| The history of the town Xanten didn´t start in the early Middle Ages as it almost happened but much earlier. About A.D. 98 the Romans founded the civilian settlement Colonia Ulpia Traiana, that was elaborately constructed in accordance to the high level of administration and architecture in Roman towns. The Archaeological Park Xanten revives Roman history and broaches the issue of archaeology itself. In 13/12, the Roman general Drusus, the stepson of the emperor Augustus, ordered the construction of Castra Vetera, a military base that offered accommodation to at least one Roman legion. During the following years, he and his brother Tiberius (the future emperor) campaigned on the east bank of the Rhine. In 8 BCE, the tribe of the Sugambri was forced to migrate to the west bank, where they settled near Castra Vetera. This Germanic tribe, now known as Cugerni, founded the town that was later known as Colonia Ulpia Traiana.http://www.livius.org/x/xanten/CUT.html Xanten Panorama |  |