Archaeological Sites in Germany
Abodiacum
Abodiacum was a Roman road vicus (settlement) in the area of Epfach, part of Denklingen in Upper Bavaria, Germany [1][2]. The settlement existed from approximately 30 BCE to 640 CE, spanning over 600…
Achladia
Achladia is an archaeological site featuring an ancient Minoan villa on eastern Crete [1]. The villa was excavated by Nicholaos Platon in the 1950s [2]. The building covers 270 square metres with an…
Alb Limes
The Alb Limes is a Roman frontier fortification of the late 1st century AD running nearly 135 km across the Swabian Jura in southern Germany, from Rottweil (Arae Flaviae) to Heidenheim an der Brenz…
Alcimoennis
Alcimoennis is the name attached to a Celtic oppidum on the Michelsberg hill above modern Kelheim in Bavaria, Germany, at the confluence of the Danube and Altmuhl rivers. Covering roughly 600…
Alte Burg, Langenenslingen
Alte Burg is a large Celtic hillfort in Langenenslingen, Baden-Württemberg, dating to the 7th century BC. The tongue-shaped plateau covers approximately 2 hectares and is fortified with two exterior…
Altendorf Megalithic Tomb
A Late Neolithic gallery grave of the Wartberg culture near Naumburg in northern Hesse, Germany, dating to c. 3400 BC. The tomb held remains of at least 250 individuals of all ages and both sexes,…
Amelungsburg, Süntel
The Amelungsburg is a former Celtic ringfort (hillfort) on the Amelungsberg hill in the Süntel ridge, Lower Saxony, Germany, dating to 500 BC–1 AD [1]. The site covers approximately 15 hectares on a…
Am Forsthofweg
(1st-2nd c. AD) Am Forsthofweg was a Roman castellum (small fort) situated along the Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes [1][2]. The site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 as part of the…
Ara Ubiorum
The Ara Ubiorum was a Roman sanctuary in the Oppidum Ubiorum (modern Cologne, Germany), erected in the last decade of the 1st century BC and dedicated to the goddess Roma and the Roman emperor [1].…
Babilonie
The Babilonie is a hillfort of the La Tène culture (500 BC–1 AD) located at 255.6 metres above sea level on the northern edge of a rounded hill in the Wiehen Hills, above the village of Obermehnen in…
Barbara Baths
The Barbara Baths (Barbarathermen) are the remains of a massive Roman bath complex in Trier (Augusta Treverorum), Germany, built in the 2nd century AD. Sprawling over 42,000 square metres, they were…
Basilica of Constantine
The Aula Palatina, also called Basilica of Constantine, in Trier, Germany, is a Roman palace basilica and early Christian structure built between AD 300 and 310 during the reigns of Constantius…
Battle at the Harzhorn
The Battle at the Harzhorn was a 3rd-century clash between Roman legionary forces and Germanic tribes near Kalefeld in Lower Saxony, Germany, dated to approximately 230-235 AD during the reign of…
Baumann's Cave
Baumann's Cave (Baumannshohle) in Rubeland, Harz district, is Germany's oldest show cave, formed in Devonian limestone dating back over 350 million years. The cave has been used by humans since the…
Benther Berg
Benther Berg is a ridge in Calenberg Land near Benthe in the Hanover Region of Lower Saxony, Germany, rising to 173.3 meters above sea level [1].
