17 June 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Researchers Examine 4,000 Bricks to Solve the Secrets of an Ancient Roman Metropolis of Trier

Trier, once a significant economic and political center in the northern provinces of the Roman Empire, is set to be the focus of a new research project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). With a budget of €340,000, a team from the Rhineland State Museum Trier, Goethe University Frankfurt, and the Leibniz Center for Archaeology will explore the production and distribution of ancient building materials, particularly fired bricks, over the next two years.

Trier reached its peak in the 4th century AD, when Roman emperors resided in the city, leaving behind monumental structures such as the Imperial Baths and the Basilica of Constantine. Among the building materials used were fired bricks of various sizes for walls, roofs, and heating systems. An estimated 4,000 stamped bricks from Roman times are currently stored in the depots of the Rhineland State Museum Trier, making it one of the largest collections from the northern Roman provinces. However, these artifacts have only been partially studied until now. The research team aims to provide a comprehensive overview of these bricks, shedding light on the brick production as a significant economic sector in the expansion of ancient Trier.

“We assume that most of the stamped bricks date back to late antiquity. This allows us to conduct a thorough analysis of how building ceramics were produced and utilized during this period,” explains Dr. Thomas Schmidts, a lecturer in Roman Archaeology at LEIZA in Mainz. “Thus, the brick stamps are also a key to understanding the economic and social structures of late antiquity,” he adds.

Brick with stamp of legio XXII Primigenia. Rheinisches Landesmus. Trier (inv. no. 1960-143). Credit: M. Scholz.
Brick with stamp of legio XXII Primigenia. Rheinisches Landesmus. Trier (inv. no. 1960-143). Credit: M. Scholz.

The project will evaluate the spatial distribution of the bricks to trace the architectural development of Augusta Treverorum, the Roman name for Trier, which was referred to as Treveris in late antiquity. Previously unknown state and public construction projects may be identified through this research. Additionally, the researchers plan to quantify the production, transport, and construction processes involved in late antique brick production. For the first time, archaeometric investigations will be conducted on the Trier bricks, analyzing the material properties, specifically the chemical composition of the clay, to provide insights into the raw materials used. This will help identify or confirm individual workshops.

“We are very pleased that our joint application was successful in the competitive DFG process. By combining the outstanding expertise of researchers in provincial Roman archaeology with a broad methodological spectrum, which LEIZA also represents, we can gain increasingly groundbreaking insights,” emphasizes Dr. Alexandra W. Busch, Director General of LEIZA. “The project results will not only expand our knowledge of late antique building ceramics but will also contribute to the reconstruction of Trier’s development as a model study that integrates classical and archaeometric methodologies.”

Boxes with stamped bricks from Trier in the depot of the Rhineland State Museum. Credit: Thomas Schmidts, LEIZA
Boxes with stamped bricks from Trier in the depot of the Rhineland State Museum. Credit: Thomas Schmidts, LEIZA

The project, titled “The Roman Brick Stamps from Trier – A Contribution to the Study of the Organization of Ancient Building Ceramic Production and Distribution for the Expansion of a Metropolis in Northern Gaul,” has received funding of €340,000 from the DFG for two years. The applicants include Schmidts, Prof. Dr. Markus Scholz from the Institute of Archaeological Sciences at Goethe University Frankfurt, and Dr. Marcus Reuter, Director of the Rhineland State Museum Trier, which is part of the General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate (GDKE).

This initiative is also part of the “Research Focus on Roman Archaeology and Maritime Antiquity (FoRuM)” in Rhineland-Palatinate, a strategic alliance between LEIZA, the University of Trier, and GDKE aimed at advancing top-tier research on antiquity.

Goethe University

Cover Image Credit: Fragment of a brick with two stamps, 4th century AD. Credit: Markus Helfert, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main

Related Articles

Ancient Jordanian town referred to as Heshbon in the Old Testament provides insight into regional agricultural history

20 January 2022

20 January 2022

The American archaeologist stated that Tell Hisban, located on the Madaba plains of Jordan, represents the “granary of the empires”....

7.5 Million Annual Elephant Skulls Fossil Were Found in Turkey “Choerolophodon Pentelic”

17 March 2021

17 March 2021

A complete skull fossil from 7.5 million years ago was discovered on the bank of the Yamula Dam in the...

Researchers discovered clay tablets with ancient cuneiform writing, a game board, and large structural remains in Kurd Qaburstan

16 January 2025

16 January 2025

Tiffany Earley-Spadoni, associate professor of history at the University of Central Florida (UCF), and a researchers team have made important...

Roman gilded silver fragment uncovered in Norfolk baffles researchers

27 March 2023

27 March 2023

In Norfolk, a metal detector uncovered an ancient Roman fragment made of gilded silver. The piece was clearly a part...

2000-year-old dagger reveals the site of a long-forgotten battle between the Roman Empire and tribal warriors

16 December 2023

16 December 2023

In Switzerland, a volunteer archaeologist and dental student Lucas Schmid discovered in 2019 a 2000-year-old silver and brass dagger. It...

Rare Langsax fighting blade with Viking origins discovered in Poland

20 August 2021

20 August 2021

Archaeologists working in the Wdecki Landscape Park in Poland’s Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship have discovered a rare langsax long knife with potential...

Turkey’s second ancient lighthouse found in the Bathonea

28 July 2023

28 July 2023

The excavations in the ancient Greek city of Bathonea, located in the Küçükçekmece Lake basin in the Avcılar district of...

2,000-Year-Old Mysterious Kangju Burial Mound Filled with Gold Jewelry and Mirror Found in Kazakhstan

2 June 2024

2 June 2024

Archaeologists in Kazakhstan have unearthed gold jewelry, arrowheads, and a large, bronze mirror from three burial mounds in the Tolebaitobe...

A Hoard of Gold and Silver Roman Coins Dating Back to the Reign of Emperor Nero was Found in Worcestershire

7 December 2024

7 December 2024

A hoard of Roman and Iron Age silver coins dating back to Emperor Nero’s reign has been found during building...

Amateur makes ‘Gold Find of the Century’ in Norway

7 September 2023

7 September 2023

A Norwegian 51-year-old Erlend Bore out walking on doctors’ advice unearthed rare 6th-century gold jewellery using a newly bought metal...

China’s construction of the first archaeological museum which will house the famous Terracotta Warriors has been completed

19 April 2022

19 April 2022

Construction of the first archaeological museum in China’s northwestern province of Shaanxi, which will house the famous Terracotta Warriors, was...

An Ancient Building and Gold Artifacts Found in the Ancient Greek City of Rypes in Achaea

10 December 2024

10 December 2024

Recent excavations on the Trapezá plateau, eight kilometers southwest of the city of Aigio in the Peloponnese, have uncovered an...

An archaeological dig at Govan Old Churchyard revealed a remarkable new find: an early medieval ‘Govan Warrior’ stone

19 September 2023

19 September 2023

An archaeological excavation in the churchyard at Govan Old Parish Church in Glasgow, a port city on the River Clyde...

Archaeologists Unearth 2500-Year-Old Settlement in North Macedonia

10 April 2025

10 April 2025

Recent archaeological excavations at Gradishte, near the village of Crnobuki in North Macedonia, have unveiled a significant ancient settlement that...

A 1600-year-old writing set was unearthed in the city of Bathonea, which has the oldest ancient port in Istanbul

21 August 2022

21 August 2022

During the Istanbul Bathonea excavations, a 1600-year-old writing set containing a miniature vessel, a bone writing pen, and an inkwell,...