SCHLATT, SWITZERLAND—Traces of a fourth-century A.D. Roman watchtower, including bricks, stones, mortar, roof tiles, and a foundation ditch, have been discovered by the Rhine River in northern Switzerland, according to a Live Science report. Archaeologist Hansjörg Brem of the Canton of Thurgau said that the base of the tower measured 23 feet square and had walls measuring three feet thick. Five to 15 people, perhaps soldiers and their families, may have lived in the tower, which was situated on the edge of the Roman Empire’s northern frontier, he added. A V-shaped trench near the structure likely held a wooden palisade. A part from a military belt, and a Roman coin dated to the reign of Constantine I (A.D. 306–336) were also uncovered. For more on Roman Switzerland, go to "Off the Grid: Saint Pierre Cathedral, Geneva, Switzerland."
Late Roman Watchtower Discovered in Switzerland
News May 23, 2023
Recommended Articles
Off the Grid May/June 2024
Lixus, Morocco
Digs & Discoveries May/June 2024
Pompeian Politics
Digs & Discoveries May/June 2024
Speaking in Golden Tongues
Digs & Discoveries September/October 2023
Dramatic Entrance
-
Features March/April 2023
The Shaman's Secrets
9,000 years ago, two people were buried in Germany with hundreds of ritual objects—who were they?
Photographs Juraj Lipták -
Letter from the Faroes March/April 2023
Lost History of the Sheep Islands
New evidence shows that the remote North Atlantic archipelago was settled hundreds of years before the Vikings reached its shores
(Polhansen/Adobe Stock) -
Artifacts March/April 2023
Andean Wind Instruments
(Luis Manuel González La Rosa) -
Digs & Discoveries March/April 2023
Peru’s Lost Temple
(Courtesy Sâm Ghavami)