User:Elysander/Roman Battlefield 2nd/3rd Century A.D.(Kalefeld/Germany)
In 2008, a Roman battlefield was excavated near the German town Kalefeld. Currently it is unclear who won the battle between Roman soldiers and local Germanic fighters.[1]
Roman Battlefield of the 2nd/3rd Century AD
editIn summer 2008 German Archaeologists unearthed the remains of a battle fought in Magna Germania very probably between Roman legionnaires and Germanic tribes.[2] The archaeological find was originally made in 2000 by amateurs in a hilly pine-wooded region between Hanover and Kassel using metal-detectors who discovered metallic items.
The Archaeologists have now ascertained that a fierce battle took place on the approach to a pass, involving archers and cavalry equipped with long-range catapults capable of piercing shields at a distance of 300 metres (yards).
"The findings show that possibly 1,000 Romans were involved" in the battle, according to the leading archaeologist Petra Loenne. "This is an unrivalled, well-preserved site," she added. Some 600 artefacts have so far been found, including spears, arrowheads, axes, armour plating, tent pegs, catapult bolts and coins.
One such coin depicts Roman Emperor Commodus, who reigned from 180 to 192 AD ( Terminus post quem ), while fragments of swords and carts suggest the battle took place in the first half of the third century AD [3]
In contrary to German media's belief that, in the wake of the Teutoburg Forest massacre in which thousands of legionnaires were slaughtered, the Romans completely retreated behind the river Rhine historical records regularly reported about military operations as punitive raids east of the Rhine.
Such military operations are reported for the time of Caracalla and Maximinus Thrax, the first Roman soldier-emperor who reigned briefly from 235 to 238, was personally involved in operations against the Germanic tribes.