to the reuse of Roman structures in the Early Middle Ages—in order to assess the nature and long-term impact of the limes on rural communities.
Work Package 3 investigates the effects of the Limes on mobility, diet, and health of people during the Roman period. It uses pioneering isotope and genetic research to determine differences in individual origins and to detect pathogens and crop varieties.
Lisette Kootker, Gareth Davies, and PhD candidate Maura De Coster (VU) apply Sr-C-N-O isotope analysis to create a new Sr isotope map of the Netherlands, reconstruct the paleodiet, and define possible origin areas of cremated skeletal remains and associated fauna from the Dutch-German-Belgian border region of the Limes. With support from the University of Copenhagen, ancient DNA (aDNA) research is used to investigate genetic relationships and variation of buried individuals.
Ancient environmental DNA (ancient eDNA) is employed to detect pathogens and plant species in sediment samples from archaeological excavations along the Limes. In collaboration with the University of Copenhagen, an ancient eDNA analysis facility is being established at the eDNA laboratory of Wageningen University. PhD candidate Kadir Toykan Özdoğan, postdoc Fabricio Furni, and Gertjan Plets (UU), under the leadership of Arjen de Groot (WU), develop protocols for isolating DNA from archaeological soils and extracting specific crop cultivars and pathogens from DNA pools (in the lab or through bioinformatics). The goal is to gain insight into the health of Roman military and civilian populations and the distribution of diseases and crops in the border region of the Roman Empire.
The main objective is to model human mobility in the Roman border region by integrating material finds with human, animal, and botanical data to better understand spatial and temporal differences in migration patterns and trade routes.
Work Package 4 investigates the rediscovery of the Limes as cultural heritage from the late Middle Ages to the present. It first focuses on the development of scientific research into the Roman frontier and its dialogue with ancient written sources: what questions did researchers ask, which collections and sites did they use, and what interpretative frameworks did they apply?
Additionally, it examines how knowledge about the Limes was disseminated as shared, sometimes contested heritage among a broader public—especially in the nineteenth century, when national interpretations and imagined contrasts between Germans and Romans played a role. It also explores the use of concepts like race, civilization, and modernity, and parallels with colonial and imperial discourses.
Furthermore, the use of this heritage in debates about European integration and its conceptualization as World Heritage by organizations such as UNESCO is studied.
- Art historian Koen Ottenheym (UU) focuses on the period from the late Middle Ages to the eighteenth century, investigating how humanists and antiquarians interpreted ancient sources and sought material evidence along the Danube and Rhine.
- Archaeologists and cultural historians Gertjan Plets, David van Oeveren, and Jaap Verheul (UU) study the nineteenth century, paying attention to the development of scientific infrastructure (such as the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden) and Roman sites, and how knowledge was shared through education, media, and popular books. Digital humanities methods are employed to analyze patterns and sentiments in references to the Limes.
- Political geographers Paschalina Garidou, Henk van Houtum, and Luuk Winkelmolen (Nijmegen Centre for Border Research) investigate how bounded identities are imagined and articulated in contemporary debates, using the concepts of bordering, ordering, and othering.
Work Package 5 analyzes the meaning of the Roman Limes for today’s geopolitics.
The legacy of the Roman lexicon
Core concepts such as border, territory, fort, empire, civilization, (bio)politics, citizenship, and barbarian have deeply influenced modern thinking on borders, identity, and migration. This work package examines how these terms have traveled through time and continue to shape academic debates in geopolitics, political geography, and border studies.
Populist myths of Roman ‘B/ordering and Othering’
Populist and conservative politicians frequently reference the fall of the Roman Empire in the context of migration debates. Figures such as Trump, Wilders, and Johnson invoke phrases like “the end of civilization” and “barbarian invasions” to emphasize the need for closed borders and nationalist rhetoric. This work package critically analyzes how such anachronistic and historically misleading comparisons are deployed in political and public discourse.
In sum, this work package seeks to develop a deeper epistemological understanding and deconstruct populist myths surrounding the Roman legacy in today’s territorial border politics.
The research is conducted by political geographers from the Nijmegen Centre for Border Research (Radboud University): Prof. Dr. Henk van Houtum, PhD candidate Luuk Winkelmolen, and external PhD candidate Paschalina Garidou.