Via Belgica highlighted at symposium
Author: Harry Lindelauf
Photography:
Roman Roads in the Netherlands and Belgium — What Do We Know?
That question will be answered on Saturday, October 5. Naturally, the spotlight will also be on the Via Belgica, the most well-known Roman road in the Low Countries.
Saskia Stevens of Utrecht University, project leader of Constructing the Limes, will chair the symposium at Museum Park Archeon in Woerden. Seven speakers will explore the Roman road network from various perspectives under the symposium title: “All Roads Lead to Rome? Roads in Germania Inferior.”
The Via Belgica will receive special attention from Liesbeth Claes of Leiden University. She will demonstrate how this key east-west route during Roman times in the Low Countries was later used by others. Under the thought-provoking title “The Via Belgica as Tourist Trap, Language Border, or Tool of Legitimacy?”, Claes explores how this 2,000-year-old road between Cologne and Boulogne has played a crucial role in the histories of various countries. She also examines the modern-day significance and function of the Via Belgica.
Other speakers include Cornelis van Tilburg of Leiden University and author of Roman Traffic, independent archaeologist and Saxion University lecturer Wouter Vos, and Christian Kicken of Radboud University Nijmegen
The symposium takes place during the Weekend of Science and is organized by Museum Park Archeon, the Friends of Archeon Association, and Constructing the Limes. Saskia Stevens, associate professor of Ancient History and Classical Culture at Utrecht University, will serve as chair of the event.