Biriciana
Biriciana is a Roman ala castellum at modern Weissenburg in Middle Franconia, Bavaria, part of the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes UNESCO World Heritage Site. Originally built in timber c. 90 AD to…
Bonstorf Barrows
The Bonstorf Barrows are the remains of a barrow cemetery on the Lüneburg Heath in Lower Saxony, dating to 3000–1500 BC [1]. The site originally comprised numerous burial mounds, with six still…
Breitenbach - Archaeological Site
Breitenbach is a major Aurignacian open-air settlement near Breitenbach village in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, dating to the early Upper Paleolithic, the period of initial modern human colonization of…
Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura
The Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura are a collection of six caves in southern Germany used by Ice Age humans for shelter approximately 33,000 to 43,000 years ago [1]. These caves contain…
Danube - Iller - Rhine Limes
The Danube-Iller-Rhine Limes (DIRL) was a large-scale Late Roman defensive system built after the abandonment of the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes in the late 3rd century CE. Triggered by Alamannic…
Danubian Limes
The Danubian Limes (Donaulimes) refers to the Roman military frontier along the River Danube, stretching across modern Bavaria, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania.…
Dobberworth
The Dobberworth (also Dubberworth) is one of the largest prehistoric tumuli in northern Germany, located near Sagard on the island of Rugen. Standing approximately 12-15 m tall with a circumference…
Dohnsen, Siddernhausen - Dolmen
The Dohnsen-Siddernhausen dolmen (German: Großsteingrab) is a Neolithic megalithic burial monument located on a low elevation between the villages of Dohnsen and Siddernhausen near the town of Bergen…
Drususstein
The Drususstein is a nearly 20-metre-high Roman masonry block located on the grounds of the citadel in Mainz, Germany, originally cased in marble[1]. Erected in 9 BC by Roman troops, it is identified…
Eifel Aqueduct
The Eifel Aqueduct, constructed in AD 80, was the longest Roman water supply system north of the Alps, carrying water approximately 95 km from the Eifel mountains to Colonia Claudia Ara…
Emilianus - Stollen
The Emilianus-Stollen is a Roman copper mine in the St Barbara district of Wallerfangen, Saarland, Germany, active during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Romans extracted azurite to produce the pigment…
Epfach
Epfach, known in antiquity as Abodiacum, was a Roman road station in Upper Bavaria at the strategic intersection of the Via Claudia Augusta and the salt road from Salzburg. A military camp was…
Fectio
Fectio, known as Vechten in Old Dutch, was a Roman castellum in the province Germania Inferior established in the year 4 or 5 AD. It was located at the place where the river Vecht (Fectio) branched…
Fectio
Fectio was a Roman castellum (fortress) in the province Germania Inferior, established in 4 or 5 AD at the strategic confluence where the river Vecht branched from the Rhine, leading to Lake Flevo…
Feddersen Wierde
Feddersen Wierde is a former Iron Age wierde settlement on marshland along the Weser estuary, 14 km north of Bremerhaven, Germany, inhabited from the 1st to 5th centuries AD[1]. By the 3rd century…
Federsee
A lake near Bad Buchau in Upper Swabia, southern Germany, surrounded by one of the largest connected moorlands in the region at 33 sq km. The Federsee basin is renowned for exceptionally…
Flevum
Flevum was a Roman castrum and naval base in Frisia, identified with modern Velsen in the Netherlands, controlling the Oer-IJ, the northernmost outlet of the Rhine. Flevum I was built around 14-16 AD…
Forum Baths, Trier
The oldest bath complex in Roman Augusta Treverorum (modern Trier), with construction beginning in the second half of the 1st century AD adjacent to the Roman Forum. The baths were substantially…
Fraubillen Cross
