Augusta Vindelicum (Augsburg)
The Augustus statue at Maximiliansplatz surrounded by Nazi flags and today. Also
referred to as Aelium Augustum (shortened to Aelia Augusta), Augsburg
was founded in 15 BCE by Drusus and Tiberius as Augusta Vindelicorum, on
the orders of their stepfather Emperor Augustus during the campaign of
conquest to Raetia and a military camp was built as the nucleus of the
later city. The epithet Vindelicorum represents the genitive plural of
Vindelicus which referred to the Celtic tribe of the Vindelici who were
located between Wertach (Virda) and Lech (Licus). This garrison camp
soon became the capital of the Roman province of Raetia and under Hadrian, the town was raised to the status of a municipality,
whose official name was then municipium Aelium Augustum.
Castra Regina (Regensburg) 
Nevertheless, Augusta Vindelicum was the intersection of many important European east-west and north-south connections, which later evolved as major trade routes of the Middle Ages despite having been sacked by the Huns in the 5th century, Charlemagne in the 8th century, and Welf of Bavaria in the 11th century, each time rising to greater prosperity.Only one Roman municipium is attested for the whole area: municipium Aelium Augusta Vindelicum (now Augsburg), which was granted municipal status under Hadrian. The inhabitants were not necessarily uncivilized—inscriptions prove that some of them were literate before the Roman conquest—but land so mountainous was not worth anything to Rome, and they were left alone.Martin Goodman (222-223) The Roman World


Abusina (Eining)
Abusina was a Roman military camp located about 500 metres south of today's Einingen town centre on the Danube between the road leading to Sittling and the Abens river, which flows into the Danube just north of the fort and which was once eponymous for the Roman town. It's the best preserved Roman fort in Bavaria. The
name Abusina was derived from the Abens, a tributary of the Danube. The
site was chosen where the Danube crossing branches off from the Roman
road and running parallel to the Raetian limes. The stone fort at 1.8
hectares is rather small for the requirements of a fort and probably
accommodated only one vexillation. In ancient times it was in a strategically and geographically important position. From there, both shipping traffic on the Danube and a road junction at this point could be controlled, where one traffic route branched off from the Roman Donausüdstraße in a south-easterly direction and another led across a Danube ford to the west. The closest larger garrisons were the Alen - Fort Pförring on the northern bank of the Danube, opposite today's Neustadt an der Donau, and Castra Regina. A small disadvantage of the location was the lack of line of sight to Fort Pförring, below, and to the beginning of the Limes section near Hienheim, which was also on the northern bank of the Danube. It could have been compensated by an additional watchtower on the vineyard. Abusina is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the few fully exposed and reconstructed in its foundations fortifications at this border section.
Foundations of the Principia (staff building), the semicircular building serving as the flag shrine (aedes).

In the early 2nd century, probably towards the end of the reign of Trajan, the Cohors IIII Gallorum was replaced by a Vexillatio, a detachment of about 500 to 600 men from the Cohors II Tungrorum milliaria equitata. This assignment is an exemplary characteristic of the mobility, flexibility and thus modernity of the Exercitus Romanorum. Whilst the parent unit remained stationed in Britain, it was easily possible to deploy the detachment of this force in the distant Danube region in the meantime. A little later, between 138 and 147, presumably the Vexillatio of a sister unit, the Cohors IIII Tungrorum milliaria equitata, took its place for a few years.



Abbot Werner, head of the Weltenburg monastery, remarks in the chronicle of his monastery that he wrote that the altar had eventually found itself "brought into the village and used as a corner stone in the sacristy of the church. In this condition I examined it in 1780.” In 1784 the altar was sent to the Academy of Sciences in Munich where, he continues to write, "it had to stand at the entrance for many years without any archaeologist having pity on it.” In 1814 the altar was held within the Antiquarium in the Munich Residence and finally in the Bavarian National Museum.The two smaller upper fragments of the stone were found in 1887 and 1915 respectively and were also taken to Munich. However, the monument itself had been completely destroyed during the war where fortunately in addition to this copy on the fort grounds in Eining, there is another, better preserved copy in the Archaeological State Collection in Munich.


On
the left side of the monument, the goddess Fortuna is depicted holding a
cornucopia in her left hand, symbolising fertility and prosperity. Her
right hand holds a rudder on the ground, symbolising that Fortuna, the
goddess of fate, holds human fate in her hand. The right side of the
stone shows the genius of the third Britannic cohort mentioned in the
inscription, who is the guardian spirit of the troops. He also holds a
cornucopia in his left arm and with his right hand makes a sacrifice
from a bowl on a flaming round altar.
The cohors III Britannorum was probably raised shortly after Roman rule was established on the British Isles, in order to pacify the region by drawing the local youth into the Roman army. During the Year of the Four Emperors, several troops recruited amongst Britons sided with Emperor Galba and subsequently with Emperor Vitellius under command of A. Caecina Alienus. Upon Vespasian's eventual victory, the cohors III Britannorum was transferred to Raetia. Here in Eining two military diplomas issued to soldiers of the cohors III Britannorum were recovered. It's possible that the cohors III Britannorum was transferred to the fort of Eining under the reign of Emperor Hadrian. During the military reorganisation of Emperor Antoninus Pius in the years around 160, the fort at Eining was reconstructed, probably by soldiers of the cohors III Britannorum. This was part of a coordinated strengthening of the entire regional Limes section in Antonine times which quickly became necessary. During the Marcomanni Wars, the province of Raetia came under severe distress and at least partially and temporarily escaped Roman control. The fort and vicus of Eining were also destroyed for the first time. The area between Abusina and Castra Regina was probably not brought back under control until around 175 by the Legio III Italica stationed in Regensburg. After the rebuilding of the fort and the camp village, Abusina began a phase of calm and prosperity that lasted into the first third of the 3rd century. The political highlight of this period was the visit of Caracalla in Eining in 213 whilst conducting a preventive war against the gathering Alemanni. These military operations were so successful that they freed the province, including Abusina, from the pressure of the Alemanni for another two decades. From 233, however, the relative stability was at an end and in the course of the first Alemanni invasion, Abusina was destroyed again. More waves of Alemannic raids and conquests followed, until in 260 the Roman border defence in Raetia almost completely collapsed and the province sank into chaos. Eining was also burned down again which the numerous hoard finds, including the famous Eining hoard which was discovered by chance in 1975, bear witness to.

