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Archaeologists discover 1,800-year-old Roman watchtower built to protect the empire during Marcus Aurelius' reign
Live Science ^ | July 30, 2025 | Laura Geggel

Posted on 08/09/2025 5:55:58 AM PDT by SunkenCiv

Archaeologists in Croatia have unearthed the remains of a 1,800-year-old watchtower that was erected to help the Romans defend the "limes" -- the border along the Danube River that marked the frontier of the Roman Empire.

Roman artifacts revealed at the site, including military equipment, brooches and ceramic vessels, indicate that the watchtower was constructed in the late second century A.D. and used in the third century A.D., the team reported...

During the Marcomannic Wars (circa A.D. 166 to 180), Roman soldiers under the rule of emperor Marcus Aurelius fought several peoples -- including the Germanic Marcomanni who lived north of the Danube, and the Sarmatians, a nomadic people from what is now southern Russia who later spread to Central and Eastern Europe.

The Marcomannic Wars prompted the Romans to build camps, or garrisons, in Sotin and Ilok, in what is now eastern Croatia. The newly excavated watchtower, in the village of Mohovo, was likely part of an effort to defend the Danubian Limes...

Archaeologists initially discovered the watchtower site, along with about 10 other sites, during field surveys in eastern Croatia in 2003, 2013 and 2020 to 2023. These were dated from the second to the end of the fourth century A.D., and their location along the elevated banks of the Danube River suggested they were fortifications -- though this wasn't known for certain initially...

The Mohovo watchtower was about 130 by 100 feet (40 by 30 meters) and well defended...

The watchtower went through at least three different phases of construction, suggesting that it needed repairs and upgrades. In the fourth century A.D., it was likely replaced by a smaller fort with a tower., and excavations next year will investigate this transition, Dizdar said.

(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: croatia; danuberiver; godsgravesglyphs; limes; marcomannicwars; marcusaurelius; mohovo; romanempire; sarmatians
 
Image credit: © Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia, photo by S. Stingl and H. Jambrek
Image credit: © Institute of Archaeology, Zagreb, Croatia, photo by S. Stingl and H. Jambrek

1 posted on 08/09/2025 5:55:58 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

2 posted on 08/09/2025 5:56:42 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (The moron troll Ted Holden believes that humans originated on Ganymede.)
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To: SunkenCiv
Graffiti: Dylan Was Here
3 posted on 08/09/2025 5:58:39 AM PDT by ComputerGuy
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To: ComputerGuy

It’s only a matter of time before the excavators locate the final resting places of the joker and the thief.


4 posted on 08/09/2025 6:05:48 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (The moron troll Ted Holden believes that humans originated on Ganymede.)
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To: SunkenCiv

bttt


5 posted on 08/09/2025 6:36:36 AM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Biggus Dickus je bio ovde


6 posted on 08/09/2025 7:19:21 AM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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To: SunkenCiv
Apparently this is what he looked like:

C1-C48-B3-E-A872-40-B4-9-CDB-2-F70-B49825-CE

Marcus Aurelius

https://www.boredpanda.com/realistic-recreations-ancient-sculptures-of-roman-emperors-haroun-binous/

7 posted on 08/09/2025 7:40:15 AM PDT by Bon of Babble (You Say You Want a Revolutioan?)
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To: Bon of Babble
Personally I don't think that looks anything like the status. Nose, face shape, eyes ... all different. Just a guy with curly hair and a beard. So I tried my hand:


8 posted on 08/09/2025 9:39:22 AM PDT by pepsi_junkie ("We want no Gestapo or Secret Police. F. B. I. is tending in that direction." - Harry S Truman)
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To: ComputerGuy

You got it.

Jimi Hendrix— All Along the Watchtower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLV4_xaYynY

Bob Dylan: “After Jimi’s arrangement no other can match it. I miss Jimi.”


9 posted on 08/09/2025 10:28:02 AM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: frank ballenger

That’s the exact same video I played earlier today.
GMTA


10 posted on 08/09/2025 10:32:55 AM PDT by ComputerGuy
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To: ComputerGuy

Yes. No reason for us to exert ourselves for false modesty.


11 posted on 08/09/2025 10:39:26 AM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: Bon of Babble

Thanks, but I’ve found that the generated images don’t typically look even remotely like the surviving ancient images. The supposed Marcus Aurelius has a different face than the ancient statue, and parts his hair. 😊


12 posted on 08/09/2025 5:32:19 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (The moron troll Ted Holden believes that humans originated on Ganymede.)
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