Roman ramparts
Roman wall
The first stone Roman ramparts of Tongeren were built during the reign of Trajan at the beginning of the 2nd century. This rampart had a length of 4544 m, a thickness of 2.10 m and was protected along the outside by one to three V-shaped defensive moats. It is striking that the ramparts of Tongeren were more than 500 m longer than the ramparts of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, the capital of the province of Germania Inferior to which Tongeren also belonged. Since the ramparts were built during a period of relative peace, this building was more of a status symbol than a defense structure. Silex was used for the core and sandstone for the cladding during the construction of the ramparts. In later centuries, the cladding of the ramparts was used as building material for other buildings. The parts of the Roman wall that are still visible today only show the core of flint. About 1500 m of this wall is still visible.
The second stone Roman rampart was built during the reign of Constantine the Great at the beginning of the 4th century. This wall was only 2680 m long, 3.20 m thick, and weather towers were erected every 20 m. This wall was to protect the inhabitants against attacks by the Franks and the Vandals. In the northwest of the city, the second rampart ran together with the first rampart so that the temple and the connection of the aqueduct were still within the city walls. The route of this wall ran straight through the current center and was broken down into the foundation in the Middle Ages. The only remnant of this wall is the tower base under the Vrijthof