The Fraubillen Cross (Fraubillenkreuz) is a roughly 5,000-year-old Neolithic menhir that was resculpted into a Christian cross, standing 3.5 metres high on the Ferschweiler Plateau in the Eifel…
Geißkopf, Central Black Forest
The Geißkopf is a foothill, 359 metres above sea level (NHN), near Berghaupten in Baden-Württemberg, Germany[1]. During the Migration Period (4th-5th century AD), a Roman or Germanic military camp…
Gilching
Gilching is a municipality in the Starnberg district of Bavaria, Germany, 22 km west of Munich, with archaeological evidence stretching back to the Bronze Age. Celtic tumuli and sacred groves…
Glauberg
The Glauberg is a Celtic hillfort (oppidum) in Hesse, Germany, featuring a fortified settlement and burial mounds. It served as a princely seat during the late Hallstatt and early La Tene periods…
Goldbusch
Goldbusch is a great dolmen (Großdolmen), a Neolithic megalithic tomb, located between Altensien and Moritzdorf on the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. Built between 3500 and 2800 BC, it dates to…
Goloring
The Goloring is a Bronze Age henge monument near Koblenz, Germany, dating to the Urnfield culture (1200-800 BC). It features a circular ditch 175 m in diameter with an outer embankment extending to…
Goseck Circle
The Goseck Circle is a Neolithic circular enclosure in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, radiocarbon dated to approximately 4900 BC, making it one of the oldest known solar observatories. The structure…
Grasburg, Rottleberode
A prehistoric refuge castle in the form of a hillfort with a rampart and ditch system, located in the Alter Stolberg woodland between Stempeda and Rottleberode in the South Harz region of…
Great Dolmen of Dwasieden
The Great Dolmen of Dwasieden (German: Großdolmen von Dwasieden) is a megalithic tomb in the borough of Sassnitz on Rügen, Germany's largest island. Built by the Funnelbeaker culture (TBK) between…
Groß Raden Archaeological Open Air Museum
The Groß Raden Archaeological Open Air Museum lies about 1 km northeast of the village of Groß Raden in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, bordering the lake Radener See [1]. The site features a circular Slavic…
Harhoog
A Neolithic megalithic tomb from the Funnelbeaker culture, dating to approximately 3000 BC, located near Keitum on the island of Sylt in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Classified as an extended dolmen,…
Hartberg Megalithic Tomb
A late Neolithic gallery grave erected around 3000 BC on the western slope of the Hartberg near Schankweiler, approximately 10 km southwest of Bitburg in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the only…
Heidengraben
Heidengraben is the remains of a massive Celtic oppidum (fortified settlement) on the Swabian Jura plateau in Baden-Württemberg, spanning the Reutlingen and Esslingen districts [1]. Dating to the La…
Heidenmauer, Palatinate
The Heidenmauer ("heathen wall") is a Celtic circular rampart near Bad Dürkheim in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. At 2.5 km in length, it is one of the largest surviving Celtic fortifications in…
Heidetrank Oppidum
The Heidetrank Oppidum near Oberursel in the Taunus mountains is one of Europe's most important Celtic oppida, dating to the late La Tene period. Enclosed by a 10 km rampart with six gates and…
Heiligenberg, Heidelberg
Heiligenberg is a 440-metre hill above Heidelberg, Germany, crowned by a Celtic hill fort [1]. The site later hosted a Roman sacred precinct and medieval monasteries [1]. Its summit also features the…
Herxheim - Archaeological Site
A Neolithic ritual centre and mass grave of the Linear Pottery culture (LBK), dating to 5300-4950 BC. The site contained scattered remains of over 1,000 individuals from diverse geographic regions,…
Heuneburg
The Heuneburg is a prehistoric Celtic hillfort on the Danube river in Hundersingen near Herbertingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany [1]. It ranks among the most significant early Celtic centres in…
