The discovery of a collection of 75 sandal nails has led German archaeologists to the rare identification of a temporary Roman military camp near the town of Hermeskeil an archaeologist at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz the flat stones that once paved its entrance and grindstones used by the Romans to mill grain Scattered among the paving stones were bits of metal that the team quickly identified as sandal nails Some of the nails were quite large—as much as an inch across— and had distinct workshop marks of a type used by the army “a sort of cross with little dots” or studs “That told us it was definitely a military camp,” she adds Ground-penetrating radar surveys showed that the camp the period Julius Caesar wrote about in his memoir Caesar waged three campaigns against the Gallic tribes and their powerful leaders for control over the territory of Gaul Taking account of the camp’s date and the distinctly Caesarean sandal nails “It’s very probable it is a camp built by Julius Caesar’s legions.” The camp sits just a few miles away from the so-called “Hunnenring,” a major Celtic hill fort with 30-foot-high walls Such centers of military and political power made Gaul an attractive target for the Romans By focusing their efforts on these regional centers the Romans could exert sustained and concentrated pressure on local leaders instead of having to chase down the scattered tribes living in the German forests further to the east and the military victories achieved by Caesar and his legions resulted in the conquest of Gaul and cleared the way for the general to assume sole control of the Roman Republic an archaeologist at Germany’s University of Osnabrück familiar with the discovery the finds from Hermeskeil are an “archaeological thrill.” He says “Roman field campaigns lasted just a few months and to find one of their temporary camps is really rare." 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An archaeological team from the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz has discovered the precise location of the oldest Roman military fortification known to date in Germany – in the vicinity of Hermeskeil a small town some 30 km southeast of Trier in the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate An image shows paving stones of the Hermeskeil camp’s gateway The box shows iron shoe nails from sandals of Roman soldiers found at the site (© Sabine Hornung / Arno Braun) This discovery sheds new light on the Roman conquest of Gaul The camp was built during Julius Caesars’ Gallic War in the late 50s BCE Nearby lies a late Celtic settlement with monumental fortifications known as the ‘Hunnenring’ or ‘Circle of the Huns,’ which functioned as one of the major centers of the local Celtic tribe called Treveri Their territory is situated in the mountainous regions between the Rhine and Maas rivers “The remnants of this military camp are the first pieces of archaeological evidence of this important episode in world history,” said Dr Sabine Hornung of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz’s Institute of Pre- and Protohistory, who authored a report published in the journal Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt “It is quite possible that Treveran resistance to the Roman conquerors was crushed in a campaign that was launched from this military fortress.” The existence of this site with a size of about 260,000 square meters had been known since the 19th century but its interpretation was controversially discussed “Some remains of the wall are still preserved in the forest but it hadn’t been possible to prove that this was indeed a Roman military camp as archaeologists and local historians had long suspected,” Dr Hornung said The breakthrough came through systematic investigations closely linked to archaeological research conducted in the vicinity of the Celtic settlement ‘Hunnenring’ The Celtic fortification is located just 5 km from the military camp at Hermeskeil and can be seen directly from the site large sections of the former military camp can no longer be recognized and are in danger of being lost forever Dr Hornung’s team began their work in Hermeskeil in March 2010 Initial research enabled them to determine size and shape of the military camp that was fortified by means of an earth wall and a ditch They determined that the fortress consisted of an almost rectangular earthwork enclosure with rounded corners by its size of about 182,000 square meters provided space for several thousands of soldiers including both legionaries and mounted auxiliaries An extension of additional 76,000 square meters encompassed a spring which thereby secured water supply for the troops A view of the Hermeskeil camp’s gateway with remains of the stone pavement Red dots pinpoint sites where shoe nails from the sandals of Roman soldiers were found (© Sabine Hornung / Arno Braun) The team found numerous shoe nails originating from the sandals of Roman soldiers that had loosened as they marched along The size and shape of the nails were among the first indications that the military camp at Hermeskeil dates back to the time of the late Roman Republic or the Gallic War This theory was subsequently confirmed by shards of earthenware vessels discovered during excavations and further verified using scientific dating methods The special historical significance of the Hermeskeil military camp lies in its relationship to the neighboring Treveran settlement ‘Hunnenring.’ The team has been able to confirm that this settlement was abandoned by its inhabitants around the middle of the 1st century BCE Before the identification of the camp near Hermeskeil it was only possible to speculate that this abandonment had had something to do with the Gallic War In his ‘De Bello Gallico,’ Julius Caesar reported that the tribe of the Treveri was split into anti-Roman and pro-Roman factions led by the aristocrat Indutiomarus and his relatives fomented unrest that resulted in Roman reprisals in 54/53 B.C over the course of which the Treveran resistance to the invaders was broken The discoveries near Hermeskeil provide the first direct archaeological evidence for this dramatic episode in world history A late Republican military camp at Hermeskeil (Lkr Preliminary report on investigations during 2010-2011 You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed in cooperation with the Ockfen nature park community invites you to a culinary wild herb hike around Ockfen Under the expert guidance of nature park consultant Klaudia Landahl participants will discover regional spring wild plants such as garlic mustard participants will not only learn how to identify and collect the various plants but also how to use them in the kitchen Wild herbs are rich in valuable vital substances An ideal date for nature lovers and anyone who wants to learn more about the treasures of local flora The participation fee is €15.00 per person The meeting point will be announced upon registration A binding registration is required at the Nature Park Office in Hermeskeil phone 06503/9214-0 (limited participation) I founded Science 2.0® in 2006 and since then it has become the world's largest independent science communications site