The Roman Museum in Vienna (1)

The Roman Museum in Vienna is built around a single find that is still in situ, i.e. it still is where it was when it was discovered in modern times. The find is part of a house that was the official residence of a senior officer in the Roman army. The house was part of a Roman fort, which was part of the city which the Romans called Vindobona (present-day Vienna).

The remains of the officer's house were accidentally discovered in September 1948, when some workers were in the process of repairing a sewer in Hoher Markt. The modern street level is several meters above the Roman street level. Therefore it was possible to preserve this find in an underground room.

For many years there was no museum, only a room in the basement of a restaurant. But in 2007 it was announced that the restaurant was going to close, and then some local museum people went into action: they were given permission to take over the property, the ground floor and the first floor. In addition, they were given permission to set up a museum in the building.

The new museum opened in 2008. On the website of the museum you can find information about opening hours, ticket prices and other practical matters. In 2009 the museum published a book that can also be described as an exhibition catalog. It is edited by the Austrian archaeologist Michaela Kronberger and it is available in two languages: German and English. I have used the English version. As far as I can see, the English translation is excellent.

The structure of the book is pedagogical and systematic. The preface explains how the museum was established, while chapter 1 covers Vienna in antiquity. The remaining chapters are divided into three sections:

* The first section tells you what you can see on the ground floor (chapters 2-6)

* The second section tells you what you can see on the first floor (chapters 7-10)

* The third section tells you what you can see in the basement (chapters 11-13)

The book is illustrated with photos, drawings and maps. Nearly all illustrations are in colour. Many illustrations are reproductions of maps or posters which are on display in the museum.

From the first section (about the ground floor) I will mention the tombstone for the Roman soldier Gajus Atius (page 23). The presentation is exactly as it should be: the first point is a photo of the headstone with the Latin inscription. The second point is the inscription (where abbreviations are dissolved and missing letters are added). The third point is a translation of the inscription into a modern language (German or English, depending on which book you have chosen). The final point is a brief description of the monument and its significance.

From the second section (about the first floor) I will mention a relief which shows a covered carriage drawn by two horses (page 69). There are many fine detials here. It is very vivid. Almost as if you have a photo from antiquity. The museum has a modern copy. The original is in the church of Maria Saal (Carintia) in the south of Austria.

From the third section I will mention the find you can see in the basement: the remains of the Roman officer's residence.

Ordinary soldiers were quartered in barracks. A group of eight legionaries had two rooms at their disposal. One was for their weapons and equipment, while the other was a bedroom. Each soldier did not have much space for himself.

A centurion, a low-ranking officer in charge of 80 men, had a bit more space, perhaps 100 square meters. A senior officer - known as tribunus laticlavus - had a lot more space, perhaps 1,000 square meters. The Roman society was a class society. The difference between different groups and classes were both clear and visible (see the chart on page 39).

The senior officer's house consisted of four buildings that were built around a rectangular courtyard. He had not only more space, he also had more comfort: part of his home was equipped with the Roman under-floor heating system, which is known as hypocaustum. A part of of this system can be seen in the basement of the museum. The floor of the Roman house rested on small pillars made of red bricks. Under the floor there was a hollow space, ca. 50 cm high, which was heated with hot air that came from a boiler room (praefurnium).

By chance, we know the name of a senior officer, who was stationed in Vindobona from ca. 210 to ca. 215. His name is Lucius Julius Apronius Maenius Pius Salamallianus. Perhaps this man lived in this house while he was stationed in Vindobona.

The Roman Museum in Vienna is small, but great. Given the limited space available, I think the staff has used it very well. The museum is very user-friendly: visitors are allowed to touch exhibits, which are not placed behind glass, and allowed to use a camera. The staff also has a good sense of humour, as you will discover, if you visit the toilets, which are located behind the front desk: the walls are covered (or decorated) with graffiti - written in Latin!

The book about the museum is short, but great. There are less than one hundred pages, but the authors manage to cover several topics quite well.

I wish to recommend the book as well as the museum. If you come to Vienna, you should definitely set aside a morning or an afternoon to visit this place. The address is Hoher Markt 3, opposite the famous Anker Clock, not far from the River Danube, which the Romans called Danuvius.

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Michaela Kronberger, editor,

English version: Vindobona: Roman Vienna,

German version: Vindobona: Römisches Wien,

Published by the Roman Museum in Vienna, 2009, 96 pages

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