Freaks Fun Friday: Battle on the Harzhorn
I am a freak, I admit it. When I was younger, I actually enjoyed going to school (go ahead, laugh at me) — not because I wanted to meet my friends, but because I loved learning new stuff. It hasn’t changed all that much. I’m still delighted if I manage to smuggle facts into my stories without anyone noticing. at this place, I’ll give you access to my twisted mind. Welcome to a Freak’s Fun Friday.
the road past the Harzhorn
Roughly three years ago, hobby archaeologists with probe heads found a twisted metal shape they took for a medieval candle holder. When someone pointed out to them that it might be much, much older, they feared to be accused of illegal diggings and contacted the archaeology department. What a luck they did. The item in question turned out to be a horse shoe used by Romans. So, the dig began, and the finds were spectacular.
the metal inlay at the spearhead’s shaft indicates it’s Germanic
The researchers found countless shoe nails, tips from catapult bolts, and coins. The best item they found was a Germanic spearhead. With the coins and radio-carbon dating and other methods, the archaeologists were able to determine that the battle most likely took part in 235 aD and was part of Maximinius Thrax big Germania Campaign. This was ground breaking since scientists had assumed Romans never ventured into Germania again in great numbers after Varus’ defeat (9aD).
The finds, especially the distribution and alignment of the bolts, suggested that a big Roman army had been forced (the how isn’t clear yet) to not use the pass road. When the army tried to scale the Harzorn, a low mountain range, they were attacked by Germanic people. New finds indicate that the fight spread miles to the west. An upturned wagon filled with weapons was found as well as many more shoe nails. In autumn this year, the city of Braunschweig will host a special exhibition about the battle.
My husband and I’ve been following the development with greatest interest since the Harzhorn is less then 10 miles from us. You could say it’s around the corner. Of course, we’ll be among the first to visit the exhibition. Also, I’m the first to get a story published with this battle as setting. What else could I do with the Hanging Man as a prompt for a Tarot-related anthology?
