home   :    index    :    picture archive    :     Germany     :    photos by Marco Prins ©

Aalen
Unless otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes, but you have to acknowledge Livius.
Aalen, seen here as a model, is the largest cavalry fort (castellum) along the limes of the Roman province of Raetia (map). The ancient name of the settlement is not recorded, but we know that it was occupied by the Ala II Flavia Miliaria Pia Fidelis. The first three words mean that this was the Second squadron recruited by the Flavian emperor Vespasian; miliaria means that it was a thousand men strong (five hundred was common); and the last two words are the common surname "faithful and loyal". The modern name Aalen appears to be derived from Ala.
Ancient-Warfare.com, the online home of Ancient Warfare magazine
The remains of the northwestern gate today. (The building to the left is the museum.) Above the entrance of the fort was an inscription, of which three fragments survive. Because the contents of this type of inscription is fairly stereotypical, almost the entire text can be reconstructed (three fragments in color, reconstruction in gray):
IMP.CAES. M.AVRELIO.  ANTO 
NINO.AVG. P.M.TRIBVNICIA 
  POT.  XVIII.  IMP.II. COS.IIII. P.P. ET
IMP. CAES. L.AVRELIO.VERO.AVG
 ARMENIAC.TRIB.POT.IIII.IMP.II
COS II. SVB.CVRA.BAI.PVDEN
TIS. PROC. PER. ALAM. II FL. (X). P.F.
FECIT.  [....]IVS. LOLLIANIVS. PRAEF
IMPeratori CAESari Marco AVRELIO  ANTO-
NINO AVGusto Pontifici Maximi TRIBVNICIA 
  POTestate XVIII  IMPerarori II COnSuli IIII Patri Patriae ET
IMPeratori CAESari Lucio AVRELIO VERO AVGusto
 ARMENIACo TRIBunicia POTestate IIII IMPeratori II
COnSuli II SVB CVRA BAI PVDEN-
TIS PROCuratoris PER ALAM II FLaviam Miliariam Piam Fidelem
FECIT [....]IVS LOLLIANIVS PRAEFectus (more...)

Overseen by procurator Baius Pudens has prefect [...]ius Lollianus ordered the Second Flavian thousand-man squadron, faithful and loyal, to build this for the emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, high priest with tribunicial powers for the eighteenth time, twice imperator, four times consul, father of the fatherland, and for Caesar Lucius Aurelius Verus Augustus Armeniacus, with tribunicial powers for the fourth time, twice imperator, two times consul.
The headquarters (praetorium) of Aalen have been excavated. Like all other limes forts, this building consisted of a square that was surrounded by several buildings. On one side, there was a basilica (hall); on the opposite side, there were several official rooms, the central one being the sanctuary of the unit's standard. A reconstruction of a praetorium can be visited at the Saalburg, but this type of building was as old as Waldgirmes.
As always, the soldiers enjoyed some comfort, and the headquarters were even luxurious. For example, they had a hypocaustum or floor heating. Hot air was blown through the space between the little columns that supported the floor. On this photo, the reddish columns to the left are modern reconstruction; the right hand side is original.
The remains of the sanctuary of the unit's standard, with a modern statue of one of the emperors during whose reign the fort was founded, Marcus Aurelius. (His brother and co-emperor Lucius Verus is missing.) In the background, you can see the difference between the ancient and modern level. Beneath the houses, archaeologists may one day find ancient barracks or stables.
On the site of the ancient fort is now the Limes Museum, one of the first of its kind. This full-scale reconstruction of a cavalry man is part of the exposition. This is not the man's battle dress, but a uniform that was used by the hippica gymnasia, a kind of sport match in which two teams of beautifully decorated horsemen showed their expertise in horse riding and threw blunted javelins at each other. Everything in these tournaments was meant to look impressive: the large plumes on the helmet, the dragon standard, the painted shield, and the spectacular armor, which is not unlike some gladiatorial armor. The mask that was added to the parade helmet was necessary to protect the actor against javelin injuries. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus mentions a parade of soldiers during the siege of Jerusalem; it must have been a truly awe-inspiring sight when the cavalry, dressed like this, galloped in front of the walls. Just imagine the thousand horsemen from Aalen!
To the northeast of the museum is the church of Sankt Johann, close to the gate of the fort. The cemetery is exactly within the walls of the fort. As a place of worship, the site has been used for more than eighteen centuries. This inscription is dedicated to the war goddess Minerva, whose attribute is also shown: the little owl.

Beyond the sanctuary was the civil settlement, which occupied the slopes east and southeast of the fort. Some 3000 people appear to have lived in this town. Had a village of these dimensions been excavated in Italy, archaeologists would certainly have called it a city. Like the fort, the town was evacuated in c.260, when the Alamans occupied the triangle between the Rhine and Danube.
To the west of Aalen was the limes fort of Böbingen, and to the east was Rainau-Buch, where the remains of several ancient Roman fortifications can be seen in the open air. Visits to Aalen's Limes Museum and Rainau can easily be combined. In fact, they supplement each other.

A satellite photo can be found here.
 home   :    index    :    Germany