He who writes, remains! (except the Romans)
Author: Harry Lindelauf
Photography: Gallo-Romeins Museum Tongeren en Het Romeins Museum
Reading and writing. It is perhaps the most important innovation introduced by the Romans 2,000 years ago for the region of the Meuse and the Rhine. The local tribes in the area possessed many skills, but reading and writing were not among them.
At the Centre Charlemagne in Aachen, an exhibition opened on May 25, 2024, entirely dedicated to Roman texts that have been preserved. Under the title “He who writes, remains!” a broad collection of objects is displayed, including names of individual people who lived in the region. Pottery engraved with names to identify the owner, but also graffiti on the walls of houses, seals for goods, and amphorae. The texts provide more insight into the daily life of people, their beliefs, and political life. The Romans ultimately did not remain, but reading and writing did, together with the 130 examples from museums in Aachen, Bonn, Heerlen, Maastricht, Tongeren, Leiden, and Jülich.
The exhibition, an idea of the Vicus Group, in which archaeologists from the Euregio (Jülich, Aachen, Heerlen, Maastricht, and Tongeren) collaborate, can be seen until September 1, 2024.
New City Museum Aachen
Katschhof 1, 52062 Aachen
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
