The Geißkopf is a foothill, , near

Berghaupten Berghaupten ( gsw, label= Low Alemannic, Berghoupte) is a municipality in the district of Ortenau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Furthermore, it is a state-approved resort located in the Black Forest. Neighbouring municipalities are Ohlsbach ...

in the south

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

state of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

. During the

Migration Period The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...

there was evidently a Roman or Germanic military camp on the strategically placed heights.

Location and area

The Geißkopf stands at the exit of the Kinzig valley on the Rhine Plain and rises above it by around 200 metres. It forms the northeastern end of the Bellenwald. Nearby villages are Berghaupten to the southeast,

Ohlsbach Ohlsbach ( gsw, label=Low Alemannic, Ohlschbach) is a town in the district of Ortenau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most popul ...

to the northeast and Zunsweier to the northwest. The hill is covered by mixed woods and accessible to just below the summit by a road and

forest track Forest tracks or forest roads are roads or tracks intended to carry motorised vehicles or horse-drawn wagons being used mainly or exclusively for forestry purposes, such as conservation or logging. Forest tracks may be open to ramblers or mountain ...

History

An area of about 100 to 150 metres, part of which is level, provided a good site for a settlement in former times, something which was exploited because of its strategically advantageous location. To the east, north and south, the hillsides descend relatively steeply, while to the west a saddle about 25 metres deep connects it to the edge of the

Black Forest The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is t ...

. There are no remains of a

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

ditch A ditch is a small to moderate divot created to channel water. A ditch can be used for drainage, to drain water from low-lying areas, alongside roadways or fields, or to channel water from a more distant source for plant irrigation. Ditches ar ...

on the ground, but some stray archaeological finds of military belts dating to

Late Antiquity Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English ha ...

that have found since 1989, prove that the Geißkopf was populated in the 4th and 5th centuries A.D. A small part of the rounded hilltop was then archaeologically examined, although no obvious building remains were found. However, a

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...

analysis of the soil showed that the mountain was either used intensively for an extended period of time or at least temporarily housed a large number of people and their animals. More than 1,300 iron or bronze objects spread evenly over the entire surface, reveal an intensive use of the area. Numerous weapons, such as lance tips, axes, arrow and bolt tips, as well as late Roman military belt parts, and various Germanic and Roman

fibula The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...

e were found. Some of the lancet tips have been bent, suggesting that they had been fighting. Various tools, such as those used in woodworking or forging, were also found in large numbers amongst the excavated material. It is noticeable that in contrast, hardly any pottery was uncovered and there was virtually no women's jewelry. Thus, in contrast to the opposing ''Kügeleskopf'' (north of the Kinzig), it seems to have acted purely as a military camp.

References

Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie, Landesamt für Geoinformation und Landentwicklung: digital topographic map, 1:50,000 scale
Deutschland Viewer
retrieved 5 January 2011

Literature

* Heiko Steuer und Michael Hoeper: ''Völkerwanderungszeitliche Höhenstationen am Schwarzwaldrand. Eine Zusammenfassung der Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede.'' In:

Heiko Steuer Heiko Steuer (born 30 October 1939) is a German archaeologist, notable for his research into social and economic history in early Europe. He serves as co-editor of Germanische Altertumskunde Online. Career Heiko Steuer was born on 30 October, 19 ...

, Volker Bierbrauer (eds.): ''Höhensiedlungen zwischen Antike und Mittelalter von den Ardennen bis zur Adria.'' Unter Mitarbeit von Michael Hoeper. de Gruyter, Berlin etc., 2008, , (''Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde'' Ergänzungsbände 58). {{DEFAULTSORT:Geisskopf Germanic archaeological sites Archaeological sites in Germany Migration Period Mountains and hills of Baden-Württemberg Mountains and hills of the Black Forest Ortenaukreis