BONES AND EQUIPMENT OF HORSES AND MULES ON THE ANCIENT BATTLEFIELD OF KALKRIESE, NORTHERN GERMANY SUSANNE WILBERS-ROST AND ACHIM ROST Bones аnd Equipment оf Bones аnd Equipment оf Horses аnd Ancient Battlefield of Mules оn theKalkriese, Northern Germany Abstract Among nearly 6,000 objects of Roman military equipment discovered at the battlefield of Varus in Kalkriese, there are also SUSANNE WILBERS-ROST ACHIM AND ROST numerous pieces of horse harnesses and carriage fittings. This paper analyses the find distribution and aims at reconstructing military actions and post-battle-processes. Key words: Kalkriese, Varus Battle, Roman equine equipment, mule, battlefieldarchaeology, post-battle-processes. Introduction surveys started in Kalkriese in 1988 and already a year later Roman coins and some pieces of Roman military For over 20 years we have been investigating an area equipment had been found at numerous places, scat- at Kalkriese Hill, a part of the Wiehen Mountain north tered between the Wiehen Mountain and the Great Bog of Osnabrück and situated between the edge of the situated 2 km north of the mountains (Fig. 1). Sys- Northern German uplands and the lowlands. Archaeo- tematic excavations started in 1989 on a field called logical finds and features indicate that we discovered “Oberesch” (Wilbers-Rost 2007) which yielded a the location of the Varus Battle, also known as “Bat- concentration of coins and military objects. Not only tle of the Teutoburg Forest”1. Roman historians (Vel- Roman military equipment was unearthed but also an leius Paterculus, Tacitus, Cassius Dio) inform us that artificial rampart. The rampart was not part of an en- the Roman governor, Varus, had a summer camp at closure as it runs parallel to a path along the hill. It had the Weser in A.D. 9 and that he believed to stay in the obviously been used by the Germans as an ambush to territory of Germanic allies. In autumn he intended to attack Roman troops whom they had probably expect- return to the camps at the Rhine, when he was led into ed at this place. With the rampart to the south, the wet an ambush and his three legions were almost com- area to the north, creeks in the east and the west of the pletely destroyed by Germans under the leadership of field, the site was like an encirclement that allowed the Arminius. For generations, people have been looking Germans to control the movement of Roman troops by for the site of this battle in different parts of northern letting them pass or attacking them. Despite the well- Germany and already in 1885 the famous historian equipped legions, the Varian troops would find it diffi- Theodor Mommsen (Mommsen 1885) had suggested cult to fight effectively in this situation, nor could they to locate the battle near Kalkriese because of the many escape unharmed. Roman coins which farmers had collected during their Further sites indicate that actions did not only take place fieldwork. However, he could not prevail with his ideas at the Oberesch, but at different locations between the against other theories. hill and the bog; meanwhile a battlearea of more than The situation only changed when further Roman sil- 30 km2 has been identified, enabling us to reconstruct ver coins and especially three lead sling shots were part of the events: the Romans must have been coming found by an amateur archaeologist by metal detect- from the East where they had already been attacked at ing in 1987 (Harnecker, Tolksdorf-Lienemann 2004, various places before they reached the Kalkriese Hill pp.1-2; Schlüter et al. 1992, p.307ff); they indicated and the Oberesch. that Roman troops must have passed this area2. Field 1 A more detailed discussion of the interpretation of finds The site Oberesch. Features and finds and features in Kalkriese as relics of the battle of Varus can be found in different articles: Moosbauer 2009, p.98; The rampart at the Oberesch site (Fig. 2) had a total Moosbauer,Wilbers-Rost 2009; Rost 2009a; Chantraine length of about 400 m; it was bent several times and 2002 (numismatic aspects). was almost zigzagging (Wilbers-Rost 2007, pp.30-84; 2 In this region a small number of contemporary Germanic settlements are known, but there is no evidence that the 2009). It must have had a width of about 4 m and a Romans had ever settled there. height of nearly 2 m, and at least in one section there 220 BALTICA 11 BALTICA ARCHAEOLOGIA Fig. 1. Study area of Kalkriese. IV The Horse IN Warfare Fig. 2. Site “Oberesch” with excavated sections. 