28 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Ancient Roman 3rd-century defensive wall found in Germany

An exciting archaeological discovery was made during construction work in Aachen’s city center, Germany. At the corner of Pontstrasse and Marktplatz, archaeologists found an ancient Roman defensive wall from the 3rd century.

As part of a construction project, archaeologists were excavating a street close to the historic city center when they discovered a wall that had collapsed, according to city officials. The wall was immediately recognized as an ancient Roman construction.

Everyone knows that Aachen, the adopted home of Charlemagne, is steeped in history. Nevertheless, there are always discoveries that cause great excitement among archaeologists. This was the case during construction work on the corner of Pontstraße and Marktplatz.

“Remains of a massive Roman wall were found here, which due to its course can be considered a gate part of a large fortification,” archaeologist Andreas Schaub said in a March 19 news release from the city.

“This complex has surrounded the entire Aachen Marktplatz (Market Square) since the beginning of the 3rd century, with a foundation of a wall over five meters wide and round towers. Until now we had no concrete clues as to where gates are located and now with this find we have “For the first time there is evidence that there was a very impressive gateway to the north in today’s Pontstrasse.”

The first evidence was found in 2011: There was a late Roman fort in Aachen (Drawing: Andreas Schaub/City of Aachen)
The first evidence was found in 2011: There was a late Roman fort in Aachen (Drawing: Andreas Schaub/City of Aachen)

Thus far, the excavation has uncovered a 23-foot segment of wall with a thickness of three feet. The remaining segment’s entire length and greatest width are still unknown.

Finds such as the uncovered defensive wall help to reconstruct the Aachen of the past and better understand how people lived back then. “It is another fragment of our history from Roman times to the Middle Ages. We know that this complex existed until the time of Charlemagne and beyond. The site was only demolished in the 12th century. For around 800 or 900 years, this complex was a defining feature of Aachen and, as we now know, the shape of today’s market can be traced back to this Kastum. This is an enormous urban development impact that this complex had.”

Since archaeological excavations cannot, by law, simply be carried out on suspicion, most discoveries are made during construction work. Construction sites are therefore accompanied by archaeologists who ensure that finds are secured and documented. Parts of the defensive wall have been found around the market square (Marktplatz) in the past.

City archaeologist Andreas Schaub classifies it: “For around 140 years, people have suspected a late Roman fort in Aachen, but it was only between 2011 and 2014 that it was possible to turn the assumption into certainty and to locate the complex.” At that time, there was close cooperation between the city archeology and the company ArcheoConsult decoded the findings of the so-called castrum around Market Hill (Marktplatz).

From the Roman defensive wall to Charlemagne’s royal hall after Aachen was destroyed in the course of Frankish raids around 275/276 AD, the entire market hill was reinforced with a wall with round towers that were five meters wide at the foundation. In front of it was a ditch around six meters wide. The latter was discovered in the Katschhof in 2011. Comparable forts are known from Jülich, Bitburg, and Jünkerath. The late Roman defensive wall continued to be used by Charlemagne. Its King’s Hall (today’s town hall) was built on its southern flank. The fort walls were not demolished until the 12th century. You can still see some of it today. Under a glass panel in the Markt 46 building (Five Guys restaurant), people can view a preserved wall segment with the base of one of the round towers.

Aachen’s history predates the Middle Ages, and it is famous as the capital of Charlemagne’s empire (800-814 A.D.), as well as the city where subsequent German kings and Holy Roman Emperors were crowned until 1531. Before the Roman legions occupied it in the early first century, it was a Celtic settlement with natural sulfur thermal springs that were converted into a bath complex and sanctuary. The Roman military presence ended in the 370s due to pressure from migrating Germanic tribes. Frankish rule was established a century later.

As the construction work progresses, the archaeologists also hope for further discoveries that will continue to complete the Aachen puzzle.

Cover Photo: Stadt Aachen / Stefan Herrmann

Related Articles

31 Unknown Shipwrecks, Including a Rare Sailing Ship, Discovered in Lake Constance

13 August 2025

13 August 2025

In a groundbreaking underwater archaeology project, researchers have discovered 31 previously unknown shipwrecks lying silently on the floor of Lake...

A New Study: The Great Sphinx of Giza may have been blown into shape by the wind

1 November 2023

1 November 2023

The theory, occasionally raised by others, that the Great Sphinx of Giza may have been a lion-shaped natural landform that...

Temple of Zeus Lepsynos in Turkey regains its glory

9 May 2022

9 May 2022

The temple of Zeus in the ancient city of Euromos in southwestern Turkey regains its original splendor with the revitalization...

New ancient ape from Türkiye challenges the story of human origins

2 September 2023

2 September 2023

A recently discovered fossilized ape from a site in Turkey that is 8.7 million years old is inspiring scientists to...

Exploring the life story of a high-status woman from isotope data in Hungary’s largest Bronze Age cemetery

29 July 2021

29 July 2021

Researchers examined 29 tombs from Szigetszentmiklós-Ürgehegy, one of Hungary’s largest Middle Bronze Age cemeteries, and one of them, a high-status...

Morocco team announces 1.3 million years major Stone Age find

29 July 2021

29 July 2021

A multinational team of archaeologists announced the discovery of North Africa’s oldest Stone Age hand-ax manufacturing site, going back 1.3...

Meaning of Agora Gate Found in Turkey’s Ancient City of Aizanoi

8 June 2021

8 June 2021

The good news continues to come from the ancient city of Aizanoi, located in Çavdarhisar district, 50 km from Kütahya....

The Ancestors of Today’s Barbie Dolls “Coptic dolls”

23 September 2023

23 September 2023

For as long as there has been civilization, children have played with dolls. Wooden dolls with bead hair have been...

Gladiators were mostly Vegetarians and they were fatter than you may think

6 August 2023

6 August 2023

What better epitomizes the ideal male physique than the Roman gladiator? Gladiators were the movie stars of the first century,...

A princely tomb discovered in the infrastructure project of the A7 Ploieşti-Buzău highway in Romania

20 December 2022

20 December 2022

An impressive archaeological discovery took place on the Ploiești-Buzău section of the Moldova Highway. The excavations uncovered a princely tomb,...

The first analysis results confirm that the grave in Tiarp is one of the oldest stone burial chambers in Scandinavia

31 January 2024

31 January 2024

In Tiarp, close to Falköping, Sweden, archaeologists from Gothenburg University and Kiel University have discovered a dolmen that dates back...

4 Aztec child burials unearthed in Mexico and dated to the Early Colonial period may be indicators of Aztec resistance

6 July 2022

6 July 2022

During an archaeological rescue effort in Mexico City’s historic central district of La Lagunilla, the remains of an Aztec house...

Between Shamans, Gods and Spirits: A Journey into Bulgaria’s Mysterious Central Asian Origins

2 July 2025

2 July 2025

Long before modern borders were drawn, ancient spiritual traditions — led by shamans and rooted in communion with the unseen...

From Türkiye to Iraq: Returning 6,000-Year-Old Cuneiform Tablets That Unlock Ancient Mesopotamia

2 July 2025

2 July 2025

Türkiye has made a significant contribution to cultural diplomacy and historical justice by returning six ancient cuneiform clay tablets to...

A Unique 2000-Year-Old Oil Lamp Found in Israel

5 May 2021

5 May 2021

Archaeologists have discovered a rare 2,000-year-old oil lamp in David, Jerusalem. Archaeologists have discovered a rare oil lamp, shaped like...