Roman battlefield discovered in northern Germany

[Adsos Letter]

Source: AP

KALEFELD-OLDENRODE, Germany (AP) — Archaeologists say they have uncovered a third-century battlefield in northern Germany which could prove that Roman legions were fighting in the region much later than historians have long believed.

At a press conference Monday, archeologists said they used coins and weaponry excavated from an area 1 1/2 kilometers (one mile) long and 500 meters (1/3 of a mile) wide to date the battlefield

Guenther Moosbauer, an expert at the University of Osnabrueck who studies Roman-German history, said he suspects the battle might have been started by a legion seeking revenge after tribesman in A.D. 235 pushed Roman troops south of the Limes Germanicus, a ring of forts that separated the empire from unconquered land to the north and east

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iY8SwRu6dheaLnRSctQr8uOG-lAgD95399Q01

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Edited to add: some artifact pictures at the link.

[aquart]

1. New knowledge. Neat!

[wake.up.america]

2. Great - Thanks great post....

At one time, I gave tours in Trier to the Roman ruins.

[bklyncowgirl]

4. I visited Trier some years back--remarkable preservation of the ruins

I kind of dragged the family to a variety of Roman sites on a trip to France & Germany and Trier was high on list. Neat place.

[mariema]

11. We visited Trier at least once a year while living in Germany

Every one who came to visit us got to go to Trier. Maybe you were our guide at one time or other.

We are such history and architecture buffs. We also visited a city in Nordrhein-Westfalen called Xanten, site of the Roman Colony Ulpia Traiana

[DrCory]

3. Fantastic Find

For Romanophiles such as myself. Still patiently awaiting concrete identification of the Clades Variana site.

[OldEurope]

5. Try this

http://www.kalkriese-varusschlacht.de/index/getlang/en

:hi:

[rpannier]

6. Good find thanks

[tclambert]

7. 235 AD is about 55 years after Marcus Aurelius, the last of the "five good emperors."

You know, Marcus Aurelius, the Emperor in the movie Gladiator.

[Posteritatis]

9. Also right at the start of the third-century collapse (nt)

[yellowcanine]

8. But did they find WMDs? Damn, these reports never tell you what you want to know.

Inquiring minds want to know these things.

[Tesha]

10. More importantly, did they find Russell Crowe's autograph?

(Yes, I know I'm probably mixing up my Roman ages.)

[Uncle Joe]

12. Russell Crowe was there around the time of the emperor

Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus 161-192 Emperor 180 - 192.

His autograph had already disintegrated, however they did find some edible Roman MREs.

[Tesha]

14. MREs: ;-)

What would that acronym be in Latin?

Something about Comestibles and Mange (sp)?

Tesha

[dipsydoodle]

13. Which battle was it

that caused the Romans to withdraw from Germany ? It was the one where they got ambushed in a valley on sodden ground and were almost wholly wiped out.

[Odin2005]

15. Teutoburger Wald.

Augustus wanted to stabilize the border of the empire on the Elbe River because it would make the length of the border much shoter, and this easier to defend. that battle screwed up that plan.

[dipsydoodle]

16. Thanks

.