For a long time, many testimonies by Roman authors reporting great victories in Germania magna, in the interior of Germania, in the 3rd century were considered to be the outgrowth of imperial propaganda. Writers like Herodian or the author of the “Historia Augusta” were not allowed any source criticism, let alone experience in politics or warfare. The emperors were happy to accept the honorary title of “Germanicus Maximus”, but it seemed very questionable whether they had ever gone further than a few dozen kilometers beyond the Limes.
Spectacular finds in Lower Saxony, Thuringia and recently in Saxony-Anhalt correct this view. At the beginning of 2026, the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology announced the discovery of four Roman marching camps not far from the Elbe. Inspections and exploratory excavations would have confirmed what reports from volunteer monument conservators and aerial photographs suggested: Legionnaires were probably camped in Aken (Anhalt-Bitterfeld district), Trabitz (Salzland district) and Deersheim (Harz district) in the early 3rd century AD.
Recent excavations near Deersheim, not far from the border with Lower Saxony, uncovered further traces of a marching camp. These include the remains of two field ovens. “The shape of the ovens is very typical for these marching camps,” says Martin Freudenreich from the state office. Mainly structures made of burnt clay have been preserved. The actual furnace chamber, the space for the fuel and the zone in front of the furnace can be seen.
Using charcoal from the burning pits, the researchers now want to date the ovens more precisely. For this purpose, samples were taken and examined using the radiocarbon method. Ceramic fragments could also be discovered in the ovens. However, major discoveries are not to be expected there, says Freudenreich, curbing his expectations.
The items recovered so far include a fragment of a so-called Elbe brooch, iron nails and fragments of Roman ceramics. This includes “Terra Sigillata”, a red-fired fine ceramic that was traded as a luxury item in the empire at the time.
The pointed ditch typical of Roman marching camps was also examined. At Deersheim it is around one meter deep and around 1.10 meters wide. According to current knowledge, the obstacle overall extends over one and a half to two kilometers. The researchers attribute the fact that there are hardly any finds in the trench to the short period of use. The Roman units probably stayed there for between a day and a week at most.
In total, the camp covered around 20 hectares, which suggests the presence of a legion, around 6,000 to 8,000 men. The marching camps in Aken and Trabitz, with a size of 60 hectares, probably offered space for two legions and auxiliary troops.
If one assumes that the legions marched in parallel columns, i.e. set up separate camps, these are dimensions that can be assumed for an army led by an emperor. The long-held thesis that reports of successful advances deep into Germania in the early 3rd century could be explained solely by propaganda from the palace is losing further weight.
As early as 2009, a Roman marching camp was discovered in Hachelbich (Kyffhäuserkreis) in Thuringia, the size of which corresponds to the facility in Deersheim, but possibly - the full extent has not yet been determined - but also served two powerful legions. A few small finds offer a wide range of dates between the 1st and 3rd centuries.
If the early setting is confirmed, it would correspond to Domitian's Germanic campaign (r. 81–96) in 83. However, together with the new finds in Saxony-Anhalt, two imperial operations are likely that, according to the sources, were carried out in the early 3rd century. In 213, Caracalla (r. 211–217) from the Severan dynasty is said to have made a successful advance against the Alamanni. But since these are located in the Main area, another company comes into focus.
In 235/36 Maximinus Thrax (r. 235–238) led the army that had previously proclaimed him (first soldier) emperor in Mogontiacum (Mainz) deep into Germania. Many researchers associate the battle, whose numerous traces have been excavated since 2008 on the Harzhorn (Northeim district) on the western edge of the Harz, with this campaign.
The reconstruction of the battles has shown that Germans attacked a Roman army here, but were repulsed by it using artillery and oriental archers (who often accompanied the emperor). "Virtually the entire barbarian army was destroyed, and the emperor was the foremost man on the battlefield. The swamp was littered with corpses and the moor was red with blood," reports Herodian.
The fact that the Romans at the Harzhorn were apparently on the march back towards Mainz makes a route via Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt to Lower Saxony, i.e. around the Harz, plausible. That would explain the construction of the five marching camps in Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt.