Heunischenburg
A late Urnfield period stone fortification near Kronach in Upper Franconia, Germany, with its heyday in the 9th century BC, making it the oldest known stone fortification north of the Alps. Located…
Hitzacker Archaeological Centre
The Hitzacker Archaeological Centre is an open-air museum in Lower Saxony, Germany, and the first museum in Germany dedicated exclusively to the Bronze Age. It was founded in 1990 after ceramic…
Hochdorf Chieftain's Grave
The Hochdorf Chieftain's Grave is a richly-furnished Celtic burial chamber in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, dating to 530 BC during the Hallstatt culture period [1]. It was discovered in 1968 by an…
Hohlenstein-Stadel
Hohlenstein-Stadel is a cave in the Lonetal valley of the Swabian Jura, Germany, renowned as the discovery site of the Lowenmensch (Lion-Man), a mammoth ivory figurine dated to 35,000-41,000 years…
Hundersingen
(600–400 BC) Hundersingen is a village within the municipality of Herbertingen in the administrative district of Sigmaringen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The settlement lies on the steep molasse…
Igel Column
A 23-metre-tall Roman funerary monument in Igel, 8 km south of Trier along the Moselle River, dated to c. 250 AD. Built of red and red-grey sandstone by the wealthy Celtic cloth merchants Secundinius…
Ipf Mountain
(1200-300 BC) A Celtic princely seat on a 668m conical hill near Bopfingen on the western edge of the Nordlinger Ries. First fortified during the Urnfield period, the Ipf reached its zenith in the…
Kalkriese
Kalkriese is the probable site of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (9 AD), where Germanic leader Arminius ambushed and destroyed three Roman legions under Varus. The site was identified in 1987…
Kalkrieser Berg
The Kalkrieser Berg (157 m) is a hill in Lower Saxony where the Varusschlacht Museum and Park opened in 2002 to preserve the likely battlefield of the Teutoburg Forest (9 AD). In 2004 it became the…
Katzenberg Hillfort
Katzenberg Hillfort is a Roman refuge fortress near Mayen, Germany, established in the early 4th century around 300 AD [1]. It was constructed following the collapse of the Roman limes, when Germanic…
Königsaue
Konigsaue is a Middle Palaeolithic site in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, discovered in 1963 by Dieter Mania during rescue excavations in an open-pit lignite mine. Dating to approximately 80,000 BP during…
Kriemhildenstuhl
The Kriemhildenstuhl is a Roman quarry near Bad Durkheim in the Palatinate Forest, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, worked by the 22nd Legion stationed at Mogontiacum (Mainz) around 200 AD. Workers…
Lancken - Granitz Dolmens
The Lancken-Granitz Dolmens are a group of seven megalith tombs on Rügen Island, northern Germany, erected during the Middle Neolithic by the Funnelbeaker culture and used through the Early Bronze…
Langweiler - Archaeological Site
Langweiler is a Bandkeramik archaeological site in the Merzbach Valley on the Aldenhovener Plateau of western Germany, dating to 5300-4900 BC. Systematic excavations from 1973 to 1981 revealed 160…
Leubingen Tumulus
The Leubingen Tumulus (German: Furstengrab von Leubingen) is an Early Bronze Age "princely" grave dating to approximately 1940 BC [1]. Located near the Kyffhauser hills in Leubingen, Thuringia,…
Limes Germanicus
The Limes Germanicus was a Roman frontier defense system separating the Empire from Germanic tribes from 83 to about 260 AD[1]. It spanned Germania Inferior, Germania Superior and Raetia, combining…
Lohra Megalithic Tomb
The Lohra tomb (German: Steinkammergrab von Lohra) was a megalithic monument outside Lohra near Marburg in north central Hesse, Germany, dating to the Late Neolithic period, probably just after 3000…
Magdalenenberg
