Long lost Roman fort discovered

[Viggen]

In the course of an educational dig in Gernsheim, located in the Hessain Ried, archaeologists from Frankfurt University have discovered a long lost Roman fort: A troop unit made up of approximately 500 soldiers (known as a cohort) was stationed there between 70/80 and 110/120 AD. Over the past weeks the archaeologists uncovered two V-shaped ditches, typical of this type of fort, and the post holes of a wooden defensive tower along with various other evidence from the time after the fort was abandoned.  A remarkably large number of finds were made in this dig.

 

This is because the Roman troops dismantled the fort and filled the ditches on their departure. In the process they disposed of a lot of waste, especially in the inner ditch. “A bonanza for us,” according to Prof. Dr. Hans-Markus von Kaenel from the Goethe University Institute of Archaeology. “We filled box after box with shards of fine, coarse and transport ceramics; dating them will allow us to determine when the fort was abandoned with greater accuracy than was possible before”...

 

...full article at the Heritage Daily