Large
scale excavations from the 1870s onwards, their subsequent exposure,
consolidation and partial covering by roofs led after many years of
interest to phases of neglect and decay, due to increasing maintenance
costs. A first large scale renovation in the 1950s attempted to solve
this problem in a long- term way with modern wall, partially on top of
Roman foundations but in other parts in their replacement, and a lot of
concrete. As no continuous care followed, further consolidation work had
to be done in the 1970s leading to even more loss of the original.
After the initiative of a local interest group, “Historia Romana e. V.",
plans to develop and to display the fort somehow as it was laid out
originally are now competing with the present state as a landscape park
with ancient and artificial ruins as well as a nature reserve.
The porta decumana on the right, the rear gate of the fort. The current concrete and steel structure in the middle of the access to the river-side extends as a footbridge over the sloping terrain created by a team of designers from Düsseldorf who were allowed to revamp the site (if not the structures) in 2010. The porta decumana was normally located at the midpoint of the rear rampart of a Roman fort, and from it the via decumana ran up to the back of the principia, dividing the retentura into two zones, one to the left and one to the right.
In
front of the northern front of the camp was a large, heated mansio, or
rest station, with a small bathing wing, a hostel and horse changing
station for business travelers on behalf of the state. At
the beginning of the imperial era road stations were built at regular
intervals along the most important Roman roads about every thirty miles
or so. At first they primarily served the cursus publicus
( such as "state transport" post) before later expanding with other
buildings and also used very heavily by travelers and traders. One
would have traveled from one mansio to the next each day. A large
driveway led to the rest stop (many digs were usually Ushaped)
consisting of stables and car depots, as well as dining and guest rooms.
This particular mansio served also as the headquarters of the
beneficiaries, a type of road police with customs powers that was
responsible for the security of the Roman road network. The porta decumana on the right, the rear gate of the fort. The current concrete and steel structure in the middle of the access to the river-side extends as a footbridge over the sloping terrain created by a team of designers from Düsseldorf who were allowed to revamp the site (if not the structures) in 2010. The porta decumana was normally located at the midpoint of the rear rampart of a Roman fort, and from it the via decumana ran up to the back of the principia, dividing the retentura into two zones, one to the left and one to the right.

Eining, the Roman Abusina, on the south bank of the Danube between the Raetien Limes and the Danube Limes in Bavaria, is a good example to show the complicated and complex post-Roman story of a WHS [World Heritage Site]. Preliminary to the “renovation” of exposed walls the history of the visible structures was studied: Large scale excavations from the 1870s onwards, their subsequent exposure, consolidation and partial covering by roofs led after many years of interest to phases of neglect and decay, due to increasing maintenance costs. A first large scale renovation in the 1950s attempted to solve this problem in a long- term way with modern wall, partially on top of Roman foundations but in other parts in their replacement, and a lot of concrete. As no continuous care followed further consolidation work had to be done in the 1970s leading to even more loss of the original. After the initiative of a local interest group (“Historia Romana e.V.”) plans to “develop” and to display the fort somehow as it was laid out originally are now competing with the present state as a landscape park with ancient and artificial ruins as well as a nature reserve.Breeze and Jilek (133) Frontiers of the Roman Empire


