Böbingen an der Rens

Böbingen an der Rens: town in Germany, where a Roman castellum was excavated.

This little ruin of a gate is all that is visible today of the ancient Roman fort at Böbingen, situated on a hill on the south bank of the little river Rems (map). The limes wall was about a kilometer to the north. The fort, which was surrounded by walls of about 1¼ m wide and a triple moat, had a surface area of about 2 ha (148 x 135 m).

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Its symmetrical map was fairly typical for a limes fort. In the center were the headquarters, there were wooden barracks for 500 auxiliary soldiers, the house of the commander was heated, and there must have been a bathhouse. Like most forts in this area, Böbingen was founded in c.150 CE and continued to be occupied until the winter of 259/260, when Germanic tribes crossed the Rhine frontier.

The civil settlement was to the south and southeast of the fort. Several houses and a monumental building (probably a temple) have been discovered. No cemetries have been identified yet.

To the west of Böbingen was the limes fort of Schirenhof, to the east was Aalen.

A satellite photo can be found here.