Museum of Ancient Shipbuilding

Zu sehen ist das Gebäude des Museums für Antike Schifffahrt, das in der ehemaligen Mainzer Markthalle untergebracht ist.

Located in the former market hall near the historic quarters, the ancient shipbuilding research section of the Roman Germanic Central Museum became an independent museum in 1994. In a collection unparalleled in Germany, the museum presents the original remains of five ships dating back to the late antiquity era. These were discovered in 1981/82 during excavations for the extension of the Hilton Hotel of Mainz. The shipwrecks were located about 7.5 metres below the current street level, apparently in a shut-down section of the harbour. Based on their typical shape, these were military ships that were abandoned following the catastrophic defeat of the Roman Rhine army by invading Teutons in 407 AD.

In the year 206 AD, the Roman troops had already been withdrawn from the right bank of the Rhine in upper Germany, while the Rhine was the –very endangered- regional border. The military ships served as border patrols but also as speedy troop transport vehicles. The mission of the museum of ancient shipbuilding is to scientifically deal with all sources concerning Roman shipbuilding. This includes the reconstruction of ancient ship models based on antique depictions and Roman ship remains found throughout Europe.

Based on these sources, the model builders create all ship models intended for display in the exhibition at a scale of 1:10 before the eyes of the museum’s visitors. The project is financially supported by the Ministry of Labour, Social and Health Affairs as well as the job centre of Mainz.The two ships based on the original sources present an informative depiction of the size and shape of Rhine ships and their use in the late antiquity era. Large-scale illuminated images highlight the construction and use of the ships in their historic context . The museum of Ancient Shipbuilding also co-ordinates the creation of internet picture databases of European ship archaeology, which contain detailed information concerning the ship findings of Mainz as well the museum.