(Thomas Wolf Photo)
Porta Nigra, Trier, Germany.
The Roman Empire subduing the Treveri in the 1st century BC and established Augusta Treverorum about 16 BC. The name distinguished it from the empire’s many other cities honoring the first Roman emperor, Augustus. The city later became the capital of the province of Belgic Gaul; after the Diocletian Reforms, it became the capital of the prefecture of the Gauls, overseeing much of the Western Roman Empire. From 293 to 395, Trier was one of the residences of the Western Roman Emperor. In the 4th century, Trier was one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire with a population around 75,000 and perhaps as much as 100,000. The Porta Nigra (“Black Gate”) dates from this era.
