Saalburg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saalburg |
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The Porta Praetoria (main gate), and circuit wall
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| Alternative name(s) | (Kastell Saalburg) |
| Type | A.1) – A.2) Schanzen B) Numerus fort C) Cohort fort |
| Place in the Roman world | |
| Limes | Upper Germanic Limes, High Taunus section |
| Structure | |
| — A.1) – A.2) Earth and wattle B) wood and earth fort C.1) wood/stone wall C.2) mortared stone wall structure — |
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| Size and area | (A.1) 0.11 ha A.2) ? B) 0.7 ha C.1) − C.2) 3.2 ha ha) |
| Stationed military units | |
| — Cohorts — | |
| A) unknown vexillatia B) unknown numerus C.1) − C.2) Cohors II Raetorum civium Romanorum equitata |
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| Location | |
| Altitude | 418 m (1,371 ft) |
| Town | Bad Homburg vor der Höhe |
| State | Hesse |
| Country | Germany |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | reconstructed |
The Saalburg is a famous Roman fort in Germany. It sits on the main ridge of the Taunus mountains, near Bad Homburg in Hesse. This fort was part of the Limes Germanicus, which was a long border built by the Romans. It helped protect their provinces in Germany.
The Saalburg is special because it is the most completely rebuilt Roman fort in all of Germany. Since 2005, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage site. This means it's a very important place for everyone to learn about history.
Contents
Discovering the Saalburg's Past
People started exploring the Saalburg site a long time ago. The first studies happened from 1853 to 1862. They were led by Friedrich Gustav Habel.
A big step for Roman history in Germany came in 1892. The Reichs-Limes-Kommission (Imperial Commission for the Roman Borders) began to study the entire Limes Germanicus. This huge project took many years to finish.
During this time, archaeologists Louis Jacobi and his son Heinrich Jacobi explored the Saalburg. In 1897, Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered the fort to be rebuilt. This was based on what the archaeologists found.
Because of this, the Saalburg became the most fully rebuilt fort on the entire limes. It also has the Saalburg Museum. This museum is one of the most important places to learn about the German Limes.
Why the Saalburg Was Built
The Saalburg is located in a very important spot. For thousands of years, trade routes passed through this area. These routes connected the Rhine-Main plain with the Usingen basin.
The Roman army first built defenses here during Domitian's wars (AD 81-96). They put up two simple earth walls. This shows that the mountain pass by the Saalburg was always important for travel and defense.
The Roman Fort Over Time
Around AD 90, a simple fort made of wood and earth was built. This fort housed a numerus. A numerus was a small Roman army unit, usually about 160 men. Some clues suggest that soldiers from Britain might have been here.
Later, around AD 135, a much bigger fort was built. This new fort was for a cohort, which was a larger unit of about 500 soldiers. The fort was turned to face the growing Roman city of Nida.
At first, the walls were made of wood and dry stone. Later, in the second half of the 2nd century, they were replaced with strong stone walls. The fort you see today is based on this last design.
Who Lived in the Fort?
The fort was home to the Cohors II Raetorum civium Romanorum equitata. This was a unit of 500 infantry soldiers, some of whom rode horses. They probably reported to the main Roman army base in Mainz.
This unit had been stationed in other places before coming to the Saalburg. Their names and the names of their commanders are found on old stone carvings.
Why the Fort Was Left Behind
Around the early 3rd century, the border became less safe. Germanic tribes, like the Alamanni, started attacking Roman lands. Major attacks happened in 254 and 260 AD.
Eventually, the Romans lost all the areas east of the Rhine river. The Saalburg fort seems to have been left on purpose, without a big battle. After the Romans left, people used the fort as a quarry, taking stones from it.
How the Fort Was Built
The Saalburg, as it is rebuilt today, is a typical Roman fort. It's a rectangle, about 147 by 221 meters, with four gates.
The fort had two ditches and strong stone walls. The outside of the wall was painted white with a pattern that looked like stone blocks. Inside, there was an earth ramp. This ramp helped defenders get to the top of the wall.
The fort's main gate, the porta praetoria, faced away from the border and towards the city of Nida. The most important building inside was the principia. This was a central area with offices for officers and a hall for meetings.
The fort also had the commander's house (the praetorium) and a large grain store (the horreum). The rest of the fort was filled with stables, workshops, and barracks for the soldiers. Two of these barracks have been rebuilt.
The Village Outside the Fort (Vicus)
The Saalburg is special because it's the only limes fort where the civilian village, called a vicus, has been partly dug up and saved. This village was mostly south of the fort, along the road to Nida.
Right outside the main gate, there were buildings like a mansio (a guesthouse) and a bathhouse for the soldiers. Further along the road, you can see the foundations of houses. There was also a shrine to Mithras, a god popular with Roman soldiers.
