Fortlet Holzheimer Unterwald

Editor: Eric Matschulat M.A.
Contact: eric.matschulat(et)posteo.de

Duration: April 2018 - January 2022

In general, the Limes and in particular the Upper German-Raetian Limes are among the core topics of provincial Roman archaeology. Associated with this are the various military sites along its length, including the so-called fortlets. 

The scientific study of the fortlet “Holzheimer Unterwald” in the district of Gießen on the western Wetterau Limes offers the opportunity to close the existing gaps in research on these small military camps and provide a significant contribution towards understanding the function and tasks of these fortlets along the Limes.

The camp, which was investigated as part of the doctoral scholarship, was completely excavated and documented between 1988 and 1991. Among other findings, evidence was found confirming a stone fortification, two parallel crew barracks for a garrison of 20-30 people and a 9 meter deep well. Initial findings also revealed at least two confirmed construction phases, which include a reduction of the interior buildings as well as the construction of the well. The findings provide evidence that it was in use from the beginning of the 2nd century AD until the second-third of the 3rd century AD.

The dissertation will initially focus on completing the processing of all the artefacts and features. This also includes the digitalisation of the existing plans. The result of this analysis should ultimately provide information about the exact dating of the complex as a whole, the sequence (and how many) of construction phases, the occupation of the fort and the everyday life of the stationed soldiers. Also part of the project is the question of verifying the excavation results, which have already been pre-published in several short articles.

The aim of the analysis of the finds and existing structures is to be able to verify the function of the fortlet “Holzheimer Unterwald”. The investigation of the surrounding area, the consideration of relationships to other Roman settlements and camps in the vicinity and contact with the “Barbaricum” can and will also play a role regarding its function.

In addition to the direct context of the site, the findings from the study of the above-mentioned facility offer the possibility of making comparisons with similar fortlets in order to more generally assess their role/tasks. In this way, the overall picture of fortlets can be further supplimented and a significant contribution made to the research of these military installations.

The Fürstlich-Wiedische Archive as a source on Fort Niederbieber and the earliest Limes research in the Rhineland.

Editor:Jost Mergen M.A.
Contact: jostmergen(et)gmail.com

Duration: March 2015 - March 2018

The Niederbieber fort looks back on a long history of research. The earliest “excavations” took place as early as 1759. Eventually, in 1791, Christian Friedrich Hoffmann began planned excavations on behalf of Princess Luise Wilhelmine and worked here until his death in 1820. Born in Braunschweig, he had initially studied natural sciences, botany and mathematics at the Collegium Carolinum, published several botanical and economic essays and appeared as a translator of English works. In 1789, he came to Neuwied as a lieutenant engineer and tutor to the Wiedische princes.

To this day, his estate in the Fürstlich-Wiedische Archive (FWA) has never been comprehensively analysed. In more than 1,000 handwritten pages, Hoffmann left behind an extensive treasure trove of sources for his archaeological work, which is of great importance not only locally, but also for the general development of the subject in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. During this period, the “Era of the Antiquarians” ended and, with the beginning of the Prussian period on the Rhine, endeavours towards a regulated (land) monument preservation became tangible.

To the natural scientist Hoffmann, it was important to appropriately document his excavations. He made sketches and ground plans, measured the uncovered parts of buildings, and partly recorded where various finds came to light. In 1819, he even drafted comprehensive excavation guidelines, which can still be considered exemplary to some extent today and were published by Wilhelm Dorow only a few years later.

As an autodidact, he always sought scientific recognition for his results and theories. His preserved correspondence, for example with C.G. Heyne in Göttingen, C.F. Habel in Idstein, F.C. Matthiä in Mainz, or J.I. von Gerning in Frankfurt am Main, illuminates an extensive network of antiquarians and enthusiasts, upon which Hoffmann, due to a lack of specialized libraries in Neuwied, relied and which was essential for the broader public dissemination of his results.

Moreover, the sources document a sometimes significant change in linguistic style against the backdrop of political and societal developments. Here, an early form of the political-ideological instrumentalization of archaeology can already be observed in connection with the Wars of Liberation, Romanticism, and the emerging nationalism in the early 19th century.

The goal of this work is a comprehensive evaluation of the original sources of the FWA (Fürstlich-Wiedische Antiquities Collection), old publications, and some additional archives. Numerous detailed results, finds, evidence, drawings, plans, and maps are still completely unknown to research even after more than 200 years. The local developments in Neuwied are integrated into the context of early antiquity research in the Rhineland – especially important are the "Roman cities" Trier, Mainz, and Cologne – and on the Upper German-Raetian Limes with older or contemporary research approaches. In addition to archival work, the reworking of the old finds from the Fürstlich-Wiedische Antiquity Collection (now in the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn) allows for the creation of a catalogue of evidence and finds, and based on the sources, a more extensive allocation of finds and evidence can be worked out than is apparent from previous publications.

