DRAFT

Urban House on Gertrudenstrasse

Permalink: https://roman-gardens.github.io/test-drafts/id/95e33081e5/

Published: 2021-04-21

Modified: 2025-06-29

Location

Location Description

This large town on the west bank of the Rhine river was the civitas capital of the Ubii in the first half of the 1st century A.D. It was granted the status of colonia by Claudius in 50 and became the provincial capital in 85.

Garden

Urban house on Gertrudenstrasse (Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium)

Keywords

Garden Description

This Mediterranean-type house just inside the western city wall had a peristyle courtyard ca. 9 x 14 m. in size, in the middle of which was a pool (3 x 8 m.) with apsidal ends (P on Plan 1).

The courtyard was unpaved, and the presence of a source of water suggests that it was designed as a garden (G on Plan 1). Although the house was only partially excavated, evidence for several rebuildings from the second half of the 1st to the 4th century was retrieved. The peristyle courtyard was retained throughout, indicating the importance attached to the garden by generations of owners.

Plans

Plan 1. Plan of the partially preserved house with a peristyle courtyard garden (G) and pool (P) on Gertrudenstraße.
Credit: Adapted from Thomas 1993, fig. 3.

Dates

Middle of the first century CE until the fourth century CE

Bibliography

R. Thomas, Römische Wandmalerei in Köln, Mainz, 1993, pp. 321-327, figs. 138-39. (worldcat)