Cite this as: Claßen, E. and Vollmer-König, M. 2021 Roman water pipeline approved for 'adoption' - Public engagement, awareness and benefit from a development-led archaeology project, Internet Archaeology 57. https://doi.org/10.11141/ia.57.2
The construction of a by-pass in North Rhine-Westphalia resulted in the excavation, recording and relocation of one of the most important archaeological monuments in the Rhineland: a stone and masonry aqueduct up to 95km long, which had supplied water to Roman Cologne. As preservation in situ was not possible the pipe was lifted in segments; some were displayed on the site, others were moved to sites nearby. The conservation of the segments was undertaken by apprentices from the Chamber of Crafts and the whole project was a successful collaboration between private, public, business and local communities.
Corresponding author: Erich Claßen
Erich.Classen@lvr.de
LVR-State Service for Archaeological Heritage
Co-author: Martin Vollmer-König
Figure 1: The well-preserved section of the Roman water pipeline near Hürth-Hermülheim during excavation. (A. Thieme/ArchaeoNet GbR)
Figure 2: Dividing the Roman water pipeline into manageable sections. (C. Ulbert/ArchaeoNet GbR)
Figure 3: Ready for transportation. (Z. Görür/ArchaeoNet GbR)
Figure 4: Placing a segment of the Roman water pipeline close to its find spot in the embankment of the new road. (M. Zanjani/LVR-State Service for Archaeological Heritage)
Figure 5: Digital elevation model of the southern part of the Lower Rhine Embayment with major towns and rivers, showing the course of the 'Eifelwasserleitung' (dark blue) and fixed future locations (black) of the sections recovered near Hürth (red). The re-installed pieces near the excavation site are not plotted neither is one re-installation far from the site, for reasons of scale. (E. Claßen, I. Herzog/LVR-State Service for Archaeological Heritage; base map: © Geobasis NRW)
Figure 6: Trainee from the Cologne Chamber of Crafts during the restoration of a segment of the water pipeline. (Th. Sieverding)
Figure 7: Final re-installation of a section of the Roman water pipeline with canopy and information panel at the Heilig-Geist-Gymnasium in Würselen. (M. Zanjani/LVR-State Service for Archaeological Heritage)
Grewe, K. 1986 Atlas der römischen Wasserleitungen nach Köln, Rheinische Ausgrabungen 26. Köln.
Kunze, F. 2017 'Scheibchenweise Römerkanal – Bergung des Bodendenkmals in Hermülheim', Archäologie im Rheinland 2016 (Darmstadt), 161–63.
Vollmer-König, M. 2019 'Zur "Adoption" freigegeben: die römische Eifelwasserleitung von Hürth-Hermülheim', Archäologie im Rheinland 2018 (Oppenheim), 230–33.
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