A SHORT GUIDE TO THE DEPARTMENTS
OF GALLO-ROMAN AND FRANKISH
ANTIQUITIES
The Roman occupation of this country lasted five centuries (from Ju-
lius Caesar's conquest of the Celtic tribe of the Treveri, 53 B.C. till
the Frankish invasion during the 5th century A.D.). Our soil preser-
ved and still hides many remains of that long period. Traces of roads,
villas or farms, townships, temples, fortifications and cemeteries can
be found all over the countryside. Countless finds have already been
drawn from those ancient sites. Only a part is on display in this Mu-
seum, but it is sufficient to relate the story of the land and the people,
of daily life and economy, of religion and the funerary customs of our
Gallo-Roman forefathers.
The Frankish period — in its broader sense — lasted nearly five centu-
ries in our country; it ended with the feudal period inaugurated in the
10th century by Siegfried, the first Count of Luxembourg. The re-
mains of the Frankish epoch are less numerous than those of the Gal-
lo-Roman time. The Franks’ wooden houses have disappeared wi-
thout leaving traces; incidentally most of our present-day villages
grew out of the ruins of Frankish settlements. Whereas the Romans
cremated the bodies of their dead (as a general rule till the 4th century
A.D.), the Franks buried them unburnt in wooden or stone coffins.
Up to this day some of their large cemeteries have been discovered
almost exclusively in the «Gutland». Among the grave-goods we find
the free men's typical weapons, some household equipment, and
more rarely a beautiful brooch or a piece of adornment.
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