Students from the Constructing the Limes project, together with archaeologists from Saxion University, discovered a Roman military camp in Veluwe, the largest forest in the Netherlands, near the town of Hoog Buurlo.
What makes this find so remarkable is that the camp is located beyond the northern border of the Roman Empire, says Saskia Stevens of Utrecht University. At that time, the Empire’s outer border ran along the Rhine, approximately 25 kilometers farther south.
The discovery is part of the research project Constructing the Limes (C-Limes), led by Stevens, with Utrecht University as the coordinating institution. Within this project, researchers are working with social partners to explore how borders functioned, focusing especially on the Lower Germanic Limes, the northern limit of the Roman Empire, which ran through the Netherlands and western Germany.
The newly discovered camp covers an area of approximately nine hectares and includes a ditch, a defensive rampart three meters wide, and several entrances. It is believed to have been a temporary marching camp, used during troop movements where soldiers typically stayed for only a few days or weeks. It is possible the camp served as a stop on the way to another camp located in Ermelo-Leuvenum, just a day’s march away.
Only four temporary Roman camps of this type are known in the Netherlands, says Stevens. In contrast, there are dozens in Germany and even hundreds in Britain. Through the C-Limes project, we are particularly interested in these types of camps because they offer valuable insights into Roman military presence and operations in frontier regions. They help us understand the routes Roman troops took and show how the Romans made extensive use of territories beyond the formal boundaries of their Empire.
Very little of the camp is currently visible on the surface of the Veluwe. The only thing that can really be seen on the ground are some very subtle variations in height, Stevens explains. The traces are mostly underground. The team was able to reveal them using advanced research methods such as LiDAR, a technology that uses laser pulses, similar to radar. Aerial photographs also helped researchers identify features of the camp.
Subsequent archaeological investigations confirmed that the site was indeed a temporary Roman military camp. The area was examined with a metal detector, and several test trenches were excavated. Few artifacts were found, making it difficult to date the site precisely. The traces suggest that the camp dates back to the 2nd century AD.
A significant advantage of this approach is that the natural environment in which the camp is located has been largely preserved. The research was carried out with the permission of the municipality of Apeldoorn and in close consultation with the landowner, Staatsbosbeheer (the Dutch Forestry Commission).
Due to the ecological importance of the area, the fieldwork was conducted under ecological supervision.
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