Emily Chan
For over 140 years, residents of Aachen, a city in western Germany, believed that an imposing Roman fortress once stood in the center of their town.
Now, their suspicions have been confirmed, thanks to recent excavations that uncovered the ruins of a 1,700-year-old Roman fortress.
A team of archaeologists came across the structure ahead of a construction project to renew gas, water, and electricity lines in the area.
When the team spotted the remnants of an old stone wall, they immediately knew it was made by the ancient Romans.
“The way the wall was built left no doubt it had to be of Roman origin,” Dr. Donata Kyritz, an archaeologist and the owner of ArcheoConsult, the group that led the excavations, said. “The concrete-like mortar and the choice of rock was typical for the Roman period. Also, the dimensions and the way the foundation was built differed from the technique used in medieval times.”
The wall dates back to the third century C.E. and was thought to have been built to defend against barbarian raids, which were becoming more frequent.
Around 275 C.E., Frankish raids destroyed their city, so the Romans decided to erect a fort called a castrum that encircled the market square.
So far, the piece of wall that has been unearthed is 23 feet long and 35 inches wide. In addition, some animal bones and shards of pottery were found. A layer of pebbles near the wall’s opening indicated that there may have been a roadway.
The full length of the structure is unclear, but the archaeologists think that the wall may have surrounded the city in a circular fashion and included a series of gates.
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