Editing Nijmegen (section)

=== Antiquity ===
The first mention of Nijmegen in history is in the first century BCE, when the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] built a military camp on the place where Nijmegen was to appear; the location had great strategic value because of the surrounding hills, which give a good view over the river Waal and [[Rhine]] valley.

By 69, when the [[Batavi (Germanic tribe)|Batavi]], the original inhabitants of the [[Rhine]] and [[Meuse]] (''Maas'') delta, [[Revolt of the Batavi|revolted]], a village called ''[[Oppidum]] Batavorum'' had formed near the Roman camp. This village was destroyed in the revolt, but when it had ended the Romans built another, bigger camp where the [[Legio X Gemina|Legio X ''Gemina'']] was stationed. Soon after, another village formed around this camp.

In 98, Nijmegen was the first of two settlements in what is now the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands]] to receive [[municipium|Roman city rights]].

In 103, the X ''Gemina'' was restationed in [[Vindobona]], now [[Vienna]], which may have been a major blow to the economy of the village around the camp, losing around 5000 inhabitants. In 104 Emperor [[Trajan]] renamed the town, which became known as ''Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum'', Noviomagus for short, the ultimate origin of the current name.

A collection of artifacts from Roman antiquity were compiled by [[Johannes Smetius]] in the 17th century, called the [[Smetius Collection]].<ref>Nellissen, L. (translator), ''Nijmeegse Oudheden'', Stichting Stilus, {{ISBN|90-808719-1-5}}.</ref>

In January 2022, archeologists led by Pepijn van de Geer announced the discovery of an intact 2,000-year-old blue glass bowl with a vertical stripe pattern in Nijmegen. Researchers assume that this well-preserved bowl was made in a glass workshop. According to van de Geer, this type of bowl was made by allowing molten glass to cool and harden over a mold.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=McGreevy|first=Nora|magazine=Smithsonian|title=2,000-Year-Old Roman Bowl Discovered Intact in the Netherlands|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/2000-year-old-ancient-roman-glass-bowl-found-in-netherlands-180979461/|access-date=2022-02-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Nijtmans |first=Anne |date=2022-01-20 |title=Archeologen vinden bijna 2000 jaar oude puntgave schaal in Nijmegen: 'Topstuk met museale waarde' |language=nl |work=[[De Gelderlander]] |url=https://www.gelderlander.nl/nijmegen/archeologen-vinden-bijna-2000-jaar-oude-puntgave-schaal-in-nijmegen-topstuk-met-museale-waarde~a7b2f01f/ |access-date=2023-10-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Aton|first=Francesca|date=2022-01-25|title=Perfectly Preserved 2,000-Year-Old Roman Glass Bowl Unearthed in the Netherlands|url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/roman-glass-bowl-nijmegen-1234616630/|access-date=2022-02-20|website=ARTnews.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Liu|first=Jasmine|date=2022-01-24|title=2,000-Year-Old Roman Glass Bowl Unearthed "Like New"|url=http://hyperallergic.com/707260/2000-year-old-roman-glass-bowl-unearthed-like-new/|access-date=2022-02-20|website=Hyperallergic|language=en-US}}</ref>