221 was a palisade to protect the Germans on the wall. Be- features: eight bone pits containing both human bones hind the wall a drainage ditch prevented the rampart and the bones of mules and horses. The skeletons were from being damaged by strong rain. A number of small not complete and most of the bones were only small passages allowed the Germans to leave the shelter of fragments in a very bad condition, indicating that they the fortification in order to fight, but they could also re- must have been exposed on the surface for several treat fast. It was constructed efficiently, making use of years before their deposition. Some bones show signs the local topography and of material they found in the of sword strokes and all humans bones are from men4. immediate vicinity: sometimes turf and sand, some- These relics are the bones of Roman soldiers and ani- Bones аnd Equipment оf Bones аnd Equipment оf Horses аnd Ancient Battlefield of Mules оn theKalkriese, Northern Germany times even limestone where turf was rare. Probably the mals of their baggage train (Großkopf 2007, p.173ff). wall was not very substantial. Some parts must have We suppose that those pits are a kind of mass graves collapsed during the fight or shortly afterwards which for the Varian legions, probably the result of the burial resulted in special preservation patterns for Roman ceremony by the Roman general Germanicus who, equipment and bones. according to ancient written sources (Tacitus annales SUSANNE WILBERS-ROST ACHIM AND ROST 1.61-62), is said to have visited the battle site six years The Roman items left on the battlefield indicate the later where he buried the remains of the dead. presence of both fighting troops and a large baggage train (Harnecker 2008). We found a large variety of The best conditions for the preservation of bones exist- weapons, for example lance heads, catapult bolts, piec- ed directly near the rampart where they were covered es of pila, shield fittings, plates, buckles and fittings after its collapse and where even larger parts of skele- of laminated armour and ring mail shirts. Furthermore, tons of equides were unearthed. One skeleton of a mule there are tools and medical instruments, pieces of car- was nearly complete with only very few bones missing riages and horses harnesses, as well as fragments of lux- (Fig. 3; Uerpmann et al. 2007, p. 131ff; Wilbers-Rost urious objects like glass vessels. Most pieces are very 2007, p.98ff). A small bronze bell and rings of an iron small, like the hundreds of nails or fragments of shield bit were preserved in their original position. Analyses fittings. Only a very small number of the 5,000 objects have shown that the mule died from a broken neck. from the Oberesch are complete. Many show signs of This feature provides a snapshot of the action: the mule destruction, and a lot of long fittings were folded sev- was soon covered by material of the wall before loot- eral times, probably for easier transportation. The Ger- ers retrieved the metal objects and before wild animals mans who plundered the battlefield after the fighting tore away parts of the carcass. had ceased were mainly interested in the raw material Bones of horses are quite rare on the Oberesch, but at - especially metal such as silver, bronze and iron - and the western end of the rampart large parts of a small it did not matter if the objects still functioned3. Tons horse might indicate a Germanic one (Fig. 4; Uerp- of metal must have been left on the battlefield, but the mann et al. 2007, p.140ff; Wilbers-Rost 2007, p.99ff). bodies and the baggage train were despoiled by the vic- Its skeleton was not as well preserved as the one of the tors and most of the objects were taken away: the Ger- mule. Zoologists assume that it had been laying on the mans could either use them or recycle the metal. This surface for at least some days, since we found a part of explains why we do not find any complete armour but the breast in a distance, i.e. wild animals like boars or only those small pieces and fragments which got lost wolves had torn a few parts away before the carcass during looting. Such processes of despoiling must also was covered. be brought into account for the discussion of fragments of horse’s harnesses and chariots. Another feature containing the bones of a mule found in front of the wall is quite spectacular; skull, shoulder and a part of the spine were found in combination with Skeletal remains many pieces of its harness: a large bronze bell, an iron chain, various pendants, glass beads and bronze fit- Because of the sandy soil we did not expect many tings (Fig. 5; Harnecker 2008, Taf. 45; Uerpmann et al. bones. Nevertheless, quite a number of human and 2007, p.128ff; Wilbers-Rost 2007, p.95ff). These finds, animal bones were excavated on the Oberesch during which were still in their original position, may help re- the last years (Großkopf 2007; Uerpmann et al.