During the military reorganisation of Emperor Antoninus Pius in the years around 160, the fort at Eining was reconstructed, plausibly by soldiers of the cohors III Britannorum. The presence of the unit is at Eining is undebated by scholars, as it is well documented on military constitutions, imperial and votive inscriptions as well as tilestamps. Eining continued to be part of Raetia after the collapse of the Raetian Limes in 254. The Notitia Dignitatum lists a 'cohors III Brittorum' in Eining (Abusina), which might be identical to the cohors III Britannorum of the Principate.Farkas István Gergő (149-150) The Roman Army in Raetia
The
fort's thermal baths, probably built around the middle of the 2nd
century, shown in 1915 and today. Several construction phases lay on top
of each other in the excavated walls, which can no longer be safely
separated from one another today. Again, it can be seen how much has
been reconstructed since the war. The bath had been destroyed at least
once during the Marcomann Wars in around 170 and then rebuilt with
further expansions and modifications. The older thermal baths were only
twenty metres in length but eventually were significantly expanded
further to 38 metres. Immediately in front of the south side was a small
bathroom measuring 6.5 x 7 metres leading some to posit that this small
luxury bathroom was built especially for the visit of Emperor Caracalla
or perhaps was simply reserved for higher-ranking people, officers or
the camp commandant.
Inside the Roman musem overlooking the baths in the former St. Andreas (Andrew) church. Abusina is just outside the fashionable spa town of Bad Gögging. Its
history as a spa begins with the Romans as is obvious given references
to Marcus Aurelius, Trajan and even Tiberius are everywhere. The sulfur
springs of today's health resort used by the Romans and were probably
already known at the time of Titus around 80, when the Cohors IIII
Gallorum built the Abusina fort to secure the Danube line. What is
certain is that Trajan himself visited the area around 110 and the
garrison built a thermal bath which housed a caldarium , a sudatoriumand
a frigidarium. When the local church of St. Andreas was rebuilt in the
early 1960s, the remains of the baths from Roman times were found. Under
its floor was a Roman bathing pool with an associated heating system,
the so-called hypocaust heating. The pool has a size of 10.8 by 7.8
metres. The stamps on the bricks indicate that the bath was financed by
both state and private assets of the emperor and was therefore of great
importance. So far, however, it has only been possible to uncover parts
of the Roman thermal baths of Bad Gögging, as they are located under the
town centre. The Roman history of Bad Gögging is closely related to
that of the nearby Roman fort Abusina built in 79 and expanded in stone
under the emperors Domitian and Trajan.
It is unclear how long the baths were in operation and whether they
were destroyed during the Marcomanni wars of 174, the Alemanni invasion
of 260 or survived long enough to be wiped under the Huns in 450 by
which time Abusina had largely been destroyed. However, the central
bathing pool remained unaffected. The relics that were excavated from
1960 to 1970 under today's St. Andrew's Church can be viewed in the
Roman Museum which now, with ironic justice, has taken over the church
itself. The church itself is Romanesque and has a sculpture portal that
is stylistically related to the art of the Magistri Comacini. The
tympanum shown here on the left over the main door shows Christ as judge
of the world between two angels. The side reliefs show various
allegorical figures that represent sin or human vices. The larger fields
refer to the Old and New Testaments and are related to each other. Such
diverse scenes on a Romanesque portal of a local church are a rarity in
southern Bavaria.
At the reconstructed Roman Villa Rustica Möckenlohe which lies between
Eichstätt and Ingolstadt on the lower slopes of the Franconian Jura to
the Danube River. The fertile land promoted a dense settlement of this
area with Roman farms at the end of the 1st century CE. The museum is a
reconstruction of the partially still visible antique remains. The stone
house was built in the 2nd half of the 1st century by Romans and
destroyed in 233 by the Alemanni. Many finds indicate a previous
settlement in this place. 
The main house was excavated from 1987 to
1989, and was rebuilt in 1992 and 1993. A colonnade links two protruding
buildings to form a typical villa with protruding façade bays. The
west section had a representational room with an apse and a hypocaust
heating system, which is still visible in places, as well as two
sleeping chambers to the north. The east wing had a cellar, whose rubble
walls still stand up to a height of 1.5 metres. Above the cellar was
the kitchen. Heavy beams supported the Roman tile roof. The museum
offers a unique chance in southern Germany to literally enter into
provincial Roman living culture. The exhibits are all objects found on
the grounds of the Villa Rustica. Thus, despite the randomness of their
conservation, they illustrate the individual fate of a "familia" as well
as antique housekeeping and farming within the history of the Roman
Empire. The animal park is a further attraction. The animals kept here,
horses, longhorn cattle, woolly pigs, goats, sheep and chickens are
typical Roman farm animals. Antique grain types are farmed and harvested
with Roman harvesting machines. 
Today the site offers a pet park containing a large number of Roman breeds of the time as well as the opportunity to experience grinding at the rustic mill, fiddling with the former iron castle or riding, combined with a carriage ride. In addition, the equestrian center has a qualified social and riding pedagogue for therapeutic riding.
Another
Roman fort nearby is that at Weltenburg-Frauenberg on the Danube
outside Kelheim and the Weltenburg monastery. More a fortlet also known
as Weltenburg-Galget, this had been constructed on the low hill
overlooking the bend of Danube near present-day Weltenburg offering an
advantageous location, as the Danube takes a sharp bend here, which
allowed viewing a wide section of the area north of the riverbank.
As a result, on the west side towards the steeply sloping bank of the Danube, there was obviously no need for a surrounding ditch. In the south, towards the ascending slope, as well as in the east of the fortification, three parallel trenches were archaeologically accessible. Remains of prehistoric and late Roman settlement are both present on the
'Wolfgangswall hill, along with Roman finds of the 1st century such as
coins, militaria, glass and ceramics. It was constructed either under
the reign of Emperor Claudius or in Flavian times in order to guard
traffic on the Roman road in the Am Galget valley.
Based
on scarce finds, Fischer suggested that the fortlet was constructed
under the reign of Emperor Claudius or in Flavian times in order to guard traffic on the Roman road in the Am Galget valley, although Farkas István Gergő in his Roman Army in Raetia
argues that "it is altogether unlikely that a sole Roman fortlet were
established on the lower Danubian ripa preceding the last decades 1st
century." What little material was found at the site comprised entirely ofceramic fragments of mortars, two shards of so-called "soldiers' plates " with Pompeian red overlay and remains of amphorae. The only fragment of glass came from a blue ribbed bowl. The main parts of the metal finds include iron nails and bronze remains, of which only one handle holder can be identified. For a more precise dating of the fort site, Rind was able to use a disc brooch with doplphins and an as, the basic denomination of the Roman currency before the introduction of the denarius around 211 BCE, struck in Rome from the reign of Emperor Claudius.
Later considerations brought a date to the Claudian- Early Flavian period suggesting that the fortification could also have been established during the reign of Vespasian.