The work not only forms an essential foundation for the long-planned reworking of the Niederbieber fort, but also extensively examines the exciting early period of the discipline's history on the way to becoming a scientifically recognized discipline and modern archaeological monument conservation.

The Watchtowers on the Raetian Limes

Editor: Dr. Elisabeth Krieger M.A.
Contact: e.krieger1(et)gmx.de

Duration: March 2014 - March 2016

The so-called "Devil's Wall" refers to the 168 km long Roman border line in the province of Raetia. Approximately 268 watchtowers were distributed along the wall to secure border traffic. The current state of knowledge is largely based on the excavations and publications of the Reich Limes Commission at the beginning of the previous century. This grant enables the excavation documentation to be analysed under new aspects and questions. Several questions arise in this regard. Firstly, the architectural development is an interesting field. A significant part of the work involves reconstructing the construction phases of the towers based on the ground plans and architectural fragments. The various phases of expansion of the individual towers are to be examined to determine the extent to which expansion and modification occurred simultaneously. Closely related to this are also Military-historical aspects. At some watchtower sites, there was not always the same location or orientation chosen when switching from wooden to stone towers. Further still, some stone towers are directly integrated into the wall, while others are set slightly back from the border fortification. Both factors suggest that the function changed over time and that not every tower had the same function. The reworking of old excavations and the integration of new research results (aerial photographs, airborne laser scans, etc.) now provide for the first time a detailed scientific analysis of the structure and genesis of the border line in Raetia.

Publication: E. Krieger, Die Wachttürme am Raetischen Limes. Limesforsch. 30 (Berlin 2018).

Mainhardt – Fort Site on the Vorderen Limes

Editor: Lynn Stoffel M.A.
Contact: mainhardt(et)live.com

Duration:  October 2010 - September 2014

The aim of the scholarship is the comprehensive archaeological investigation of the features and finds from Mainhardt, a largely unknown fort site located on the central section of the Vorderen Limes. The work includes the cohort fort, the fort vicus, as well as the fortlet Mainhardt-Ost and the immediately adjacent section of the Limes from Watchtower Post 9/68 to Watchtower Post 9/69.

In addition to further insights into the stone building phases of the cohort fort, it is particularly noteworthy to mention the traces of one or more timber predecessors, which have been repeatedly recorded on defensive and interior structures. From this, a new picture of the beginnings of Mainhardt will emerge, its function and significance in the overall concept of the Vorderen Limes, including the rich epigraphic finds, will also be reassessed. These inscriptions from Mainhardt are to be summarised, including some newly discovered ones, particularly with regard to the open questions of troop occupancy and the function of the site within the overall strategic concept of the Vorderen Limes.

The first comprehensive archaeological investigation of the fortlet Mainhardt-Ost should demonstrate the relationship between the fortlet and cohort fort in Mainhardt and shed light on the question of the specific function of such fortlets in general.

The structure, genesis, and building style of the yet completely unpublished fort vicus are also to be presented in this research. Unanswered questions about the fort environment include the location of the fort bath, the cemetery areas, the presumed station for beneficiarii, and the location of an exercise ground which can be inferred from the annually renewed votive inscriptions of the cohors I Asturum. Various phases of the fort vicus are to be identified based on the extensive material finds. Of particular importance is the end of the fort vicus, the dating of which thus far largely relies on an assumed coincidence with the withdrawal of troops.  

The overarching objective of the investigation is to clarify aspects of the interaction between military and civilian structures at a site on the Vorderen Limes.

Subsequently, the question of possible systematic differences between the structures of the Vorderen Limes and those of the Hinteren Limes will also be addressed. This should provide a significant contribution to the research of the designs of the fortresses along the Vorderen Limes.

Re-evaluation of the old excavations of Fort Zugmantel

Editor: Miriam Etti M.A.
Contact: miriametti(et)web.de 

Duration: October 2010 - October 2012, May 2014 - December 2016 (part-time)

Fort Zugmantel, located south of the intersection of the Limes with the connecting route between the Rheingau and Limburg basin, is one of the best excavated fort sites on the Limes, particularly due to the extensive investigations of the vicus. The first excavations were carried out as early as the middle of the 19th century and continued with some interruptions until the 1950s. According to the current state of research, it can be assumed that the first fort was built around 90 AD, followed by three further construction periods until the fort was finally destroyed around 259/60 AD.

After more than 150 years of research at the Zugmantel fort, there has been hitherto a lack of a detailed and cohesive analysis resulting from the documentation. In the course of the doctoral scholarship, documentation and material from the old excavations, especially the fort site, will therefore be re-evaluated and analysed in order to bring the Zugmantel site up to date with the current state of research.