Welcome to Roman terra sigillata, Rheinzabern
An ancient encyclopaedia might have described the details of the most important terra sigillata manufacture north of the Alps as follows:
Tabernis: Road station on the Roman military road from Basel to Mainz, in the first century AD. Use of the clay deposits, probably found by chance in Otterbach, by Roman troop brickworks. After their relocation to the Frankfurt area, production of fine red tableware, now called Terra-Sigillata, begins. This "porcelain of the Romans" is produced until the end of the 4th century. Annual production quantities: 1 to 1.5 million vessels, distribution channels: via the Rhine and Danube to Britain and the Black Sea, businesses: approximately 750 known name stamps, production sites: approximately 1,000 kilns documented (of which some are closed), population: approximately 4,000; area: approximately 4 km north-south along the Roman road.
Optimal location factors – raw materials, transport connections, sales markets – were the prerequisites for the rise of the Roman vicus tabernae (Rheinzabern) to one of the most important ceramics production centres in the Roman Empire. At the beginning of the 2nd century, the production of fine red tableware, now called terra sigillata, begins in tabernae. This "porcelain of the Romans" is produced here until the end of the 4th century. More than 600 potters or workshops are documented by name stamps or trade marks on the ceramics.
The production output is as impressive as the sales area: up to 1.5 million vessels a year reached customers in Britain, Scandinavia, Poland and the entire Danube region up to the Black Sea. The museum has more than 1,000 objects, including coins, tableware, tools, car and boat parts. An outpost of the museum is a protective building adjoining the nursery on Faustinastrasse. Here, kilns are on display and ancient pottery production is illustrated.
To make the treasures of Rheinzabern's great Roman history accessible to a broad public and to preserve the monuments of Rheinzabern, the Terra Sigillata Museum Rheinzabern Association, founded in 1978, is dedicated to preserving the monuments. It looks after the museum along with the protective building of the Roman kilns (Faustinastr. 1) on a voluntary basis.
A visit to the Terra Sigillata Museum is worthwhile for schools, individuals, groups, clubs, company groups and senior groups. The museum is barrier-free and an elevator is available to ensure that all rooms of the museum can be reached easily. You are welcome to combine your company outing, club outing or school outing with a visit to our museum.
Source: DataHub Rheinland-Pfalz
