WINDISCH, SWITZERLAND—La Brújula Verde reports that an excavation at Vindonissa in northern Switzerland has traced the boundary of the first Roman military camp there, which was likely built during the rule of the emperor Tiberius (reigned A.D. 14–37). Since the site is slated for a residential construction project, archaeologists for Canton Aargau wanted to investigate questions first raised more than 90 years ago, when a V-shaped ditch was uncovered. The recent excavation determined that the defensive wall made of timber and earth ran some 230 feet south of a wall belonging to a later legionary camp, and then it turned northwest, offering clues about the perimeter of the first defensive structure. Sediments in the ditch indicate that the fortification had not been maintained for a prolonged period but was later repaired, perhaps due to intermittent Roman occupation of the fortification or a change in defensive strategy. While investigating the oldest areas of the site, researchers also uncovered a long barracks building, a kiln, and a metal workshop. To read about the Roman conquest in what is now Germany, go to "The Road Almost Taken."
