Luxury country life
Two thousand years ago, Limburg was home to hundreds of Roman villas, as the Romans themselves called them: huge arable farms that supplied the entire region with grain. More than 20 of these estates have been excavated and examined over the past 100 years, after which the finds became scattered. The most important archaeological villa finds are now being brought back together for the first time.
Over time, the villas in Limburg grew into complete Mediterranean-style country houses, including a bathhouse and Roman inventions such as glass windows and underfloor heating. The owners often had their valuables buried on their property. With over two hundred objects, models, 3D reconstructions and videos, Roman Villas in Limburg takes you back to this luxurious country life of two thousand years ago.
Fresco uit villa van Maasbracht | Collectie: Provinciaal depot voor bodemvondsten Limburg/Limburgs Museum
Partner museums
The exhibition is a joint project by the National Museum of Antiquities (Leiden), the Limburgs Museum (Venlo) and the Thermenmuseum (Heerlen). After Leiden (25 April – 25 August 2024), Roman villas in Limburg will travel to the partner museums in Venlo (15 October 2024 – 11 may 2025) and Heerlen (summer – 5 January 2026). The exhibition is suitable for all ages.
Research project
This exhibition forms part of a large research and public project, A Roman idyll, carried out in 2020-2024 with the support of the Mondriaan Fund. The three museums and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands jointly made a detailed analysis of the thousands of archaeological villa finds and old excavation documentation in archives and depots. All the results will be published in the National Museum of Antiquities’ PALMA scientific series in 2024.
