BAD EMS, GERMANY—Remains of a fence topped with wooden spikes have been uncovered at the site of a Roman military base in western Germany by Markus Scholz of Goethe University and Daniel Burger-Völlmecke and Peter Henrich of the General Directorate for Cultural Heritage in Rhineland-Palatinate, according to an Artnet News report. The site, made up of more than 40 towers and a camp, was destroyed by a fire that began in a watchtower. The heavily fortified structure protected a Roman silver mining operation, which was abandoned in A.D. 47, as recorded by the ancient Roman historian Tacitus. A rich vein of silver was eventually discovered in the region in 1897 during an archaeological investigation. To read about the Roman conquest of Germany, go to "The Road Almost Taken."