The site was a destination for treasure hunters early on. Prehistoric finds and especially Celtic coins have been found. Aventinus reported the legend that Saint Rupert of Salzburg had a chapel here built over a Minerva temple. The building visible there today is a baroque church that was built under Abbot Maurus Bächl in the early 18th century. The first proper excavations took place in 1909 in the monastery itself and in the adjoining monastery garden. In addition to two garbage pits from the older Bronze Age, a Celtic cemetery was also found, its three dead uncovered having been buried in the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. The next excavation was not carried out until 1938 when a small area was uncovered near the northeast slope of the mountain. Again traces of settlement from the older Bronze Age was found as well as the remains of a Celtic child buried at this point in the middle of the settlement.


Drake and the wife at watchpost 15/44. As early as the 1930s, employees of the Reich Limes Commission speculated about a possible Roman guard post that could have been located in this area - around two miles from the village of Hienheim. This assumption was due to the unusually long distance between the two watchtowers Wp 15/44 and Wp 15/46, which was 1210 metres. Attempts to find this sentry failed at the time and it wasn't until 1975 that a wall structure ten metres long was excavated around fifty metres south of the Limes whilst a farmer was plowing the area. In 1979 the clearly visible foundations and trench were first recorded by aerial photo archeology and subsequently documented Before the introduction of digital technology and the rectification of aerial photos, however, Hienheim was misinterpreted as a watchtower (Wp 15/45). Eventually a further investigation with ground penetrating radar took place in spring 2012 which made it possible to document that the findings still preserved were at a depth between 0.40 and 1.10 metres. Since the small fort is now on land that is used intensively for agriculture, its existence is acutely threatened. This was also confirmed by the electromagnetic field inspection in 2012 which showed that above a depth of 0.40 metres, the radar images only showed wall rubble, which also came to light on the surface in the form of limestone lumps. A classic excavation has not yet taken place at thisIn the early second century, perhaps under Trajan, wooden watchtowers appeared for the first time on the stretch between the Rhine and Danube, but it is only in Hadrian’s reign that a barrier element, an oak palisade, was added alongside the patrol track which ran in front of the towers. In the middle of the century the (now probably decrepit) wooden towers were replaced with stone towers, and at or after the beginning of the third century the final change was implemented: in Upper Germany a ditch was dug between the fence and the towers, and in Raetia the fence was replaced with a three metre-high wall. The construction of watchtowers (which would also have facilitated lateral signaling) would have been a very obvious thing to do once troops with the basic function of exploratores became static for even a few days. However, we should remember that once the towers were built, their existence is not evidence that they were occupied permanently: for long periods they may have been visited only by patrols, or manned in times of heightened alert.Erdkamp (231) A Companion to the Roman Army
Drake Winston at the Oppidum of Manching, a
large Celtic settlement at modern-day
Manching, near Ingolstadt and as reconstructed from D. van Endert in Das Osttor des Oppidums von Manching [Stuttgart 1987]. The settlement was founded in the 3rd century
BCE and existed until about 50-30 BCE, reaching its largest extent
within the late 2nd century BCE, when it had a size of 380 hectares. At
that time, five to ten thousand people lived within its five mile walls.
Thus, the Manching oppidum was one of the largest settlements north of
the Alps. The ancient name of the site is unknown, but it is assumed
that it was the central site of the Celtic Vindelici tribe.



The so-called cult tree found in 1984 is unique worldwide with its gold-plated image of a branch from the 3rd century BCE entwined with leaves, buds and fruits. The centrepiece of the Roman section are the two fifteen-metre long Roman military ships dating from about 100 CE from the time of Trajan. The wrecks were found in 1986 within a silted branch of the Danube. They were only salvaged according to plan in 1994 and then restored and preserved in the Roman-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz.



