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Wine and Civilisation, the Roman Monuments of Tria.

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The Emperor Caesar conquered Tria and the surrounding area in the 1st century BC.

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This castle gate is known as Porta Nigra, the Black Gate.

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Augustus Caesar, at around 15 BC, decided to make Tria a centre for ruling over the Rhine area.

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This gate has protected the city for over 2,000 years.

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This cross shows that this is a marketplace.

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A column with a cross on top is a distinctly Roman symbol.

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The Romans introduced Mediterranean culture to the area and wine was one of the things they left behind.

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Each ancient Roman city has its amphitheatre.

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This one was built around 100 AD and served as a venue for gladiatorial combat and animal fights.

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There were seats for 20,000 spectators.

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The Romans were excellent at civil engineering.

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This stone bridge was built around 150 AD and is still in use.

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There are traces of Roman culture in its decoration.

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Tria Cathedral in the city centre is Germany's oldest.

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In 313 AD, the then Roman Emperor Constantine the Great legitimised Christianity throughout the Roman Empire

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and later ordered the construction of a large cathedral in the town.

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Tria was to become a Christian spiritual centre, along with Rome, Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

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The cathedral has been rebuilt and extended many times.

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The Moselle River flows through the town.

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Moselle wine, originally introduced by the Romans, is produced on land along the river.

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The grapes the Romans bought have been mixed with local grapes many times.

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The main variety of grapes grown here is Riesling.

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One of the distinctive characteristics of the soil in the area is the presence of slate.

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The soil absorbs nutrients from weathered slate.

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They are believed to contribute to the quality of the white wine.

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The city was once known as the Second Rome.

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The heritage of ancient Roman civilisation lives on with the townspeople to this day.