Roman camp Holsterhausen

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At least ten partially built-over Roman marching camps without permanent structures in the Dorsten district of Holsterhausen from the time between 11 BC are being used as the Roman camp of Holsterhausen And 9 AD. The archaeological excavation carried out in recent years was the largest in Westphalia to date with a total of 150,000 square meters . The camps provided space for one or two Roman legions plus auxiliary troops with around 5,000 to 10,000 soldiers.

The findings

Roman oven from Augusta Raurica . 270 destroyed ovens were found in Holsterhausen

All camps are in the immediate vicinity of the Lippe ( Lippia ), which served as a troop supply route from Vetera (near Xanten ). Depending on their location, size and found material, the camps were designed as marching camps between camp Vetera I and the Roman camps at Haltern am See , Lünen-Beckinghausen and Bergkamen-Oberaden . They were only used for a few weeks or months and were re-created the next time they were used.

The first marching camp, found in 1952, is around 900 × 650 meters in size, i.e. with an area of ​​56/57 hectares and thus the large camp in contrast to the smaller camp located in the west and explored in 1999–2002. The shape is a rectangle with rounded corners. Today it is built over under the center of Holsterhausen. Later excavations in 1970 and 1997 led to further findings. The area was enclosed by a pointed moat. In the north it extends a little beyond Martin-Luther-Straße and in the west to the confluence of Mühlenstraße and Pliesterbecker Straße. The main west gate was also there. Fixed structures are completely absent, as is the case with the other Marschlagers. Garbage pits, burned down huts and sunken ovens were found. The march camp is larger than the field camp (34.5 ha) and older than the main camp of Haltern. In terms of size and time it belongs to the Drusus campaign against the Sugambres in 11 BC. Chr.

About 500 m to the southwest, another five to seven Roman marching camps were found at the “Kreskenhof”, the exploration of which led to the largest Westphalian area excavation to date. Like camp 1, these camps, which were only used for a few weeks or months, were without permanent structures. They are each about 20 to 26  hectares and offered space for one or two legions plus auxiliary troops. As with the Great Camp, the soldiers lived in tents. The number of around 270 ovens is disproportionately larger as a result of the more frequent visits.

In addition to weapons, ceramics and thousands of shoe nails, 225 Roman coins were found , including a treasure of 36 silver coins in a leather pouch. The oldest coins came from the year 200 BC. BC, the youngest from the year 9 AD. An army road 40 meters wide was also found.

Meaning of the march

After the recent excavation, the image of the Roman camp Holsterhausen has changed. It is now regarded as an important traffic junction on the Lippe with ford and on a traffic route in a west-east direction. It has not yet been clarified whether this street reached as far as Haltern. It has not yet been clarified why the marching camp, which was used more than ten times, did not develop into a permanent Roman camp. One suspects the proximity to Vetera as the reason. However, it is also assumed that there are other camps between the closed excavation field and the Lippe, where permanent buildings could be present.

literature

  • Franz Schuknecht: The discovery of the Roman camp in Dorsten-Holsterhausen. In: Vestische Zeitschrift 54. Vol. 1952, pp. 17-20
  • Franz Schuknecht: 2000 years ago - The Romans on the Lippe. In: Home calendar of glory Lembeck and Dorsten. 48th year 1989, pp. 35-37
  • Winkelmann, Wilhelm: Contributions to the early history of Westphalia. Antiquities Commission Westphalia VIII, Münster 1984
  • Winkelmann, Wilhelm: In the footsteps of the Romans in Westphalia (1953). In: Contributions to the early history of Westphalia. Münster 1990. pp. 24-29
  • Wolfgang Ebel-Zepezauer: Romans and Teutons in Dorsten-Holsterhausen . In: Heinz-Günter Horn u. a. (Ed.): From the beginning. Archeology in North Rhine-Westphalia. Zabern, Mainz 2005. (Schriften zur Bodendenkmalpflege in Nordrhein-Westfalen, 8), pp. 367–368, ISBN 3-8053-3467-2
  • Wolfgang Ebel-Zepezauer: The Augustan marching camp in Dorsten-Holsterhausen . In: Germania 81, 2003, pp. 539-555.
  • Christoph Grünewald: Unwritten sources of history (Part 2) . In: Heimatkalender Herrlichkeit Lembeck and Stadt Dorsten 2003, pp. 75–86 (2003)
  • Peter Ilisch: The coin treasure of Dorsten-Holsterhausen . In: Heinz Günter Horn u. a. (Ed.): From the beginning. Archeology in North Rhine-Westphalia. Zabern, Mainz 2005. (Schriften zur Bodendenkmalpflege in Nordrhein-Westfalen, 8), pp. 369–372, ISBN 3-8053-3467-2
  • E. Bremer: The use of the waterway to supply the Roman military camps on the Lippe . Geographical Commission for Westphalia vol. 31 (2001)
  • Wolfgang Ebel-Zepezauer: Dorsten-Holsterhausen as a place of arms in Augustan times. P. 213–225 in Gustav A. Lehmann (ed.): Roman presence and rule in Germania during the Augustan period. (2007) ISBN 978-3-525-82551-8
  • Wolfgang Ebel-Zepezauer: Holsterhausen, city of Dorsten, Recklinghausen district. Roman camp in Westphalia 2, Münster 2008
  • Wolfgang Ebel-Zepezauer: Augustan marching camps and settlements from the 1st to the 9th century in Dorsten-Holsterhausen. Soil antiquities of Westphalia 47, Mainz 2009
  • Franz Schuknecht: The strategic use of the Roman camp in Dorsten-Holsterhausen. Vestische Zeitschrift Volume 103. Recklinghausen: 2010/11, pp. 5–23
  • Franz Schuknecht: In pago Gesterean. Vestische Zeitschrift Volume 106. Recklinghausen: 2016/17, pp. 5–15

Web links

Coordinates: 51 ° 40 ′  N , 6 ° 56 ′  E