Kastell Celeusum
The fort at Pförring was the easternmost fort on the Raetian Limes, situated on the Biburg plateau, a terrace surrounded by steep slopes, northwest of today's Pförring. Its main task was to supervise the road running north of the Danube leading to Abusina. Mayer described gateways, ramparts and moats clearly visible to the naked eye in 1838 when many coins, especially from the reign of Hadrian, were found. Fink had carried out the first excavations between 1891 and 1893 under the ægis of the Reichs-Limeskommission during which time he identified four gates, a double ditch and the principia. Aerial surveys and geophysical prospection offered further details of the fort’s inner layout and attested that the vicus surrounded the fort on three sides (west, south and east). The cemetery was located northeast of the fort, along the road leading to Eining. The fort covered an area of 3.9 hectares, with sides 194 × 201 metres long respectively.
In 2007 the excavation site was invaded at night and material from documented findings as well as metal objects found by metal detectors were stolen. Above is shown the attempt to reconstruct the east gate as an
hideous steel frame, built in 2013 in which five to seven metre long
bored piles were driven into the ground and a concrete slab was imposed
directly over the ancient foundations. The entire undeveloped area of
the fort and neighbouring camp village is threatened by intensive
agriculture, erosion and ongoing robbery excavations. No excavations
have taken place inside the fort since 1893. The formerly restored
remains of the east gate and the north corner tower have fallen into
disrepair again.
Weißenburg
fort in ancient Biriciana was a former Roman ala castellum, possibly garrisoned by the ala I Hispanorum Auriana and built around 90 CE as part of Trajan’s military
reorganisation.
On the left is an idealised virtual reconstruction of its northern gate with an additional storey in comparison with it too low 1990 reconstruction. In its last expansion phase the site was an almost square stone fort for an ala with dimensions of 170 by 174 by 179 metres. Its walls were rounded at the corners and provided with defensive towers. The total of four gates were flanked by double towers, between these and the corner towers there was a further, smaller tower.Today the castellum with
its remains of buildings- some of which have been preserved underground-
the reconstructed north gate, the large thermal baths and the Roman
museum with integrated Limes information centre is one of the most
important addresses for Limes research in Germany. On the left is the site at the turn of the century during initial excavations and how it appears today with the reconstructed gate.
The fort was reinforced with stone structures and defences during the
course of the 2nd century; again, on the right below is a GIF comparing a visualisation of how it may have appeared compared to the site today. As can be seen in these images, the wall itself was surrounded by a double moat; another moat has so far only been proven on three sides of the fort. This pit system was only interrupted in the area of the camp gates. On the northern front in 1986 the archaeological excavations also cut into the moat. It was found that the outermost pointed ditch was 2.70 metres wide and 1.60 metres deep. The middle trench was measured with a width of 4.50 metres and a depth of 1.40 metres with the innermost trench widest at 5.40 metres.
As a special feature, this trench was created as the Fossa Punica. The enemy-facing side was sunk vertically into the ground, whilst the side facing the surrounding wall sloped. The garrison served there to secure the newly
conquered territory north of the Danube, which had been incorporated
into the province of Raetia. As the excavations of 1986 showed, the porta decumana existed on the northern front of the wood-earth bearing
made of twelve posts, six of which posts each belonged to one of the two
gate towers by which the actual gate was flanked. The two wooden
rectangular towers had a 3.20 x 3.60 metre floor plan. A palisade ditch
around 0.60 metres wide connected the gate on both sides with the
adjoining intermediate towers, each supported by four posts. After its
construction, it covered an area of 3.1 hectares, with sides measuring
175 × 179 metres. Weißenburg was destroyed between 240-250 along with nearby
Ellingen in the course of the Alemannic invasions. The latest coins found on the Via principalis dextra date to the years 251 and 253. In the Middle Ages the site served as a quarry for the new city until everything was removed and overgrown. The fort was not rediscovered until 1885 and was excavated between 1889 and 1913.




The inner courtyard of the administration building, the principia. On the left is the praetorium hypocaust and, inset, when it was excavated in the 1890s. On the right is the well and how it has been virtually reconstructed.

At the nearby baths, the oldest thermal bath building probably built at the same time as the wooden fort. During the Marcomanni wars the thermal baths were burned down and destroyed. After, around 180, the reconstruction work on the thermal baths began through which a significantly changed and larger facility was created which included a large gymnastics hall (basilica) with approximately 320 square metres of interior space complemented the thermal baths. In a later renovation, almost the entire bathing area was lined with limestone slabs. In the final stage, the now luxurious thermal baths were 65 metres long and 42.5 metres wide. In the course of the Alemanni incursions after 230, the complex was again destroyed by fire after which the facilities were forever abandoned.
At the Theilenhofen bath complex located just southwest of the fort, on an elevated plateau 2.2 kilometres south from the limes palisade. It was was rediscovered in 1820. Between 1968 and 1970, Hermann directed excavations of the bath complex, determining its layout and two construction phases. The buildings of the baths have been reconstructed and, as seen in this GIF comparing the site in 1969 and today, have been altered considerably as a result. A timber fort here was first built around 120, as part of Hadrian's military reorganisation and expansion. By the 160s, the fort was reinforced with stone defences. By the time of Marcus Aurelius’ the military reorganisation, the fort was cleared away and reconstructed at a larger size with further stone defensive structures. This new fort was subsequently destroyed during the Germanic incursions of 254 along with the rest of the Raetian Limes. It was at the site that the famous Theilenhofen helmet was found as a deposit together with an outstanding cavalry parade helmet in a stone building of the vicus which had been destroyed by fire. Also found were fragments of Antonine sigallata and a coin of Commodus indicating use of the building through the end of the 2nd century and into the first third of the 3rd century. The helmets themselves do not show any traces of a fire and may therefore have been hidden in the building after the destruction.
At the Theilenhofen bath complex located just southwest of the fort, on an elevated plateau 2.2 kilometres south from the limes palisade. It was was rediscovered in 1820. Between 1968 and 1970, Hermann directed excavations of the bath complex, determining its layout and two construction phases. The buildings of the baths have been reconstructed and, as seen in this GIF comparing the site in 1969 and today, have been altered considerably as a result. A timber fort here was first built around 120, as part of Hadrian's military reorganisation and expansion. By the 160s, the fort was reinforced with stone defences. By the time of Marcus Aurelius’ the military reorganisation, the fort was cleared away and reconstructed at a larger size with further stone defensive structures. This new fort was subsequently destroyed during the Germanic incursions of 254 along with the rest of the Raetian Limes. It was at the site that the famous Theilenhofen helmet was found as a deposit together with an outstanding cavalry parade helmet in a stone building of the vicus which had been destroyed by fire. Also found were fragments of Antonine sigallata and a coin of Commodus indicating use of the building through the end of the 2nd century and into the first third of the 3rd century. The helmets themselves do not show any traces of a fire and may therefore have been hidden in the building after the destruction.


