Externally funded project: Kalkriese
The project
In Kalkriese, Gemeinde Bramsche located in the Landkreis Osnabrück, a portion of the battle ground where the so called battle of Varus (battle of the Teutoburg forest) took place, is being excavated. Excavations first started in 1987/88. According to Roman reports, three legions, comprised of an estimated 20,000 men, and their auxiliaries perished in Kalkriese. Nothing is known of the losses on the Germanic side.
An area of several square kilometers was prospected using metal probes. Excavations so far have uncovered a turf wall that suggests the naturally narrow passageway between the Kalkrieser mountain and the Great Moors, through which the Romans would have passed, was even smaller than previously presumed. This turf wall appears to have collapsed during combat. Under the wall, a nearly complete skeleton of a mule in it's harness was found. So far, 250 individual bones have been found in the excavated area of the battle ground.
Previously, the area had been occupied by settlements during the late stone age and the iron age. In a prehistoric trench, which so far has not been dated, three round pits containing bones, were excavated. The contents of the pits were recovered in gypsum blocks. There were 20 blocks in total, some of which weigh 250 to 300 kg. Most of them weigh between 80 and 150 kg. Some naturally formed pits were found as well, which were also filled with bones. A few of them were also recovered in gypsum.
Third-party donor
Archäologischer Museumspark Osnabrücker Land gGmbH, Venner Str. 69, 49565 Bramsche-Kalkriese.
Literature recommendation
W. Schlüter et al., Kalkriese - Römer im Osnabrücker Land, Austellungskatalog, Osnabrück 1993.