7 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Roman Wooden Cellar Found in Frankfurt, Germany

Archaeologists from the Frankfurt Archaeological Museum have recently uncovered a remarkably preserved wooden cellar in the Roman city of Nida in Frankfurt, Germany.

Situated in what is now Frankfurt’s modern districts of Heddernheim and Praunheim, Nida was a prominent Roman settlement. At the time of the Roman Empire, it was the capital of the Civitas Taunensium. The name of the settlement is known thanks to written sources from Roman times and probably derives from the name of the adjacent river Nidda.

Nida probably had a population of 10,000 at its peak, during the first century AD, and was one of the largest Roman settlements in the Limes area. However, by AD 259 the population went into decline due to the Alemanni’s conquest of the Agri Decumates region.

The wooden cellar was part of a Roman residential building, most likely built in the late first century AD on the southern side of Nida’s two main streets (Platea Praetoria).

Photo: Frankfurt Archaeological Museum

The cellar entrance faced south of the main street, and the burnt steps of the cellar staircase are still visible. Throughout the cellar, charred beams, charcoal, and fire debris bear witness to the destructive fire that once completely destroyed the house in antiquity. Some of the discoveries demonstrate the effects of the fire, such as a glass jar melted by the intense heat and iron utensils still lying on the cellar stairs. This demonstrates that the residents did not have time to save all of the movable objects from the cellar. The property was eventually rebuilt after the fire, but the cellar was no longer in use.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



To determine the exact date of the construction and destruction, the finds from the excavation must first be evaluated.

The cellar is not the first to contain fire debris from the Roman Nida. Similar finds were discovered during excavations in the ancient city several times over the last century, but they were usually less well preserved and had not been examined as thoroughly using modern excavation methods.

Frankfurt Archaeological Museum

Cover Photo: Frankfurt Archaeological Museum

Related Articles

From Hittite Bit-Hilani’s to Ancient Greek Temple Pillars

18 February 2021

18 February 2021

It is thought that the word Bit-Hilani is derived from the Hittite word Hilambar, that is door. It is seen...

Orkney dig reveals ruins of huge Neolithic tomb

21 October 2023

21 October 2023 1

A 5,000-year-old tomb was unearthed in Orkney, north-east Scotland. The discovery was announced by the Guardian, describing the tomb structure...

Celtiberian Inscription Found at La Peña del Castro: One of the Earliest Examples of Alphabetic Writing in Northern Iberia

26 February 2025

26 February 2025

La Ercina, León, Spain – Archaeological research at the La Peña del Castro site has unveiled an important discovery that...

Underwater Archaeologists Discover a 7,000-Year-Old Road in Croatia

8 May 2023

8 May 2023

A team of underwater archaeologists from the University of Zadar has discovered the sunken ruins of a 7,000-year-old road that...

Precious Roman Gem Engraved with Mythological Figure Discovered in Italian Lagoon

8 August 2023

8 August 2023

During excavations at Lio Piccolo (Cavallino-Treporti), conducted by Ca’ Foscari University, a precious agate stone carved with a mythological figure...

Saudi Arabia launching world’s first-ever ‘Museum in the Sky’

4 November 2021

4 November 2021

The world’s first “Museum in the Sky” flight operated by Saudia Airlines, will take off from Riyadh to AlUla today....

The DNA of 4000-years-old hazelnut shells found in Kültepe

11 November 2023

11 November 2023

Excavations conducted ten years ago at the archaeological site of Kültepe Kanesh Karum, which dates back 6,000 years and is...

Archaeologists have discovered a treasure trove of sixth-century coins in ancient Phanagoria in Russia

27 July 2021

27 July 2021

Archaeologists have discovered 80 coins known as Copper staters dating back to the sixth century at Phanagoria on the Black...

Remains of 2 houses belonging to the founding period of the city were unearthed in the ancient city of Hierapolis

5 November 2021

5 November 2021

During this year’s excavations in the ancient city of Hierapolis-Pamukkale in Turkey’s Aegean province Denizli, the remains of two houses...

The Discovery of a Unique Pre-Viking Helmet Fragment in Lejre, Denmark

23 January 2025

23 January 2025

In Lejre, the northwestern part of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark, detectorists have uncovered an exceptionally rare fragment...

Nine Ancient Patolli Games Found in Mexico

10 September 2024

10 September 2024

In recent rescue excavations in Mexico by archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) nine patolli engravings...

1,600-year-old Hunnic double burial found in Poland

15 June 2024

15 June 2024

In 2018, archaeologists uncovered a 1,600-year-old double burial in the village of Czulice near Krakow, Poland, containing the remains of...

Archaeologists Unearthed a 1000-year-old Medieval Game Collection in a Castle in Southern Germany

4 June 2024

4 June 2024

Archaeologists found a collection of medieval game pieces at a forgotten castle in southern Germany. Among the discoveries are a...

Gravitational Wave Researchers Shed New Light on the Mystery of the 2,000-Year-Old Computer Antikythera Mechanism

28 June 2024

28 June 2024

Astronomers from the University of Glasgow who specialize in studying tiny ripples in space-time have shed new light on the...

The earliest manuscript of Gospel about Jesus’s childhood discovered in Germany

14 June 2024

14 June 2024

A newly deciphered manuscript dating back 1,600 years has been determined to be the oldest record of Jesus Christ’s childhood,...