Magdalenenberg is the largest Hallstatt-period tumulus in Central Europe, located near Villingen-Schwenningen in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. Originally 10-12 m high and 104 m in diameter with a…
Main Limes
The Main Limes (Nasser Limes) was established around 90 AD as part of the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes, forming the Roman frontier along approximately 50 km of the River Main between…
Megalithic Tombs in Haldensleben Forest
The Megalithic Tombs in Haldensleben Forest form the largest concentration of megalithic monuments in central Europe, with approximately 80 Neolithic graves in a 5x5 km area southwest of…
Megaliths in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, up to 5,000 megalithic tombs were erected between 3500 and 3200 BC by the Neolithic Funnelbeaker (TRB) culture, with over 1,000 surviving today under legal…
Menosgada
Menosgada was a Celtic metropolis on the Upper Main river, mentioned by the Greek geographer Ptolemy [1]. It was probably located on the hill known today as the Staffelberg in present-day Germany…
Milseburg
Milseburg is an extinct volcano rising 835 metres (2,740 ft) in the Hessian Rhön Mountains, making it the region's second-highest peak[1]. The hill, located east of Fulda near Kleinsassen and…
Navalia
Navalia was an ancient settlement mentioned by the Greek geographer Claudius Ptolemy in his 2nd-century AD Geographia. The name derives from the Latin word for "dock" or "wharf", though this meaning…
Niederstotzingen
Niederstotzingen is notable for the nearby Vogelherd Cave in the Lone Valley, one of the most important Paleolithic sites in Europe. Excavated by Gustav Riek in 1931, the cave yielded mammoth ivory…
Niedertiefenbach - Megalithic Tomb
The Niedertiefenbach tomb (Steinkistengrab von Niedertiefenbach) is a gallery grave located near the village of Niedertiefenbach, about 2 km north of Beselich in Hesse, Germany. Belonging to the…
Nobbin
A village on the Wittow peninsula of Rugen island in the German Baltic Sea, best known for the Riesenberg megalithic tomb dating to the Funnel Beaker Culture (c. 4100-2800 BC). One of the largest…
Oldendorfer Totenstatt
(4500–3000 BC) The Oldendorfer Totenstatt is a group of six Neolithic burial mounds and megalithic sites in the Luhe valley near Oldendorf, Lower Saxony, Germany. It comprises three dolmens (sites 1,…
Oppidum of Manching
The Oppidum of Manching was a large Celtic proto-urban settlement at modern-day Manching, near Ingolstadt, in Bavaria, Germany[1]. Founded in the 3rd century BC, it existed until c. 50-30 BC[1].…
Oppidum Steinsburg
The Oppidum Steinsburg is the remains of a major Celtic fortified settlement on the Kleiner Gleichberg in South Thuringia, Germany. Dating to approximately 2,500 years ago, it covered about 68…
Passau
Passau is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") where the Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north [1]. In the 2nd…
Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen
Pfahlbaumuseum Unteruhldingen is an archaeological open-air museum on Lake Constance (Bodensee) in Unteruhldingen, Germany, featuring reconstructions of Neolithic and Bronze Age stilt houses [1].
Pfünz Roman Fort
Pfünz Roman Fort (Castra Vetoniana) was a Roman cohort camp built c. 90 AD on a 42-metre-high Jurassic hillspur in Bavaria, strategically positioned between the Altmühl valley and Pfünzer Bach stream…
Porta Nigra
The best-preserved Roman city gate north of the Alps, located in Trier, Germany. Built around 170 AD from approximately 7,200 sandstone blocks weighing up to 6 tonnes each, held together by iron…
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in eastern Bavaria at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers, marking the Danube's northernmost point [1]. Founded as an imperial Roman river fort in the 1st century…
Riesenstein, Wolfershausen
The Riesenstein (German for 'giant's stone') is a megalithic menhir located near Wolfershausen in Hesse, Germany. It is the largest megalith in the district of Schwalm-Eder-Kreis [1].
