Archaeologists have found two Roman military camps in Germany (4 photos)

A team of archaeologists made an interesting discovery in the city of Bad Ems in the west of Germany - two military camps that the Romans built. Thousands of years ago, silver deposits were also searched for in this area, however, in one moment something went wrong.





Archaeologists make an interesting discovery in a German city Bad Ems. They excavated and discovered two Roman military camps, one of whose appointments were the protection of silver deposits, what they were looking for in this area. The camps were surrounded by a fence with pointed wooden stakes similar to barbed wire - such fortifications more than once mentioned in ancient writings, including by Caesar. However, similar examples have never been found in history. Found camps are located on both sides of the Emsbach valley, and are studied by team of frankfurt archaeologists.



Excavations in this area began after observations of the local hunter. Waiting for prey on the tower, he noticed that the grain field looks unusual, and colors differ on it - which may indicate that there are some structures underground. He reported it archaeologists who conducted aerial photography and geomagnetic research. It turned out that there are two large double ditches underground, which once surrounded a Roman military camp. Its area was estimated at eight hectares, and found on the territory of 40 wooden towers. However, the Romans did not build this camp completely - from the buildings there was only a warehouse, and a few years later the camp itself burned down. At about three kilometers from a large camp found another, much smaller.



Near the camps, systems were also discovered that the Romans drilled to find silver deposits. Local military fortifications built in such a way that in case of discovery of deposits to provide protection of the future mine from raids - this is how the Romans "prepared" for untold riches. However, they never got them. Only for millennia later, during excavations in 1897, archaeologists found out that they were very close to a valuable find. In this area, a silver vein, and about 200 tons of silver were extracted from the ore. Incidentally, ancient the texts indicate that there have long been attempts to search for silver: according to the writings of the ancient historian Tacitus, the Roman governor Curtius Rufus tried to mine silver in this region in 47 AD, but his efforts were unsuccessful.



Excavations in the area will continue under the direction of teams of archaeologists and professors: Markus Scholz, professor archeology and ancient Roman history at the Goethe University; archaeologist Daniel Burger Velmeke; and Prof. Peter Henrich from the Office of Cultural Rhineland-Palatinate heritage. Parts of a found fence with wooden stakes have already been transferred to the museum in Mainz, where they will be stored.