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Archaeologists discovered a Roman marching camp during construction of an industrial park in Slovakia.The find dates to the second half of the second century C.E., likely linked with the Marcomannic Wars from 166 to 180 C.E. Artifacts include military sandals that are still recognizable by the iron nails used in the soles. <\/p>\n
Experts have long believed that Roman soldiers once marched through \u0160urany, Slovakia, and a recent discovery of a late-second-century-C.E. Roman marching camp proves them right. An excavation conducted at an industrial park project in \u0160urany has surfaced a roughly 18-acre camp that archaeologists have dated to the Marcomannic Wars<\/a> of 166-180 C.E. The site contains the telltale signs of Roman encampment, but some elements also show that it was deserted just as suddenly as it was formed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe context of the find itself is also unique,\u201d said Matej Ruttkay, director of the Institute of Archaeology of the Slovak Academy of Science, in a translated statement<\/a>. \u201cWe are clearly investigating a site that ceased to exist immediately following a military conflict between the Romans and the Germanic tribes\u2014a fact corroborated by numerous artifacts.\u201d<\/p>\n Although the newly discovered marching camp isn\u2019t the typical rectangular shape, it still features the defining elements of a Roman<\/a> camp. It has five entrance gates, fortifications, and a specialized entrance\u2014known as a \u201cclavicula\u201d\u2014with a semicircular ditch and rampart. Th clavicula at the \u0160urany site is the first discovery of this type of gate in Slovakia.<\/p>\n The site also yielded skeletal remains\u2014some partial and some whole\u2014located in ditches and shallow graves. \u201cOur preliminary findings suggest that, in most cases, these are Roman soldiers<\/a>,\u201d said Marek Vojtecek, a lead member of the research team. \u201cNumerous pieces of Roman military gear and weaponry were found alongside the skeletal remains.\u201d Those finds include spears, arrowheads, helmet fragments, segmented and scale armor, legionary brooches, coins, and military sandals with iron sole nails. Everyday items include an axe, a cutting tool, and a gaming die.<\/p>\n \u201cThis discovery holds significance that extends beyond the borders of present-day Slovakia,\u201d Ruttkay said. \u201cIts discovery fills a crucial gap in our understanding of Roman activities north of the Danube<\/a> during the final third of the second century.\u201d<\/p>\n The area around \u0160urany was long thought to have housed Roman soldiers during the Marcomannic Wars. An inscription dating to 179 C.E., carved into the castle rock below nearby Tren\u010d\u00edn Castle, commemorates a Roman military victory<\/a> and confirms their presence in the region. The discovery of the 7.4-hectare military camp near \u0160urany fills out that history.<\/p>\n Ruttkay said that financial backing behind the industrial park\u2019s construction finally allowed for the comprehensive excavation of the site. Along with the Roman marching camp, the excavations have yielded a medieval settlement from the seventh and eight centuries, a Bronze Age<\/a> settlement with densely packed houses, and two significant burial grounds.<\/p>\n Now, the team is faced with questions about the history of the Roman camp. \u201cWho were the people buried here? What was the cause of their death? Why were the bodies often cast into deep features like storage pits or wells? What role did disease play, and what role did combat injuries? Why did we find so many objects that were rare for that era? Why were they not looted<\/a> at the time? Laboratory analyses and further genetic and anthropologic research could provide the answers,\u201d said Michal Cheben, a lead member of the research team.<\/p>\n
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