Ara Ubiorum


The Ara Ubiorum was a Roman sanctuary in the Oppidum ubiorum. It was erected in the last decade of the 1st century BC and was dedicated to the goddess Roma and the Roman emperor. It was a central location for the Germans conquered by Augustus to demonstrate their loyalty to Rome and the Emperor through offerings. Like the Ara trium Galliarum, the altar was the site of the concilium provinciae for the planned province of Germania Magna. The priests who serviced the altar were drawn from high-ranking Germans.

History

reports that in AD 9, the Cherusci prince Segimundus was serving at the altar. When he learnt of the defeat of Publius Quinctilius Varus in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, Segimundus is meant to have ripped the priestly headband from his head and fled over the Rhine to Germany in order to join the war effort.
After the abandonment of the territories on the right bank of the Rhine in AD 16, the sanctuary lost its regional significance. It continued to be maintained in Roman Cologne.

Location

The Ara Ubiorum must have been located in a significant and highly visible spot, but we lose track of it in later Roman Cologne. The Oppidum Ubiorum was located within the walls erected after the founding of the colonia, probably on the main stree of the Roman city, which ran through the forum. This means that the altar probably was located in the area of and, which archaeological evidence also supports.