Roman Bridge, Trier
The Roman Bridge (Römerbrücke) spans the Moselle in Trier, Germany. Its nine stone pillars date to the 2nd century AD, replacing wooden predecessors from at least 17 BC[1]. It is Germany's oldest…
Roman Theatre, Mainz
The largest Roman theatre north of the Alps, built in the 1st century AD at Mogontiacum (modern Mainz), with a 116-metre diameter, 42-metre stage width, and capacity of approximately 10,000…
Roman Villa Borg
(2nd - 3rd c. AD) The Roman Villa Borg is a reconstructed villa rustica near the villages of Borg and Oberleuken in the municipality of Perl, Saarland, Germany [1]. Discovered at the end of the 19th…
Route of Megalithic Culture
The Route of Megalithic Culture (Straße der Megalithkultur) is a 310 km tourist route in North-West Germany connecting Osnabrück to Oldenburg. Signposted with brown road signs, it links places of…
Schalkholz Passage Grave
The Schalkholz Passage Grave is a Neolithic megalithic burial site of the Funnelbeaker culture in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Built between 3500-2800 BC, it features a passage grave structure used…
Schanzenkopf - Schwedenschanze
Schanzenenkopf (365m), also known as Schwedenschanze, is a hill in the Spessart mountains of Bavaria, Germany, northeast of Dörsthöfe in the Michelbach district of Alzenau [1]. The site features the…
Schanzenkopf - Spessart
Schanzenkopf is a wooded hill in the Spessart mountains of Bavaria, Germany, located in the district of Aschaffenburg.[1] Rising to 343 meters (1,125 ft) above sea level, it forms part of the…
Schöningen Spears
The Schöningen spears are a set of ten wooden weapons from the Palaeolithic Age, excavated between 1994 and 1999 from the 'Spear Horizon' in the open-cast lignite mine in Schöningen, Germany[1]. The…
Schwarzenacker Roman Museum
Schwarzenacker Roman Museum is an archaeological open-air museum in Homburg, Saarland, Germany, displaying the remains of a Gallo-Roman vicus founded under Emperor Augustus and destroyed by the…
Sieben Steinhäuser
(3500–2800 BC) The Sieben Steinhäuser is a group of five dolmens on the Lüneburg Heath in the NATO training area of Bergen-Hohne, in Lower Saxony, northern Germany. The stones are considered part of…
Stockdorf
Stockdorf is the largest district in the municipality of Gauting in Upper Bavaria, Germany, situated along the Wurm River. Settlements in the area trace back to the early Bronze Age, making it among…
Syberg
The Syberg is a 240-metre hill in southern Dortmund, part of the Ardey Hills, with archaeological remains spanning from the Neolithic era through the Middle Ages. Around 700 AD, Westphalian Saxons…
Teufelsrutsch
Teufelsrutsch ("Devil's Slide") is a densely wooded porphyry knoll in Rhenish Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, offering views over the Wiesbach valley. The remains of a Celtic stronghold have…
Teufelsstein, Haardt
The Teufelsstein is a sandstone monolith approximately 2.5 metres tall and 4 metres wide, situated atop a 317 m hill near Bad Durkheim in the Palatinate Forest. Five steps are carved into the rock…
Thorsberg Moor
Thorsberg Moor is a peat bog in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where the Angle tribe deposited votive offerings for approximately four centuries. The site has yielded extraordinary artifacts including…
Treva
Treva is the historical name of a Roman-era settlement at the site of modern Hamburg, Germany, first recorded by Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. Under Augustus, Roman forces reached the Elbe…
Trier Amphitheatre
The Trier Amphitheatre is a Roman amphitheatre in Trier, Germany, built in the mid-2nd century AD during the rule of Antoninus Pius. Measuring 120 by 145 meters and dug into the slope of the…
Trier Imperial Baths
The Trier Imperial Baths (Kaiserthermen) are a large Roman bath complex in Trier, Germany, constructed in the early 4th century AD during Constantine I's reign [1]. When built, Trier served as a…
Türkenfeld
Turkenfeld is a municipality in the district of Furstenfeldbruck, Bavaria, located about 37 km west of Munich. The area shows evidence of continuous human habitation from the Neolithic period onward.…
Vicus Wareswald
Vicus Wareswald is a Gallo-Roman settlement in the Wareswald Wood in northern Saarland, Germany, situated at the crossroads of two important trade routes. Founded in the 1st century AD, the…
Wotanstein, Hesse
The Wotanstein (Wotan's Stone) is a menhir near the village of Maden in Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, Hesse, Germany. Standing 2.12m high and weighing approximately 3.7 tons above ground (7.5 tons total), it…
Züschen - Megalithic Tomb
The Züschen tomb (Steinkammergrab von Züschen) is a Late Neolithic burial monument near Fritzlar, Hesse, Germany. Built between 4500-3000 BC, it is classified as a gallery grave or…