Drie Tommen

Drie Tommen is a group of three ancient burial mounds tucked into the quiet Grimde district on the edge of Tienen, Belgium. The Dutch name translates simply to "three mounds," which is exactly what greets visitors: three man-made earthen hills, each with a diameter approaching 30 meters. The mounds were most likely raised in the 1st or 2nd century AD, during the era when a major Roman road connecting Cologne, Tongeren, Tienen, and Boulogne ran through the area.

Who was buried here?

The tomb belonged to a prominent resident of the Roman-era settlement (vicus) of Tienen. His identity survived thanks to a small gold tube inscribed with the name "M(arcus) Probius Burrus" - making him the oldest inhabitant of Tienen known to us by name. The sheer scale of building three monumental mounds for a single individual points to his considerable social standing within the Roman province.

What did archaeologists find inside?

The mounds were excavated in 1892 under the direction of Baron A. de Loë of the Archaeological Society of Brussels. His team dug tunnels into the earthworks in search of burial chambers, successfully locating them inside the first and third mounds. The finds were remarkable: a cameo bearing the image of Emperor Augustus, a gold betrothal ring with an inscription, a silver-plated bronze fibula, and the gold tube naming the deceased. Together these objects reveal just how richly equipped elite burials could be in Roman Gaul.

Where does the name come from, and how old is this memory?

Written records mention the mounds as far back as 1340, when Tienen's poor relief fund referred to them in Latin as "retro Tumbas de Thenis." On the Ferraris topographic maps from around 1771-1778, they appear along the road from Tienen to Hakendover, labeled "Tombes de Grunde." The site has clearly served as a local landmark and object of curiosity for centuries.

What does the site look like today?

The modern story of the mounds is also one of restoration. Between 2012 and 2013, the municipality of Tienen cleared away the trees and shrubs that had overtaken the earthworks over the decades, and after 2016 the area was transformed into a peaceful open park with walking paths. Visitors today can freely walk around all three mounds, appreciate their impressive scale - they rise between 8 and 12 meters high - and picture what an elite Roman burial site once looked like in this corner of Gaul.

Frequently asked questions

How old are the Drie Tommen mounds? They date from the 1st or 2nd century AD, placing them firmly in the Roman period.

Who were the mounds built for? For Marcus Probius Burrus, a wealthy resident of Roman-era Tienen, whose name survived on a gold tube found beneath one of the mounds.

Can visitors walk around the mounds? Yes, the site is a public park with walking paths, open since its restoration after 2016.

Where exactly are the mounds located? In the Grimde district on the outskirts of Tienen, Belgium, along the route of a former Roman road linking Cologne and Boulogne.

What was discovered during the excavations? A cameo depicting Emperor Augustus, a gold betrothal ring, a silver-plated fibula, and a gold tube inscribed with the name of the deceased - all uncovered during the 1892 excavation.