At the bath complex near Schirenhof fort a mile away, shown in 2008
and when I visited in 2021. The fort itself had been built around 150
CE halfway up a mountain spur with a view over the Rems to the Rhaetian
Limes. This structure had been excavated for the first time in 1893 and
was opened to the public in 1975 in this restored condition after new
excavations carried out during urbanisation. These excavations showed
that the Cohors I Flavia Raetorum, named on brick stamps and the
fragment of a genius statue, had been the main troop unit garrisoned
here after having been transferred either from Eislingen-Salach or
another unindentified fort in Raetia. Shortly after 247 at the latest,
the last soldiers left the place based on the evidence from Roman coins
discovered here in the fort’s bath.


At
the staff building, the principia, with a modern statue of Hadrian
despite the fort being built during the 160s as part of the military
reorganisation and expansion of Marcus Aurelius; the dendrochronological
records fall in the period between 159 and 172. An impressive number of
sixteen building inscriptions have been found from Aalen, all datable
to the Severan dynasty. The fort was operational until the middle of the
3rd century and evidence from coins indicates that the fort was
destroyed following the reign of Aemilian, in the years after 253/254,
although there have been two disputable coins issued under Emperors Valerian and Gallienus that have also been found.

On a small hill about a mile from the Limes are the remains of a cohort fort at Buch,
in which a roughly 600-man partially mounted unit was stationed. It was
sited near a trade route that ran from Augusta Vindelicum to the Danube
near Guntia and from there via Alae to the Limestor at Dalkingen, about
a mile and an half away. It was the location of an unknown cohors equitata
built around 150 and occupied until the Limes were abandoned around
260. A spatha had been found here; such a type of sword had been used by
the Roman cavalry since the early imperial era. In addition, there were
around 1,600 other weapon parts at this point, of which at least 800
were iron projectile tips, the rest consisting of arrow and lance tips.
The fort was about 2.1 hectares in size and had four circumferential
trenches that were up to six metres in width. In its first phase of
construction, it was protected with a wooden fence, which was later
replaced by stone and a raised inner earth ramp. There were four camp
gates- my bike here is at the remaining southern gate, the porta principalis dextra-
with a double passage flanked by two towers. There were an additional
eight intermediate towers in the defensive wall. The staff building
(principia) with the flag sanctuary (aedes) was in the centre of the
fort, where the camp streets crossed via principalis and via praetoria. In
this location a bronze model of the fort stands in the centre of the
complex shown here, so that one gets a good impression of the original
appearance. Next to it was a granary building (horreum) on one side and
the commandant's house (praetorium) on the other side. The cavalry
barracks were located over the rest of the storage area.
The
fort was discovered at the beginning of the 19th century with the first
scientific investigations taking place in 1897. The southern gate, an
intermediate tower and part of the defensive wall were excavated in 1972
followed by further excavations and geomagnetic investigations between
1992 and 2000. Besides the south gate, and southern intermediate tower
with parts of the defensive wall that remain,the remaining corner and
intermediate towers and the stone walls of the fort are marked by bushes
and trees and an earthen wall to offer an idea as to its size.

A couple of yards from the two stone towers is a replica wooden tower with a surrounding balcony which was reconstructed in 1966. However, when this had to be demolished due to its dilapidation, a new structure was built in 2008 that corresponds to the latest scientific findings and therefore no longer has a platform. It was formally inaugurated in the presence of the President of the State Office for Monument Preservation, Dieter Planck, based on the determination of Dietwulf Baatz who sought to replace the typical view of the type of wooden watchtowers based on Trajan's column which still dominate the public's imagination. In order to climb inside it, one needs to go to Schwabsberg's town hall to ask for the key.


