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The following text has been machine translated from the German with no human editing.
The special exhibition ‘Roman Life in the Wareswald – Discovering the Past Digitally’ at the Theulegium Museum presents fascinating finds from the Roman vicus and is aimed at both adults and children. It is the result of an innovative teaching project at Saarland University: Under the supervision of Christine Girardet, Nils Schnorr and Miriam Weiss, twelve students from the departments of Classical Archaeology, Ancient History and Medieval History spent a semester working through the entire process of creating a special exhibition – from academic research and the development of exhibition texts to the design of display cases and the implementation of digital educational resources.
In their exhibition, the students present four aspects of everyday Roman life. To this end, they have selected original artefacts from the Vicus Wareswald, each of which tells a fascinating piece of Roman history: For the theme of cosmetics and hygiene, these included a hairpin and a vessel containing anointing oil; economy and trade are represented by a Roman gold coin and a red chalk pencil; Gallo-Roman religion is symbolised by a small statuette of Mars, which was donated as an offering in the temple; and finally, death and burial are symbolised by a ‘ ’ dog’s head, which was part of a large funerary monument. The histories behind the objects can be experienced interactively via a media player’s screen. Furthermore, the originals can also be experienced through touch – in the form of small figurines produced by the students themselves at the university using 3D scans and a 3D printer.
Further original artefacts relating to the four thematic areas are displayed in showcases. At a small scent station, visitors can also sample some of the most popular Roman perfume oils. On the subject of burial, children can correctly reassemble a three-dimensional pillar tomb that has been taken apart into its individual parts.
The special exhibition was developed and realised in close collaboration with the Theulegium Museum. The project was funded by the Novus Foundation (https://www.novus-stiftung.de/)
The special exhibition runs until 13 December 2026.
Please note the museum’s opening hours: https://www.theulegium.de/
Background:
The Gallo-Roman vicus in the Wareswald was established in the first half of the first century AD. This was where the roads that once linked Metz with Mainz and led from Strasbourg to Trier converged. Excavations have been carried out by TERREX gGmbH since 2001. Among the finds were lavishly furnished buildings with underfloor heating, wall paintings and large baths, as well as pottery, coins and jewellery, and statuettes made of clay and bronze. A temple and burial grounds were also discovered. Further information at: https://www.theulegium.de/ausstellungen/vor-und-fruehgeschichte
Contact details for enquiries:
Christine Girardet, christine.vanhoof(at)uni-saarland.de
Nils Schnorr, nils.schnorr(at)uni-saarland.de
Miriam Weiss, miriam.weiss(at)uni-saarland.de