Monumental Roman Tomb Discovered in Bavaria – History Blog

The foundations of a Roman-era stone-walled tomb have been unearthed near Nassenfels in Upper Bavaria. Round stone buildings like this were extremely rare in the Roman province of Rhaedia at that time.

It was discovered last autumn during construction work on a rainwater reservoir near the town of Volkertshofen. Since the site is known to contain remains of settlements and burials dating back to the Neolithic Age, archaeologists supervised the work in cooperation with the Bavarian State Office for Monument Conservation.

Excavations first brought back only fragmentary remains of the Neolithic settlement, but later emerged a circle of carefully arranged stones with an outer diameter of 12 meters (39.4 ft). On the south side of the circle, a 2 meter (6.6 ft) square extension, also made of stone, was found. This was most likely the basis of a tombstone, possibly a stelae, statue, or altar.

The quality of the construction, the Mediterranean-style stone foundations of the walls, and the location next to Via Claudia Augusta (the main Roman road across the Alps connecting the Po Valley in northern Italy with Augusta Vendelicrum (modern-day Augsburg)) indicate that this was a Roman-era burial tomb. In 1993, the remains of a large Roman villa rustica (country estate) were unearthed less than two miles away, supporting evidence that the structure was a tomb because wealthy landowners could afford such a high-end building.

However, no human remains or grave goods were found within the circle. Archaeologists believe it may have been a monument, an unburied tomb to commemorate those who died elsewhere. These monuments are dedicated to highly respected individuals who are commemorated in such a prominent manner to enhance the prestige of their family or community.

Rhaedia encompassed parts of modern Switzerland, northern Italy, Austria, southern Germany and all of Liechtenstein, where burial traditions date back to the Bronze Age. In Rhaedia, prehistoric burials were often repurposed for Iron Age secondary burials. Roman tombs began to appear in the Augsburg area in the 1st century AD, possibly as a deliberate return to the region’s pre-Roman cultural traditions of tomb architecture, but the tombs with their massive stone ring walls are related to Roman funerary customs rather than to early Celtic customs.

Its size, quality and preservation make The Volkertshofen burial complex is unique in the region and sheds new light on funerary and commemorative practices in Roman Rhaedia.