Ancient BuildingWalldürn

Roman Watchtower 7/31

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The remains of the roman Watchtower can be visited

The Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes, with a length of 550 km from Eining near Regensburg to Rheinbrohl on the Rhine, is the largest archaeological monument in Germany and has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Limes (Latin: border path/wall) refers to the border fortifications of the Roman Empire, which were erected towards the end of the 1st century AD.

This border was monitored by more than 900 towers, which were built in timber construction during the initial phase, starting around 80 AD. Stone towers followed, which were plastered from 150 AD onwards. Excavations have shown that the white plaster often had incised joints that were painted in terracotta. This created the impression of beautiful ashlar masonry.

Watchtower 7/31+

The then large rubble mound of Wp 7/31 was already known to the archaeologist Eduard Paulus (1837–1907) and was first investigated by Conrady in 1879 and 1880. As the name of the forest district "Steinernes Haus" (Stone House) testifies, knowledge of an ancient settlement site was never completely lost. The ruin was also known at the time as "Hönehaus" (etymologically from "Hüne" - giant) and famous through the legend of the giant maiden. Above the regularly laid foundation of slanted stones, the 0.75 to 0.85 meter wide walls of a rectangular building had been preserved. More extensive investigations did not take place during the time of the RLK. However, it was recognized that the actual watchtower had not yet been found.

Only in October 1969 was a complete excavation and conservation of the site, built up in three layers, carried out under the direction of the State Forestry Office Walldürn.

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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.

Location: 49.6058, 9.3665