Battle at the Harzhorn

The Battle at the Harzhorn took place in the early 3rd century between Germanic and Roman troops near the Harzhorn hill between the towns of Kalefeld and Bad Gandersheim, in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany [1]. Coinage of the Roman emperors Caracalla and Severus Alexander dates the battle to the 2nd quarter of the 3rd century AD [1]. This places the battle at the junction between the reign of the Severan emperors and the beginning of the Crisis of the 3rd century [1]. Only one spearhead and a few arrowheads can be certainly identified as Germanic [1]. The battlefield lies on the eastern edge of a hill range running east-to-west from the Harz mountains [1]. In the north–south direction, it can only be crossed on a narrow pass, which is part of an ancient trade route [1].