German and Swiss foundations have awarded more than €1 million to study a major Roman sanctuary uncovered in Frankfurt. The site in ancient Nida, discovered during school construction, features unusual buildings and ritual deposits hinting at rare practices. Experts from multiple institutions will investigate over three years.
A large Roman sanctuary in the ancient city of Nida, now Frankfurt-Heddernheim, has received significant funding for in-depth research. The German Research Foundation and Swiss National Science Foundation granted over €1 million for the three-year project, announced at a press conference in the Archaeological Museum Frankfurt. The initiative involves experts from Goethe University Frankfurt, the University of Basel, and local heritage offices, led by figures including Dr. Carsten Wenzel and Prof. Anja Klöckner. Five early-career researchers will participate in doctoral and postdoctoral work. The sanctuary emerged during excavations between 2016 and 2018, and in 2022, ahead of the Römerstadtschule construction. Archaeologists uncovered more than 4,500 square meters, revealing eleven stone buildings, 70 shafts, and ten pits with ritual depositions. Finds include over 5,000 painted plaster fragments, 254 coins, more than 70 fibulae, and remains of plants, animals, fish, and birds from 150 analyzed samples. Evidence suggests offerings to deities such as Jupiter, Mercurius Alatheus, Diana, Apollo, and Epona, with possible human sacrifice. Dr. Ina Hartwig, Frankfurt's City Commissioner for Culture and Science, called the cult district an archaeological discovery of almost unparalleled significance in Europe. Marcus Gwechenberger, City Councilor for Planning and Housing, noted how the find during school building shows urban development intersecting with research. The site, established in the early second century CE and active until at least 246 CE, underscores Nida's role as a diverse hub in Roman Germania until its abandonment around 275-280 CE.
