First century AD. On the territory of Germany, ancient Roman settlements already exist and are developing, which will become the oldest German cities. Among them – Trier, Cologne, Mainz, Koblenz, Augsburg. At the same time, Roman legionnaires begin to equip two new military camps near the current resort of Bad Ems in the valley of the Lahn River, which flows into the Rhine.
One of them with an area of eight hectares is designed, presumably, for three thousand people. This camp is well defended – surrounded by a wooden wall reinforced with dozens of towers. So far, only three stone buildings have been built inside, the soldiers sleep in tents – so to speak, in field conditions. The second camp is located next door on the other side of the valley – smaller in size, only 40 people.
Traces of a small camp were discovered as early as 1897. Until recently, it was assumed that this place was a smelting furnace for processing silver ore, but the results obtained now have led to other conclusions, that is, to talk about a small military fortification. The remains of the smelting furnace turned out to be the foundation of the watchtower. Nothing was known about the second large camp at all. Both lasted only a few years – were burned, destroyed by the Romans themselves and forgotten. Something went wrong?
Every hunter wants to know…
2016 An amateur hunter, waiting for prey on his tower, accidentally noticed that the neighboring grain field looks somehow strange – as if a giant tractor drove through it once a very long time ago. A local resident shared these observations with archaeologists, who first conducted aerial photography and geomagnetic surveys. The scientific leadership of the project was entrusted to Professor Markus Scholz of the Goethe University of Frankfurt (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main).
The resulting images clearly show lines that appear to be traces of a double ditch that once surrounded a large military camp. The site was included in the field practice program for students. Excavations continued for several years – not only at the new site, but also at the site of a small camp. After some time, traces of a system of galleries cut by the Romans were also found here. In February 2023, the first results and conclusions were presented in Frankfurt, which have already been partially described above, but the most interesting is still ahead.
The irony of fate and the luck of archaeologists
According to the researchers, the Roman camps were created to search for a deposit of silver ore. It has been mined here in small quantities since Celtic times. Military fortifications were laid in such a way as to ensure reliable protection of the future mine in the event of a vein being discovered. However, after several years of unsuccessful attempts, it was decided to end this, so to speak, military-geological expedition. The fortifications were destroyed so that the Germans could not use them.
As it turned out now, the Romans did not reach the silver vein just a little bit – it was enough to drive one of the adits a couple of meters deeper. Many centuries later, when the deposit was discovered, a total of 200 tons of silver was extracted from the ore of the local subsoil, but it was no longer the ancient Romans who did this.
The first written mention of silver mining near Bad Ems dates back to 1158. It is contained in the letter of the German Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa (Friedrich I Rotbart) on the transfer of the relevant rights to the archbishops of Trier, who then received income from the local mines throughout the Middle Ages.
The peak of mining of silver and other metals like lead and zinc in the Lana Valley fell on the XVIII-XIX centuries – the time of the highest heyday of the local world-famous spa resort of Bad Ems, among the guests of which were the German Emperor Wilhelm I (Wilhelm I), the Russian Tsar Alexander II, as well as Fyodor Dostoevsky, Richard Wagner, Nikolai Gogol, Victor Hugo and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
What did Tacitus write about?
Scientists from Frankfurt were able to find references to these places in the records of the ancient Roman historian Tacitus, who talks about the unsuccessful search for silver on the Lahn around 47 AD – during the time of Emperor Claudius. Tacitus also mentions the dissatisfaction of the soldiers, who no longer see the point in further wasting their strength on such hard and fruitless work, which they even wrote to Rome.
Around 110 AD, in the immediate vicinity of the burnt camps, the local section of the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes, a 550-kilometer system of border structures of the Roman Empire between the Rhine and Danube, was laid. Limes performed its functions until the end of the third century. The archaeological sites associated with it are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Science slam
A monograph is currently being prepared in Frankfurt, which will present in detail the results of the excavations, while at the same time pointing out the need for further research. The first findings have already aroused interest in Germany and received high praise. The head of the student group of archaeologists, Frederic Auth, presented this project at the interdisciplinary science competition Science Slam in early February (www.science-slam.com).) in Wiesbaden, taking first place. The next performances will take place on March 2 in Heidelberg, on March 7 in Bonn and on March 19 in Mannheim.
P.S.
The most famous silver ore mine in Germany is located near the Lower Saxon city of Goslar – Rammelsberg. It has been used almost continuously for thousands of years. Now it is a museum and is included in the World Heritage List.