Presumably
in 233 the gate was set on fire and destroyed during the Alemanni
invasions and never rebuilt. A denarius minted between 231 and 235 from
the reign of Severus Alexander is considered the last minted coin found
at the Limestor. The Limestor was excavated between 1974 and 1975, but
has since been heavily exposed to the weather. In 2010 a glass cube was
erected over the remains of the foundation wall to stop the remaining
substance from decaying. In addition, the triumphal arch was visualised
on a floating metal construction covered with printed tarpaulin. Today
one can still see the original remains of the walls as well as the
impressive size and the former appearance of the gate.
At
the site of the fortlet at Halheim which had covered an area of 0.67
hectares, with sides 80 × 82.5 metres in length which are visualised
through the use of trees planted to mimic the walls and towers. It had
been built during Marcus Aurelius’s reign around 160 and would have
housed a numerus, a unit belonging to the Roman auxiliary forces, but
not as standardised. The need for such small units for border
surveillance grew enormously, which also had financial consequences for
the empire leading to young locals being recruited regionally and
assigned to newly established locations with lower pay and less strict
standards. These numera, like the auxilia, would have been named after
their original ethnic origin but would not have received Roman
citizenship when they were released. The fortlet was probably destroyed
during the Germanic incursions in 254; coins found offer 241 as the terminus post quem
for the fortlet’s destruction. The ruins of the fortlet were still
visible in the 19th century when, in 1884, an iron depot containing
nearly seven hundred metal objects, mostly arrowheads, were uncovered.
However, as the field name "Buschelacker" ("Buschel" = South German for
Burgstall ) indicates, the knowledge of an old fortification was never
completely lost.
At watchtower 13/2
at Mönchsroth where I camped out one night, showing how it appears and
as it might have originally looked. This tower stump was built in 1986
from frost-proof sandstone as a partial replica of a Limes tower. The
Limes itself and the site on which the tower is believed to have stood
are further north. In building the replica, an attempt was made to
create the impression of a collapsed wall. Originally, all Limes towers
had an outer layer of white lime plaster, onto which grooves were
painted in red. As in the forts, these were intended to create the
illusion from a distance of solid ashlar masonry It is important to
distinguish between a replica and a reconstruction. A true
reconstruction requires detailed plans and information relating to the
monument as a whole. Along the Limes, such replicas of course can only
be realised on the basis of general tradition dating from classical
antiquity, which offer no more than an approximate overall impression of
the original conditions. They are, however, of significant value as a
source of information to visitors seeking a better understanding of the
Roman frontier. South of the Mönchsroth-Wittenbach road, in the "Unterer
Espan" forest, are the remains of a wooden and stone tower at watchtower
13/3.
Cycling past the Roman graveyard (now displaying copies of Roman stone monuments at Römerpark Ruffenhofen) towards Ruffenhofen fort and as it would have appeared at the time. The fort is located on a hill north of the Alb mountain, between the forts at Oberdorf and Gnotzheim, above
the Wörnitz in the border area between the municipalities of
Weiltingen, Wittelshofen and Gerolfingen, and about a mile away from the
Limes. It was a cavalry fort with an interior area of about 3.74
hectares which has never been built on since antiquity. Its structures
and its civilian settlement are known from geophysical investigations
and have been visualised for visitors since 2003.
It had been constructed during Hadrian’s
reign and was operational until the middle of the 3rd century, when
it fell victim to flames, as indicated by a thick burnt layer found
amongst the ruins of the towers, the principia and the horreum.
It had apparently been garrisoned by the cohors III Batavorum. until 118 when evidence for the garrison is lost to the historical record. Coins found at the site date the fall of the fort at Ruffenhofen to the period during or after 244/247. Both the size of the barracks and the presence of drainage in the stable barracks buildings suggest that Ruffenhofen housed an unidentified ala. It has been proposed that from 175 to the middle of the 3rd century the fort was garrisoned by the cohors IX Batavorum. Inscribed small finds were found at the site displaying the centuria-sign although one artefact had the inscription 'turma' which again suggests the presence of a cavalry unit. What sets the current site apart from others is the use of plantings through trees and hedges to offer a visualisation of the site. There is also this 1:10 scale fort replica that allows for an understanding of what it would have looked like shown above.


It had apparently been garrisoned by the cohors III Batavorum. until 118 when evidence for the garrison is lost to the historical record. Coins found at the site date the fall of the fort at Ruffenhofen to the period during or after 244/247. Both the size of the barracks and the presence of drainage in the stable barracks buildings suggest that Ruffenhofen housed an unidentified ala. It has been proposed that from 175 to the middle of the 3rd century the fort was garrisoned by the cohors IX Batavorum. Inscribed small finds were found at the site displaying the centuria-sign although one artefact had the inscription 'turma' which again suggests the presence of a cavalry unit. What sets the current site apart from others is the use of plantings through trees and hedges to offer a visualisation of the site. There is also this 1:10 scale fort replica that allows for an understanding of what it would have looked like shown above.
Throughout
the site are also numerous replicas of various stone monuments. This
one on the left shows a copy of the altar to the victory goddess
Victoria and the original stone kept in the Römisches Museum Augsburg,
which was set up on the occasion of the victory of a Roman army over
the tribe of the Juthungi near the Rhaetian provincial capital Augusta
Vindelicorum. It reads:
Deae sanctae Victoriae / ob barbaros gentis Semnonum / sive Iouthungorum die / VIII et VII Kal(endarum) Maiar(um) caesos / fugatosque a militibus prov(inciae) / Raetiae sed et Germanicianis / itemque popularibus excussis / multis milibus Italorum captivor(um) / compos votorum suorum / [[M(arcus) Simplicinius Genialis v(ir) p(erfectissimus) a(gens) v(ices) p(raesidis)]] / [[cum eodem exercitu]] / libens merito posuit / dedicata III Idus Septemb(res) Imp(eratore) d(omino) n(ostro) / [[Postumo Au]]g(usto) et [[Honoratiano co(n)s(ulibus)]].
(To
the holy goddess Victory, on account of barbarians of the race of the
Semnones or Iuthungi killed on the eighth and seventh days before the
Kalends of May and put to flight by soldiers of the province of Raetia
as well as Germani and locals, freeing many thousands of Italian
captives; in fulfilment of his vow, Marcus Simplicinius Genialis, vir
perfectissimus acting for the praeses with his army] happily and
deservedly erected this altar, dedicated three days before the Ides of
September when the Emperor, our lord [Postumus Au]gustus, and
[Honoratianus were consuls])
The
mention of the rebel emperor Postumus dates the creation of the altar
to September 11, 260. Made of Jura limestone, it's 1.56 metres in height
and was found in 1992 by construction workers in Jakobvorstadt in a
former section of the Lech, almost 400 metres from the former Roman town
making it possible that it was originally displayed at a river
crossing. The stone probably also had a statue of the goddess Victoria,
but this is now lost with only the base surviving. It was a recycled
monument with its original dedication, dating to the time of Severus
Alexander, still legible above the actual inscription as it was hidden
under a lipped stone lid, as were working marks on the side corners of
the cornice.
On the grounds of
the Ruffenhofen Roman Park is the LIMESEUM, opened on October 13, 2012,
and which provides illustrative information about the UNESCO-World
Heritage site through the daily routine of a soldier named December, a
name authentically documented as it had been found stamped on his
helmet. As one follows the exhibition tour through the building, one
climbs continuously 3% higher until one can look out of a panorama
window at the planted fort of the Roman park. Besides finds from
Ruffenhofen, there are also some pieces from the Dambach fort. One of
the focal points of the artefacts involves wood conservation, for which
the Limes route in the Ansbach district is particularly well known.
The
fort was extended around 200 CE and garrisoned by the cohors II
Aquitanorum which had relocated here after its fort near Castra Regina
was destroyed during the Marcomannic wars. They were stationed here
until the fort’s destruction in the middle of the 3rd century. The
latest coins from Dambach can be dated to the reign of Philip the Arab.
In 1966, a number of finds were reported from the fort and the camp
village, including a gem, bronze implements and pendants, four lance
tips and an arrowhead as well as various iron tools and keys. The
construction and expansion of three carp ponds between 1958 and 1986
made emergency excavations and observations necessary in the eastern
part of the former camp village. The uncontrolled destruction caused by
fish farming, in addition to the older interventions, led to a complete
loss of substance in the known areas between 2002 and 2006 alone and
ruined any further research efforts.