The Fort's Bathhouse
The fort's bathhouse was quite big and had all the features of Roman baths. It had a changing room (apodyterium), a cold bath (frigidarium), lukewarm baths (tepidaria), a hot bath (caldarium), and a sauna (sudatorium).
The bathhouse was heated by a system called hypocaust. This system sent hot air under the floors and through the walls.
Archaeologists believe that up to 2,000 people lived in the fort and its village. This included 500 soldiers and about 1,500 civilians.
The Saalburg Museum
The Saalburg is not just an archaeological park; it's also a place for scientific research.
Visitors can see the rebuilt walls and gates, the principia (main building), the horreum (grain store), and two barracks buildings. The commander's house has also been partly rebuilt.
The horreum now holds a museum. It has exhibits about Roman life, history, and military. You can see Roman tools, weapons, and household items. There are also models of buildings and the landscape.
The Saalburg is also a research center for Roman archaeology. It has a large library and hosts meetings for experts. It also publishes academic papers. Sometimes, classical concerts are held here too.
Exploring the Surroundings
About 200 meters north of the fort's back gate, you can see the limes itself. Part of this border defense, including a ditch, bank, and wooden fence, has been rebuilt.
The limes near the Saalburg is very well preserved. You can easily follow it through the landscape. The ditch and bank are clear to see for long distances. Many old watchtowers are also visible as small mounds.
This makes the Saalburg a great place to start exploring more of the limes.
Nearby Limes Sites
The table below shows other interesting spots along the limes near the Saalburg:
| ORL | Name | Description/present state |
| KK | Kleinkastell (small fort) Heidenstock | A small stone fort, about 440 square meters. Its walls can still be seen. |
| Wp 3/59 | Roßkopf | Two clear stone mounds near the Roßkopf mountain. |
| Wp 3/60 | Einsiedel | Foundations and remains of a water tank are preserved. |
| Wp 3/61 | Auf dem Kieshübel | Preserved foundations of two stone towers. Traces of two wooden towers are also there. |
| Wp 3/62 | Am Hollerkopf | Barely visible remains of a stone tower. |
| Wp 3/63 | Weißestein | A stone tower mound with some preserved foundation. |
| ORL 11 | Cohort Fort Saalburg | See above |
| Wp 3/68 | Am Fröhlichemannskopf | A visible stone tower foundation. A wooden tower location is barely visible. |
| Wp 3/69 | Am Bennerpfad | A preserved stone tower foundation. |
| KK | Kleinkastell Lochmühle | A small stone fort, about 400 square meters. It can be seen in the terrain. |
Near the Saalburg, there is also a copy of a Jupitersäule. This was a tall stone pillar dedicated to Jupiter, common in Roman Germany.
Getting to the Saalburg
In the past, a special train line called the Saalburgbahn brought visitors to the fort. This was built because so many people wanted to see the rebuilt fort.
Today, you can reach the fort by bus. Buses run hourly from Bad Homburg.
More to Read
- Dietwulf Baatz: Saalburg (Taunus). In: Die Römer in Hessen. Nikol, Hamburg 2002, ISBN: 3-933203-58-9
- Dietwulf Baatz: Der Römische Limes. Archäologische Ausflüge zwischen Rhein und Donau. Gebr. Mann, Berlin 2000, ISBN: 3-7861-2347-0
- Margot Klee: Die Saalburg. Theiss, Stuttgart 1995. (Führer zur hessischen Vor- und Frühgeschichte 5), ISBN: 3-8062-1205-8
- Margot Klee: Der Limes zwischen Rhein und Main. Theiss, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN: 3-8062-0276-1
- Anne Johnson: Römische Kastelle des 1. und 2. Jahrhunderts n. Chr. in Britannien und in den germanischen Provinzen des Römerreiches. Zabern, Mainz 1987. (Kulturgeschichte der antiken Welt, Vol. 37), ISBN: 3-8053-0868-X
- Egon Schallmayer (ed.): Hundert Jahre Saalburg. Vom römischen Grenzposten zum europäischen Museum. Zabern, Mainz 1997, ISBN: 3-8053-2359-X
- Heinrich Jacobi: Kastell Nr. 11 Saalburg, Der obergermanisch-raetische Limes des Römerreiches, Series B, Vol. II, Frankfurt 1937 (the original publication of the excavation).
- Since 1910 (with interruptions), a Saalburg Annual (Saalburg Jahrbuch) with scholarly articles on provincial Roman archaeology is published. More than 50 volumes exist.
- Since 1995, theSaalburg-Schriften present archaeological studies to a popular audience.
See also
In Spanish: Saalburg para niños
