Haltern

About

Aliso was a military and civilian colony in ancient Germany, built by the emperor Augustus near present-day Haltern am See, when he wanted to create the Roman province of Germania. After the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, Aliso was the last point of resistance of the Roman troops in Germania. Besieged by the Germans under Arminius, the garrison commanded by the prefect Lucius Caedicius put up a fierce resistance before managing to escape and regain the Roman limes.

Location: The location of Aliso is the subject of various hypotheses. In 2010, the Archaeological Commission of Westphalia published a summary of excavations and discoveries near Haltern and concluded that the site corresponds to that described in ancient literature under the name of Aliso. At the southern and eastern gates of the main Roman camp at Haltern, palisades to reinforce the enclosure were discovered as well as remains of defensive armament and a mass grave which could indicate that an attack was repulsed.

Necropolis: Over the years, more than 100 tombs have been unearthed that had contained or did contain a funeral urn in which the ashes of the deceased were found. The Roman soldiers had been...