At the recreated watchtower at WP 13/41 on the eastern outskirts of Kleinlellenfeld.
At the remains of a Roman watchtower deep in the Filchenharder
forest. At first sight the Roman watchtower seems disadvantageously
positioned since steep slopes obstructed the view of the area beyond the
Limes and necessitated the use of reinforcing elements to stabilise the
tower's walls. However, it provided an excellent view along the line of
the Limes and its position allowed quick and far-range signalling along
the Roman frontier. The intervisibility of watchtowers played an
important role in the Limes' defence system, as in reporting
unauthorised crossings of the border to the forts in the hinterland. The
Raetian wall, built around 200 CE, ran about ten metres north of this
watchtower without incorporating it. Instead a second, very small tower
was attached to the limes wall, either in addition to or after the
destruction of the first, freestanding watchtower.At Castra Vetoniana in Pfünz near Eichstatt. Its location on a rocky spur, surrounded on three sides by steep valleys, formed an ideal location for the construction of a fort, which was to protect the Limes section running about seven miles to the north. The Pünz fort was a cohort fort with a mixed garrison of about 600 men (128 cavalry and 480 foot soldiers) from the Cohors I Breucorum equitata civium Romanorum , an auxiliary cohort that belonged to the Legio III Italica stationed in Regensburg . It was first built around 90 as a wood-earth fort and later expanded in several construction phases and expanded with stone buildings. A camp village (vicus) adjoined south of the fort walls, a Jupiter Dolichenus temple, a burial ground and a Roman bath were also found here. A Roman road also led here to the nearest fort at Weißenburg (Biriciana). established around 200, the almost 190×145 metre large fort then had a stone wall running all around with four double gates, corner towers and a defensive wall and was surrounded by a double moat. It functioned as a troop station until about the middle of the 3rd century before it was destroyed together with the vicus during an Alamanni invasion.
Standing in front of the reconstructed Porta praetoria and how it was actually supposed to have appeared based on the work of Thomas Fischer and British archaeologist Anne Johnson. The north gate with a Roman guard room, part of the wall with a battlement and corner tower were reconstructed at the original location between 1992 and 1994 in a large, unsuccessful way without specialist scientific assistance and without modern archaeological preliminary investigations. Various findings from other forts that were not made in Pfünz were used whilst actual findings from Pfünz were not taken into account during the reconstruction and so the replica now lacks the cornice on the gate and wall, which is also common in other forts. In addition, the gate and tower were rebuilt one floor too low and the corner tower must have had a roof in antiquity. Thus, this replica only gives a very freely interpreted general idea of a Roman fort. One essential feature of ancient military buildings not shown is the white plaster with red grout to simulate ashlar masonry.
The current name of the town of Pfünz is derived from the Latin pons (= bridge) and clarifies its location at an ancient crossing over the Altmühl.
Copy of a Roman milestone at the site uncovered near Kösching in the 18th century, pays homage to
Septimius Severus and Caracalla and can be thus dated to around 200-201.
Its
original location was 62 Roman miles from Augsburg and 34 from the
legionary camp at Regensburg. The specification of two counting points
was not particularly common, but is characteristic of the Roman road
columns in the Limes area north of the Danube. Text of the inscription on the milestone reads: Imp(erator) Caesar / L(ucius)
Septimius Severus Pius / Pertinax Aug(ustus) Arab(icus) / Adiab(enicus)
Parthicus maximus / pontif(ex) max(imus) trib(unicia) pot(estate) VIIII
/ imp (erator) XII co(n)s(ul) II p(ater) p(atriae) proco(n)s(ul) et /
Imp(erator) Caesar Marcus Aurel(ius) / Antoninus Pius Aug(ustus) trib(
unicia) / pot(estate) IIII proco(n)s(ul) [[[et P(ublius) Septim(ius)]]] /
[[[Geta nobilissimus Caesar]]] / vias et pont(es) rest( ituerunt) / ab
Aug(usta) m(ilia) p(assuum) LXII / a leg(ione) m(ilia) p(assuum) XXXIIII. At this time extensive renovation work was carried out on several major roads leading from the provincial capital in the province of Raetia. The routes from Augsburg to the Brenner Pass, to the Inn Bridge in the direction of Noricum, to Lake Constance and to Regensburg were affected.