The shrine of a Roman war god has been discovered just beneath the topsoil of a German forest. Smithsonian reports, citing Live Science. Archaeologists say they have discovered the remains of a small temple probably dedicated to Mars on the edge of the Taunus Mountains, north of Frankfurt, as part of ongoing excavations at the Kapersburg military fort and its neighboring settlement, believed to date back to the 2nd century AD. The rectangular structure, about 16 feet long, housed a three-walled interior chamber that researchers believe served as a prayer room.
Clues to its purpose came from a Latin inscription and fragments of sculpture: one probably representing Mars, another probably Victoria, the winged goddess of victory favored by Rome’s soldiers. Kapersburg, part of the Upper German-Rhaetian border area of Limes, now on the UNESCO World Heritage List, was home to around 160 soldiers, and the neighboring village was home to up to 700 people until it was abandoned in the third century AD. Drought, pests and storms have recently destroyed the forest, exposing long-buried remains including blacksmith’s pits, grain kilns and recycled building materials, as well as a later period gem suggesting the sacred site outlived Rome’s garrison. Researchers are still working on the translation of another votive inscription which could finally clarify the name of the ancient village.
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