Historical tradition · Neumagen-Dhron · 4th century
The camp of Emperor Constantine
The Roman poet Ausonius called Neumagen "the famous camp of the divine Constantine".
In the 4th century the poet Decimus Magnus Ausonius travelled from Bingen over the Hunsrück hills to Trier and described the journey in his famous poem "Mosella". At Noviomagus, today's Neumagen, he saw the Moselle – and called the place "the famous camp of the divine Constantine".
From this grew the tradition that Emperor Constantine the Great kept a fort here and stayed on the Moselle. Trier was an imperial residence at the time, so the idea is not far-fetched.
What is certain is that Neumagen was an important Roman settlement. The funerary monuments found here, including the famous wine ship, tell of the wealth of the wine merchants of the day.
Legends are traditions, not historical facts.
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