In the year 355 Cologne is again on the world stage of history. Invasions of the Germanic tribes shake the region, with Cologne as a Roman island in the midst of chaos. Rome's power once again seems to wobble on the Rhine. If that were not enough, another usurper in Cologne rises to become a counter-emperor. The former Roman emperor Constantius II then sends an undercover murder squad to the Rhine. Among them is the historian Ammianus Marcellinus, who experiences and reports everything first hand. All this only happens in the year 355 and should lead to the greatest misfortune in the history of Cologne. But listen to it yourself.

Cologne at the beginning of the 4th century. After the crisis of the third century, the Rhineland has never been at rest again. But in the year 306, one man gradually secured power in the Rhine and led the Roman Empire into its last thirty-year bloom. And where is the beginning? On the Rhine, of course. Admittedly, the emperor, whom one will later call "the Great", resides primarily in Trier. But Constantine, like hardly any other emperor, left visible traces in Cologne through his decrees. The incorporation of the present-day Old Town on the Rhine and the founding of Deutz, an important district of Cologne's city center on the other bank of the Rhine, can be traced back to his imitation. Through Constantine's turning to Christianity, Cologne became the center of early Christianity in the Germanic-Gallic border region.

In this episode, we again leave the strict chronological narrative. We take a look at religion in ancient Cologne in Roman times. But here we have to speak in the plural. For not only is the Roman state religion predominant here, but a local cult of the Ubians is also extremely popular in the Colonia, dethroning even gods like Jupiter and Juno in terms of popularity. And then there are the many small, often exclusive cults from the Orient, which are introduced to the Rhine by soldiers who have traveled far and wide. We look at the oldest Jewish community in Europe north of the Alps, which is said to have existed around the year 300 at the latest. And we take a look at the early followers of a religion that is so completely different, a religion that knows only one God, but at the same time worships an executed Jewish carpenter as the savior of the world: the early Christians.

At the height of the Crisis of the Third Century, the Gallic Empire (260-274) emerges. An empire separated from the actual Roman Empire but still with all Roman characteristics. Except with having the city of Rome in it. With territories of all of Gaul, Spain, half of Germany, and the Roman province of Britain, it takes one-third of the Roman Empire away. And guess what. Our Cologne will be the capital of this Gallic Empire. It is turbulent but sadly with only a few written sources. But we will do our best to decipher this time in the best possible way. Why it lived on for 14 years and why it collapsed anyway, we will learn in this episode.

The Crisis of the Third Century was a period in which the Roman Empire went through many hardships. Foreign invasions into the Roman territory on many fronts, endless civil wars of rivaling emperors, diseases, and economic downfall. How did Cologne manage to get through these unsafe times? Find out more in this episode. Also, we learn a little bit more about Cologne's new germanic neighbors: the Franks.

As we continue our stroll through Cologne in Roman times, this time we will actually look at the stuff inside the city walls. Where was everything located at? And where did the normal people live? What kind of economy was predominant? And was there a Colosseum in Cologne?

In this episode, we leave the chronological path of our narrative. We are going to visit a Roman Cologne that might have been just like this. Between the years 100-250 CE. This time span of 150 years was the golden age of Roman Cologne.

VIP visit to our city on the Rhine. The heir to the throne Marcus Ulpius Traianus visits Cologne in the years 97/98. What he does not know, he will find out here that he is the new emperor. And this helps Cologne to an unprecedented upswing. For a few months, Cologne becomes the residence city of the Roman Empire. With Trajan, a golden age for Cologne begins that would last for 150 years.

In this episode, we get a brief overview of how the Romans ruled ancient Cologne. Chronologically, the episode is not firmly docked to a date. In the context of our podcast so far, however, it describes political Cologne at the end of the 1st century AD, several decades after Vitellius and the Batavian Revolt. The Roman rule is consolidated and the Romans finally acknowledge in 85 AD that they will not conquer the Rhine side on the right bank of the Rhine. A good time to take a closer look at the political system of ancient Cologne and its surroundings. Especially the city senate, the high government offices of the city, and the governor will be examined more closely.

This fits well because in the next episode we will talk about the great Roman Trajan, who becomes governor of Cologne here in 98 AD. There he will be surprised to learn that he has become the new emperor. In contrast to Vitellius, however, in a completely legal way. But Trajan is, as already mentioned, the subject of the next episode.

How did young Roman Cologne function: Let's take a look at Cologne's long and high efficient waterline and massive stone wall. Being 95 kilometers/60 miles long, Roman Cologne's was the longest waterline in Europe north of the Alpes. It would transport 20 Mio. Liters of water into that city every day. Cologne's Roman city wall was so mighty that it was used for 1,100 years. And still, it is used in many parts of the city. Especially the Roman watchtowers. Learn more about these fascinating structures in this episode of The History of Cologne Podcast.