The cemetery of Noviomagus and the wealthy burials of the municipal elite

During excavations in the cemetery of the town of Noviomagus in Nijmegen-west archaeologists of the Radboud University of Nijmegen discovered the remains of a series of monumental burial complexes comprising walled enclosures and funerary monuments, and associated rich burials dating from the end of the 1st century AD. The aim of this publication is to establish whether these burials show influences from the Roman world and have cultural and religious connections with the Mediterranean, or whether they reflect indigenous traditions. Closely linked to this are questions concerning the status and ethnic background of the buried persons, for which the burial ritual, funerary customs and grave goods may provide clues. The high economic and social status of this group and its cultural and political alliance with Rome and the imperial family are evident from the monumental burial complexes and certain grave goods.