Germania Inferior

“Before his downfall in 44 B.C., Julius Caesar conquered Gaul and invaded Britain. Then came Augustus Caesar, whose legions pushed as far as the Elbe, establishing the provinces of Germania Inferior, Germania Superior and Rhaetia. The Romans then settled along the Rhine and Danube and erected the Limes (līmĕs), a nearly 500-kilometer-long system of fortifications to ward off hostile Germanic tribes (they’re just kind of cranky these days). Augsburg was founded in 15 B.C. as Augusta Vindelicorum, and grew to be the capital of the province of Rhaetia. Its city symbol, the Zirbelnuß, or pine cone, was Augustus' royal symbol, and serves as an ubiquitous reminder of the town's imperial past. Kempten, just an hour southwest of Munich, was a Celtic settlement named Cambodonum when the Romans conquered it in 15 B.C. Soon thereafter it became an important trade center.“ –Munich Found


The Upper German-Raetian Limes ("Obergermanisch–Raetischer Limes") extends from the Rhine in the northwest to the Danube in the southeast, across four German states: Rheinland-Pfalz, Hessen, Baden-Württemberg and Bayern (Bavaria). The Limes functioned until the end of the Roman occupation east of the Rhine and north of the Danube (approximately 270 A.D.), and was not built to act as a line of defense, but rather a line of demarcation. This border, consisted partly of a fence of pales behind a ditch and partly of stone walls, and included 1,000 watchtowers and 200 forts.


It wasn’t all fun and games though, the most famous Roman battle in Germany took place in 9 A.D. It’s called die Varusschlacht, or the Varus Battle, after the defeated Roman general. There is now a museum at the site in Kalkriese, as seen above. Unfortunately for the rather heavy-handed Varus, a member of his Germanic escort turned on him and Legions 17, 18 and 19 were slaughtered in the process (their numbers were retired). The attack was led by Arminius, a Cheruscan prince, who took the liberty of sending the head of the former Roman commander round to some of his countrymen in hopes of garnering more support for the cause. Eventually it was seen fit to send it on to Augustus in Rome. One of the exhibits this year is a model of the battle featuring thousands of playmobil soldiers, complete with painstakingly made accoutrements.


Still have this lingering desire to know where the word Limes comes from? Knock yourself out.