Just Inches Below the Forest Floor, Archaeologists in Germany Unearthed a Roman Temple Likely Dedicated to Mars, the God of War

Archaeologists in Germany have discovered the remains of a Roman temple that appears to have been dedicated to Mars, the god of war. The structure was concealed just beneath the forest floor in the foothills of the eastern Taunus Mountains, on the northern outskirts of Frankfurt, according to a September 25 announcement from the Hesse State Office for Monument Preservation. The temple is rectangular and measures about 16 feet long.

Inside, it appears to have contained a smaller, square chamber with just three roughly 20-inch-thick walls, Thomas Kurella reports for Hessenschau. Archaeologists believe the structure could be an ambulatory temple, with the three-walled central prayer room accessible through a wooden gate or door and surrounded by covered walkways. Researchers found an inscription suggesting that the temple was dedicated to Mars, according to Live Science’s Kristina Killgrove.

They also unearthed a fragment of a statue that may have portrayed the war god. Another statuette likely represents Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory who often appears alongside Mars and was worshipped by the Roman military. The artifact is broken, but it still clearly bears the hallmarks of Victoria: wings, a palm branch and a laurel wreath, per Hessenschau.

Archaeologists unearthed this temple during ongoing excavations of the Kapersburg fort—a Roman military fortification thought to date back to the second century C.E.—and its neighboring village, known as a “vicus,” which likely housed the soldiers’ families, merchants and other civilians. The fort was likely constructed under the reign of Emperor Trajan or Emperor Hadrian, per Live Science. A Roman military unit called the Numerus Nidensium was stationed there for roughly 150 years, until the fort was abandoned in the middle of the third century C.E.

The group likely originated in the nearby Roman town of Nida, now the Heddernheim quarter of Frankfurt. Researchers believe roughly 160 men were stationed at the fort, while up to 700 people lived in the nearby village, per Hessenschau. The site is part of the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes, which became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005.

This 342-mile stretch, which runs between the Rhine and the Danube rivers, formed part of the Roman Empire’s border, marking not only its military frontier but also the limits of its economic and cultural influence. Archaeologists have been excavating the fort for decades. However, they recently turned their attention toward the adjacent settlement after drought, pests and a storm cleared away some of the surrounding forest.