Katzenberg Hillfort (german: Spätrömische Höhenbefestigung Katzenberg or ''Römerwarte Mayen'') is a Roman refuge fort near

Mayen Mayen is a town in the Mayen-Koblenz District of the Rhineland-Palatinate Federal State of Germany, in the eastern part of the Volcanic Eifel Region. As well as the main town, additional settlements include Alzheim, Kürrenberg, Hausen-Betzing, ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

dating to the 4th century. The fortification on the Katzenberg hill was built around 300 AD after the Roman ''limes'' had been overrun and

Germanic tribes The Germanic peoples were historical groups of people that once occupied Central Europe and Scandinavia during antiquity and into the early Middle Ages. Since the 19th century, they have traditionally been defined by the use of ancient and ear ...

had invaded and plundered the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

(the so-called ''

Limesfall The Limesfall is the name given to the abandonment of the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes (built in 1st century) in the mid-3rd century AD by the Romans and the withdrawal of imperial troops from the provinces on the far side of the rivers Rhine and ...

''). The inhabitants of the Roman ''

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus r ...

'', which was located on the site of the present-day town of Mayen, could escape to the fort in time of danger. At that time,

town wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

s were built around the provincial capitals of

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

and

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

, as well as around smaller places like

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...

Andernach Andernach () is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the ''Neuwied basin'' on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village ...

. The Katzenberg was the largest of about 60 Late Roman hillforts which were constructed in the

Eifel The Eifel (; lb, Äifel, ) is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Community of ...

and

Hunsrück The Hunsrück () is a long, triangular, pronounced upland in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the valleys of the Moselle-Saar (north-to-west), the Nahe (south), and the Rhine (east). It is continued by the Taunus mountains, past ...

regions. They were used for about 70 years and then, after a 30-year pause, used again, in some cases until about 450 AD. On the uppermost crest of the hill is a small military outpost, the lower-lying open areas were probably used by the civilian population in the event of a threat. The fort covered an area of 1.2 hectares. The remains of the Late Roman hillfort were discovered around 1900 and excavated for the first time between 1907 and 1932. After a long pause, excavations were re-started in 1997 as part of the Volcano Park project. The finds were

archaeologically Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

investigated in Koblenz and the town of Mayen under the direction of the state office for cultural heritage. For the history of handicrafts the roofing finds were especially important. The roof slates found in the round towers were, surprisingly, shaped like scales, something which was rare in Roman times. In 2000, parts of the defensive wall and two round towers were reconstructed on original foundations of the walls. On the remains of the old military station on the hilltop, which had underfloor heating in the form of a

hypocaust A hypocaust ( la, hypocaustum) is a system of central heating in a building that produces and circulates hot air below the floor of a room, and may also warm the walls with a series of pipes through which the hot air passes. This air can warm th ...

, a protective structure was built. All roofs were covered in slates in the form of scales and hexagons (for protection).

Literature

* Angelika Hunold: ''Die Befestigung auf dem Katzenberg bei Mayen und die spätrömischen Höhenbefestungen in Nordgallien.'' Monographien des Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums, Schnell und Steiner, Mainz, 2011, . * Angelika Hunold, Alwin Punstein, H. Wolfgang Wagner & Franz Wierschem:''Rekonstruktion der römischen Moselschiefer-Dächer auf dem Katzenberg bei Mayen/Eifel und weitere Beiträge zur über 2000-jährigen Handwerks- und Bergbaugeschichte des Schiefers.'' Der Anschnitt, 56, 2004, H.1: 27 - 34, 10 ill., 1st map, 2 tab., Bochum, 2004. * Ewald Hoppen, Angelika Hunold & H. Wolfgang Wagner: ''Römerwarte - Abschluss einer Rekonstruktion zur Handwerks- und Bergbaugeschichte auf dem Katzenberg bei Mayen.'' Der Anschnitt, 57, 2005, H. 4: 169 - 171, 4 ill., 1 tab., Bochum, 2005. * H. Wolfgang Wagner & Wolfgang Schultheis: ''Römischer Dachschiefer – Neue Funde und neue Erkenntnisse.'' In: ''Der Anschnitt.'' Vol. 63, Bochum 2011, pp. 202–206.

External links

The Katzenberg and the Roman watchtower

The Katzenberg in the Volcano Park

Katzenberg Moselschiefer-Strasse
{{coord, 50, 19, 12, N, 7, 14, 38, E, region:DE-RP_type:landmark, display=title Roman fortifications in Germania Superior Eifel in the Roman era Hill forts in Germany Heritage sites in Rhineland-Palatinate Buildings and structures in Mayen-Koblenz