The Roman brick and tile stamps from Trier – A contribution to research on the organisation production and distribution of ancient ceramic building material for the expansion of a metropolis in northern Gaul

• Applicants: Dr. Marcus Reuter; Privatdozent Dr. Thomas Schmidts; Professor Dr. Markus Scholz
• Subject Area: Classical, Roman, Christian and Islamic Archaeology ; Ancient History
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 544457866

The city of Trier (Augusta Treverorum or Treveris in late antiquity) had been an important economic and political centre, representing one of the most important metropolises of the Roman Empire north of the Alps during 1st to 5th centuries. This significance is evident in the gradual expansion of this Roman colony, beginning in 1st century. In late antiquity, the city underwent a large-scale and structural transformation into an imperial residence during the Constantinian and Valentinian dynasties. Trier’s inventory of at least 4,000 Roman brick stamps, most of them unpublished, represents one of the largest in the northern Roman provinces. The bricks were predominantly recovered from excavations since the early 20th century and they are stored in the depots of the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier. Due to the foreseeable dating of the majority of the stamps to Late Antiquity, their processing should generate a particular value for understanding the production and use of ceramic building material in this period. The aim of the project is to conduct comprehensive research into brick production and consumption, which contributed significantly to the expansion of the ancient metropolis of Trier. This can only be achieved through an interdisciplinary framework. The basis is the systematic recording of the mostly unpublished brick stamps with a detailed classification according to epigraphic and typological criteria. The archaeometric investigations on a representative amount of this material will be carried out using portable energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis (P-ED-XRF) for group identification and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for provenance determination. In close cooperation, the chronology and affiliation of stamp groups will be clarified. The archaeometric analyses will also help to distinguish and locate production sites. Furthermore, based on the evaluation of the spatial distribution and construction contexts of the bricks and tiles, a reconstruction of the urbanistic development of Roman Trier is aimed, especially with regard to large buildings, which will enable the identification of previously unknown state and public building projects.Thus, the project not only provides a solid basis for the production of Late Antique ceramic building material and the development of Trier as an important metropolis, but is also an interdisciplinary model study to bring together archaeological and archaeometric methodology.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants