The woodcut from the 1520 Collectanea antiquitatum in urbe atque agro Moguntino repertarum by the German humanist Johann Huttich (1490–1544) is one of the earliest depictions of Drususstein, also called Eichelstein (acorn or glans stone) due to its shape. Since the High Middle Ages, scholars have struggled to interpret this 21m high ruin depicted in the centre of the page.
The majority of scholars believe it to be the cenotaph of Drusus, a stepson of Emperor Augustus, who died in Germania in 9BC and allegedly founded of the city of Mainz. According to ancient written sources, his monument was the centre of nationally important cult celebrations from the time of Augustus and thus became a landmark of both the ancient and early modern city. However, due to a lack of clear evidence – for example in the form of an inscription – there are still doubts about the interpretation of the monument as a Drusus cenotaph that have not been completely dispelled to this day. Hermannus Piscator, a Benedictine monk from Mainz, wrote a 48-page letter treatise in 1517 in which he represented an alternative interpretation, claiming it to be the tomb of Emperor Aurelius Severus Alexander, who was murdered near Mainz in 235 AD. However, Huttich’s woodcut focusses on the almost solitary dimensions of the building in former Germania by means of a slightly lower view, highlighting the comparatively small fences, paths and (sacred) architecture depicted around the ancient structure. In doing so, he effectively underlines the plea for the monument to be linked to the former founder of the city.
Further Reading
- Bellen, Heinz: Das Drususdenkmal apud Mogontiacum und die galliarum Civitates, in: Jahrbuch des RGZM 31 (1984) pp. 385–396.
- Goerlitz, Uta: Text und Artefakt. Zum Diskurs mittelrheinischer Humanisten über Mainz im Altertum, in: Boschung, Dietrich / Schäfer, Alfred (Ed.): Monumenta Illustrata. Raumwissen und antiquarische Gelehrsamkeit, Paderborn 2019 (Morphomata 41) pp. 305–330.
- Panter, Andreas: Der Drususstein in Mainz und dessen Einordnung in die römische Grabarchitektur seiner Erbauungszeit, Mainz 2007.
- Pelgen, Stephan: Mainz. Vom ‚elenden Steinklumpen‘ zum Denkmal. Aus der Geschichte der Mainzer Römerruinen, Mainz 2003 (Archäologische Ortsbetrachtungen 3).
