The army of ancient Rome was afraid of nothing. They definitely had no fear of heights, because a 2,000-year-old Roman military camp has been discovered in the Swiss Alps, 7,000 feet above sea level.
Archaeologists continue
to explore the history of the Roman army. They have unearthed a military camp—previously
unknown—strategically positioned to have tactical views of the surrounding
valleys and mountain passes.
They didn’t just find
the ditches and a wall of the camp; they also found lead sling bullets that bore
the stamp of the Roman 3rd Legion.
Since 2021, a team has
been researching the landscape between Cunter and Tiefencastel. Their focus was
on a Roman battlefield in the Oberhalbstein Alps, in eastern Switzerland. But
in the fall of 2023, they discovered a striking terrain structure in the Colm
la Runga corridor, which is about 3,000 feet above the battlefield.
They investigated the
site using a high-resolution digital terrain model and LIDAR data. A LADAR
laser scans the ground and reveals even slight height differences in the
terrain as a grayscale image. In this location, it revealed the profile of an
artificial fortification.
Undisturbed for two
millennia, 7,000 feet high in the Alps, this Roman military camp was fortified
by three ditches and a wall with ramparts (protective barrier). It offers a
view of four key valleys and a heavily traveled mountain passageway. It gave
Roman soldiers a perfect view to spot any incoming enemies.
Researchers have found
weapons and equipment belonging to Roman soldiers, including lead sling bullets
and boot nails. Since the bullets bear the stamp of the 3rd Legion,
they give an obvious tie between the ancient battlefield and the camp above.
Both the battlefield and the camp date to about 2,000 years ago.
The discovery helps
track the advancement of Roman forces from Bergell over the Septimer Pass to
the Tiefencastel area and then toward Chur and the Alpine Rhine Valley.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/archaeologists-found-an-ancient-roman-military-camp-hiding-7-000-feet-high-in-the-sky/ar-AA1Ph7wu?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=68ffc967a5534259acc6f97531fc42f4&ei=55
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