Marcus Junkelmann

Marcus Junkelmann (born 2 October 1949 in Munich) is a German historian and experimental archeologist.

Life and work

Junkelmann started to study history at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in 1971 and in 1979 he received a PhD for a thesis on the military achievements of Maximilian II (1662–1726) (original title: '' Kurfürst Max Emanuel von Bayern als Feldherr''). After that he worked as an associate member of staff at the university and for a military museum in Ingolstadt.

In the 1980s Junkelmann became well known in Germany for his work in experimental archeology. He reconstructed and tested Roman weapons and army gear. In 1985 in connection with the 2000 year celebration of the city of Augsburg he organized a large experimental reenactment of the life and work conditions of Roman legionaries. The experiment consisted of a month-long march from Verona to Augsburg including a crossing of the Alps. For the complete trip the original Roman army gear and equipment was used and the typical legionary tasks were performed. Later Junkelmann went on to perform a similar experiments for the Roman cavalry. He authored several books and documentaries on his archeological experiments. In 1997 he was awarded the Ceram Prize