Schwäbisch Gmünd - Freimühle
To the south of the fortlet was a small civil settlement. The next limes castle to the west is Lorch in Germania Superior; to the east, in Raetia, is Schirenhof.
| home : index : picture archive : Germany : photo by Marco Prins © | ||
Schwäbisch Gmünd - Freimühle |
||
| 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. | ||
|
The limes castle of Freimühle (northwest of modern Schwäbisch Gmünd; map) is very small: 55 x 55 m. Because it is overgrown by a forest, no full-scale excavation has taken place. Only one corner has been investigated and nothing is known about the buildings inside the fort. About 50 meters to the southeast, the remains of a bathhouse have been identified. |
|
|
Its presence suggests that the fortlet was independent from the next fort, Schirenhof, which is surprising, because the two settlements were within sight of each other. This photo shows the site of the Shirenhof fort; the hilltop on which Freimühle was situated can be seen at a distance, to the right. If you want to visit the place, this satellite photo will help you to find the site in the forest. | |
| Immediately to the west of the Freimühle fortlet is a brook called
Rotenbach. This was the boundary between two Roman provinces:
east of it was Raetia, west of it was Germania Superior. It is tempting
to assume that Freimühle was in some sense related to this boundary.
Maybe its soldiers inspected travelers between the two provinces.
To the south of the fortlet was a small civil settlement. The next limes castle to the west is Lorch in Germania Superior; to the east, in Raetia, is Schirenhof. |
||
|
|
||