Treva | |
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 Ptolemy's map of Magna Germania from the early 2nd century. Treva appears in the middle of the northwest quadrant, just north of the river Elbe, and south of the tribal region labelled "Saxones". |
Treva is the historical name of a settlement during the short-lived creation of the Roman province of Germania, at the site of the modern city of Hamburg in Germany.
The Romans reached the Elbe river under Augustus and conquered all the German territories west of this river.
Some evidence indicates that they built a "marching camp" in a small island in the estuary of the river Elbe, in a place where their ships could arrive (and be protected by a small port) when sailing from Flevum - a Roman port near the Rhine river.
This place was called "Treva" and later probably had a small vicus populated by local Germans with some Roman merchants. The origin of the name is similar to the Latin name of Trier: tre from Latin "trans" (through) and va from Germanic "var" (river).
Indeed Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (the successor of Tiberius in Germania) commanded the Roman army to the area of Treva and crossed the Elbe around 4 BC, during which he set up an altar to Augustus (probably in the western area of Brandenburg). His campaign followed the one with the creation by Drusus of small fortifications (one could have been "Treva", but there it is no archaeological discovery about) along the rivers Weser and Elbe, done some years before. [1]
"Praeterea in tutelam provinciae praesidia atque custodias obique (Drusus) disposuit per Mosam flumen, per Albin, per Visurgim" (in order to defend and control the Germania province, Drusus established forts along the river Meuse, Elbe, Weser). Florus, "Epitomae" of Roman History [2]
So, after Drusus, Ahenobarbus penetrated further into the country than any of his predecessors had done. [3] Furthermore, the future emperor Tiberius campaigned extensively while in Germany, even conducting some amphibious operations along the Elbe River in 5 AD and probably landing also in the surroundings of Treva. [4]
Later, Germanicus in 15 AD reached Treva and again crossed the Elbe river in his military campaign, before the final withdrawal of the Romans west of the Rhine river.
Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century AD) reported the first name for the vicinity as Treva. [5] He also indicated that Treva was at the intersection of ancient commercial routes that have been used, among other things, for transporting the then very valuable amber. [6]
The actual name Hamburg comes from the first permanent building on the site, a castle which the Emperor Charlemagne ordered constructed in 808 AD. It rose on rocky terrain in a marsh between the River Alster and the River Elbe as a defence against Slavic incursion, and acquired the name Hammaburg (burg meaning castle or fort and hamma marshes in old German language). Nothing remained of the castle, St. Mary cathedral was built on this site (14th and 15th century), demolished in 1807.
The Hammaburg, conveniently situated on the river Alster, Elbe and Bille, was from the beginning a trading place...the original Hamburgers were traders....The wooden burgeon sheltered by a moat and palisades lay on a land that was surrounded north, west, and south of the meandering Alster...In the 1980s, a "double circuit" was found, the remains of an early medieval fortification. Until now it had been assumed that it dates back to the 6th century or earlier (some even spoke of stone age).Die Welt [7]
Recent archaeological discoveries in the center of Hamburg have proved the existence of a trade settlement during Roman times. Furthermore, some gold Roman coins have been discovered in Lokstedt (a section of Hamburg). [8]
