In the wooded hills of the Taunus mountains, near a Roman military encampment, archaeologists in Germany have discovered a temple dedicated to Mars, the god of war. The temple is roughly two thousand years old.
This stronghold was raised during the third century to protect the frontier of the Roman Empire from the Germanic tribes. It was accompanied by a place of worship that became part of the settlement, known as a “vicus,” that sprang up next to it.
The temple and its inscription
Kai Mückenberger, who works for Hessen Archaeology, told reporters that the team discovered pieces of a dedicatory inscription within the temple walls. A translation of the fragment has already been produced by experts, and it refers to Mars, the Roman god of war.
“We also have the remains of a Mars [statue],” Mückenberger said. He added that the team found a statuette of “a winged figure holding a palm branch and laurel wreath,” which is likely the ancient Roman goddess Victoria, a personification of victory in battle.
According to the statement, the temple and the votive statues provide fresh understanding of what Romans believed about their faith at the edge of their empire.
A long history of digging
Near the turn of the 20th century, the Kapersburg fort was first dug up by researchers. It turned out to date back to the early second century, probably built during the rule of either Emperor Trajan, who held power from A.D. 98 to 117, or Emperor Hadrian, who reigned from A.D. 117 to 138.
For roughly a century and a half, a unit of Roman soldiers and cavalry occupied the fort, which was in use until around A.D. 275. Some of its walls and its defensive structures have remained visible since antiquity.
What the vicus held
According to Mückenberger, practically no information existed about the vicus before the digs started in 2024. The excavation work has since continued at the site in Hesse, which sits roughly 16 miles (26) north of Frankfurt.
The discovery of well-preserved archaeological layers below the forest floor has come as a surprise. These layers contain burnt material and continue down into the ground, and they are not the sort of thing that usually survives when farmland replaces woodland.
Craftwork over housing
The investigators discovered many fewer homes than they had anticipated. What they did find in abundance was strong evidence of craft work, including blacksmith pits and ovens used for drying wheat and baking bread.
“These are all very technical elements related to local services, indicating that we’re in a kind of intermediate area not directly adjacent to the fort itself, but perhaps more like the fort’s craft area,” Mückenberger said.
The end of the fort
The archaeologists found that when the fort had served its purpose, the Romans tore down the camp and built houses on the site instead.
Related finds
Other recent Roman discoveries include:
- An “extremely rare” Roman military camp in Slovakia holding hastily buried remains of Marcus Aurelius’ soldiers, some dumped in wells.
- Ancient bullets revealing where a Roman camp hid in the Pyrenees of Spain before being ambushed.
- 1,700-year-old Roman marching camps discovered in Germany, along with coins and shoe remnants.
“The astonishing thing is the exquisite preservation of the archaeological layers that start right beneath the forest floor.”
The remains, which include charred deposits, rarely last in fields where crops are grown, yet they have endured in excellent condition at the vicus. “This is an incredible learning process and a gain in knowledge for us,” Mückenberger noted.
The find offers a window into daily life on the frontier.
Next year, Mückenberger and his team intend to keep digging at the site.
Source material: “1,800-year-old temple to Mars and statue of Victory unearthed at Roman military fort in Germany,” Live Science.
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