New Evidence = neue Erkenntnis?

Eine Kontroverse um den Fundplatz der historischen Varusschlacht von Kalkriese

Abstract

New Evidence = New Insight? A Controversy over the Archaeological Site of the Historical Battle of the Teutoburg Forest at Kalkriese

The site of Kalkriese, which has been the subject of archaeological research for over 30 years, is associated with the historic Battle of the Teutoburg Forest of AD 9. While most of the controversy has revolved around the chronology and historical contextualisation of the battle, the interpretations of the battlefield scenarios have remained largely undiscussed. For a long time, the Kalkriese narrative was characterised by an ambush set up by the Germanic warriors. More recent excavations have replaced this with the assumption of a Roman march camp that was eventually overrun in the course of the battle. Both scenarios are directly linked to the discovery of a linear structure. A recently published geoarchaeological study has now refuted both approaches. The structures in question date back to the Middle Ages. The foundations and results of this study are examined here. It turns out that these do not provide sufficient scientific evidence to reject the previous scenarios.