Argentovaria

Argentovaria, also known as Ödenburg, is the collective term for a late Roman military installation and a civilian settlement in the area of Biesheim in Alsace [1]. The ancient sites of Biesheim-Kunheim and Ödenburg-Altkirch owe their importance to their position at an important crossing over the Rhine [1]. In the 1st and the 4th centuries AD the area was dominated by the military, but in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, the civilian settlement came to the fore [1]. Around the year 150 Ptolemy referred to the civil settlement of Argentovaria as the "second polis" of the Celtic Rauraci people after Augusta Raurica [1]. A Roman military base had existed in Biesheim since the 1st century AD [1]. The finds of oysters and fish from the Mediterranean as well as the remains of a bottle gourd from Africa speak to the far-reaching trade relations of the inhabitants of Argentovaria [1].