By Carl H. Larsen
"Bloody gladiator fights took place here," reads the brochure greeting visitors to the Roman amphitheater in Trier, Germany's oldest city.
They still do, but with a lot less blood.
More than 1,500 years after its demise, the Roman Empire remains a vibrant part of modern-day Trier. Near the borders of France, Luxembourg and Belgium, today's city of 105,000 was once the administrative capital of the Western Roman Empire and with its monolithic architecture became known as Roma Segunda — the second Rome. The Romans brought to Trier a high standard of living, exquisite artwork and their famed architectural and engineering skills.
In northern Europe, on an arc from the Alps to the North Sea in what was once called northeast Gaul and Upper Germania, the remnants of Roman civilization and empire still are easily found. Trier, on the Moselle River, and Augusta Raurica — just across the Rhine River from Germany in Switzerland — are two of the best-preserved and most important Roman cities, much more than provincial outposts. With ancient buildings, active archaeological excavations, and unearthed silver and gold hoards, both places are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Attractions include the famous vineyards of the Moselle Valley and of the Rhineland, both established by the Romans.
Today resident gladiator Jan Krueger steps into antiquity from May to October at Trier's Roman Amphitheater. Wearing loincloth and sandals, he leads testosterone-fueled classes for men wanting to learn firsthand about the physical stamina needed by Roman gladiators — those showmen who participated in life-and-death dramas in front of emperors and audiences of thousands.
In Roman Trier's fourth-century heyday, 20,000 would fill the amphitheater seats to watch presentations featuring chariots, exotic animals, music and battles by gladiators. Some were slaves or prisoners of war and others servants who learned the life-or-death hand-to-hand combat style.
"It doesn't matter if I die or not," was the attitude of these fighters, Krueger said. In fact, gladiators would pay homage to the emperor when entering the arena by saying in Latin, "We who are about to die salute you!" Many went to what were deemed honorable deaths before the audiences and some were freed, while others retired from competition as ancient-style sports heroes.
Krueger's students (about eight at a time) are generally young or middle-aged men seeking a taste of adventure and who are willing to suffer cuts and bruises while trying to achieve a thumbs-up performance. Thankfully they all return home in one piece after "feeling history itself on your own body."
This isn't for the fainthearted. Krueger displayed some of the heavy equipment used by students: daggers, defensive shields, leggings made of horsehair, iron helmets, cargo-type nets to trap opponents and tridents resembling pitchforks.
His classes range from "Gladiator for a Day" sessions costing $200 to a $4,000 personalized "Extreme Gladiator" program (with hotels and dinners) lasting three grueling days, starting with blunted replicas before the real weapons come out.
From Trier's amphitheater it's a short walk to the Imperial Baths, a massive gathering place with separate hot and cold bathing areas and an intricate maze of tunnels with furnaces that heated the water to 104 degrees. This was a predecessor to a modern "spa day": Bathers could relax in either cold or hot water, get massages or have body hair removed and skin cleaned using scrapers, pumice and fermented urine.
Many of Trier's masterpieces of Roman architecture remain integral parts of the city, such as the imposing Porta Nigra, or black gate. Adjacent to the tourist office, it is the largest preserved city gate in the ancient world. Close by is the Imperial Throne Room, or Basilika, which served the Emperor Constantine as an audience hall. It, too, is built on a grand scale: more than 220 feet long, 90 feet wide and 108 feet high. The building survives as the largest single indoor space left from ancient times. Today it is used as a Protestant church.
The story of Trier is brought together at the city's Rheinisches Landesmuseum, where treasures such as floor mosaics, grave monuments and the largest collection of Roman gold coins, discovered in the 1990s, are on display.
About 350 miles southeast of Trier on the Rhine River is the Roman settlement of Augusta Raurica, a short distance from Basel, Switzerland. This, too, is an important Roman site, but unlike Trier, the abandoned town lies in a rural setting that has been painstakingly brought back to its glory days. From its start as a border outpost on the Rhine through its role as a political and cultural center, Augusta Raurica showcases everyday life in a thriving Roman town.
At the on-site museum is the Kaiseraugst silver treasure, one of the most important finds from late antiquity. It is composed of 270 silver artifacts that include platters, spoons and coins. It wasn't until 1962 that the items, believed to be hidden quickly from invaders, were found after a chance excavation.
As in Trier, Augusta Raurica features a functioning amphitheater where gladiators once performed, and next to the Rhine are the remains of a bathhouse. Presented in a walking tour amid fields underlain with streets and homes of antiquity, there is a magnificent outdoor theater, still in use, that looks out on the site of a temple. Much of the civic center, or forum, lies underneath a large field. At one end are the remains of the circular curia, where a council of 100 men sorted out the town's affairs.
Visitors walking through the Roman ruins of Trier and Augusta Raurica, where 1.6 million artifacts from excavations are warehoused, need to pay a debt of gratitude to those who meticulously have put together the story of these centers of Roman power.
Something as simple as unearthed fish scales or seeds can be proof that the Romans living in these riverfront towns enjoyed mackerel or dates from the Mediterranean. Each had a heavy wine trade that was the precursor to today's nearby vineyards.
And there are not-to-be-forgotten ghosts calling out, as this inscription on a tombstone found at Augusta Raurica shows:
"To the memory and the eternal remembrance of Eusstata, the sweetest wife ever lived (65 years). Amatus (her husband) set this stone."
WHEN YOU GO
Trier: Trier is a three-hour train ride from the Frankfurt Airport. Along the way, trains travel through both the scenic Rhine and Moselle river valleys. The city is a good base for trips to nearby Luxembourg. German Rail: www.bahn.com.
Historic Highlights of Germany (www.historicgermany.com) helps set up excursions to Trier and other cities in Germany having strong historical and cultural offerings. Through a partner, it is offering a four-day "Cities of the Rhine and Moselle" that includes a day in Trier, hotel and rail travel for less than $110 per person a day.
Arcadia Hotel is near the city center, the amphitheater and Roman Baths: www.arcadia-hotel.de.
Tourist information: www.trier-info.de.
Most of the Roman architectural sites and the Landesmuseum are within the central city and are easily reached by walking from the city's tourism office next to the Porta Nigra. The office also has information on Jan Krueger's gladiator school program, accommodations and events.
Augusta Raurica: Near the Rhine River, the Augusta Raurica museum (entrance fee) and the unearthed town with its Roman architecture and monuments are a short ride by train or Bus No. 51 from Basel's center. You can also arrive from Basel by excursion boat on the Rhine. Walking the grounds is free: www.augusta-raurica.ch.
Hotel Bildungszentrum 21:(www.bildungszentrum-21.ch) is located amid a private park and is six minutes from the center of town by tram.
The Basel Tourism office has information on accommodations, attractions, transport and restaurants. Sold at hotels and at the tourism office, a BaselCard is a one-stop pass to local transit and museum discounts, including Augusta Raurica: www.basel.com.
Carl H. Larsen is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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