The Lost Fort
My Travel and History Blog, Focussing mostly on Roman and Mediaeval Times
Archaeological Remains in the Forest near Bad Sooden-Allendorf
I mentioned the Mediaeval ringwall and the Bronze Age burial mounds in my post about the Bruchteiche. Those sites are hidden in the forest which makes for another pretty Summer-in-Germany post with a bit of cool shade during the hot days we just got.
Forest at the Bruchteiche (Bad Sooden-Allendorf)
There is a substantial number of fortifications in Germany dating to the Iron Age or the early Mediaeval period. Most of them are scarcely visible today, often located on forested hills or promontories where they look like natural structures at first view. They are known as ringwall forts or walled castles, like so so-called Römerlager ('Roman Camp', though it has nothign to so with the Romans) near Bad Sooden-Allendorf.
The Römerlager near Bad Sooden-Allendorf
Those ringwalls can enclose areas of varying size from less than a hundred metres in diameter those some that surround a site of several hectares. The walls were usually earthen walls, sometimes mixed with stones – depending on the material avaliable. A dry ditch in front of the wall was common, as well as gate structures; some of those are still visible today.
Römerlager, former gate in the east wall
Originally, the walls had a vertical outer side which was likely supported by timber constructions, maybe also by a mix of stone, timber and packed earth. Inside must have been a battlement which was usually achieved by creating a flat top of the wall which sloped down on the inner side. The battlement was likely protected by timber palisades. All that tumbled into overgrown remains of the walls over the centuries.
Example of a wall from the Iron Age (Open Air Museum Oerlinghausen)
Most of the ringwall forts date to either the – predominantely Celtic – Iron Age or the early Middle Ages. The Römerlager is an early Mediaeval construction. There may have been earlier fortifications from the later Bronze Age in some places that have been reused, but it is difficult to find traces of those. There is no connection with the burial mounds (see below) in the case of Bad Sooden-Allendorf.
Inside the wall fort
The Römerwall has a size of about 90x110 metres; the walls protected an area of 0.46 hectares in diameter. Some ringwall forts have been investigated by archaeologists and rendered finds like pottery, metal (parts of weapons, kettles and such) and with luck post holes pointing at former buildings. Other walled castles have not rendered any finds and are assumed to have been in use only temporarly, as sacred sites – though those should have left traces – or refuge castles used only in times of war. Finds would be few and easy to miss in such cases.
On the remains of the wall
But many of those ringwalls have not been researched in detail; the one near Bad Sooden-Allendorf included. Superficial research did not render any interesting finds, though it is assumed that the fort had been inhabited and timber buildings – houses, workshops, likely granaries and other storage – would have stood inside the wall.
Another shot of the wall
The fort dates to the Carolingian time, likely the late 8th century AD, and served to protect the nearby salt mines at the Werra. It may have been a royal walled castle that later came into responsibilty of the bishop of Fulda to whom Charlemagne granted the salt mines and saltworks in 799 (see post linked above). I could not find out how long the fort may have been in use.
Summer forest near the wall fort
The southern part of the wall and the dry ditch in front are still preseved to a visible extent. They were probably the highest and sturdiest part of the wall, protecting the fort on the flat side with the easiest approach. The other parts on the edge are less well preserved and may have been lower to begin with.
Various paths
There are several hikings trails in the forests around Bad Sooden-Allendorf and above the Bruchteiche lakes. One leads to another hidden archaeological feature, a set of eight burial mounds from the middle Bronze Age (1600-1200 BCE). Some have been so badly damaged over time that they are difficult to distinguish in the forest, but some are still visible.
The way to the burial mounds
Burial mounds are not uncommon in Germany; in Hessia – to which Bad Sooden-Allendorf belongs – some 1,400 have been counted, though they are comparably scarce in the Werra valley. The ones in the forest above the Bruchteiche point at an early use of the hill by humans, though it can't be determined with any surety whether there were ongoing settlements from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages.
Information panel with tumulus
The burial mounds can vary from 2-3 metres and about a metre in height at the centre to larger ones of about 20 metres in diameter and 3 metres high. They usually occur in groups or even burial fields with up to 200 mounds and are made of earth or stone, depending on the material avaliable. The ones of Bad Sooden-Allendorf consist of one large mound of 20 metres (once about 3 metres high) and several smaller ones (the smallest is almost invisible), spread across an area of 100x130 metres.
Two of the smaller mounds
Most of those burial mounds date to the Middle Bronze Age, the so-called Tumulus culture (Hügelgräberkultur), and are one of its determinating features, though already the Neolithic Baker culture occasionally used burial mounds, and some can be found as late as the Merovingian time (to ~ 750 AD). The Bad Sooden-Allendorf tumuli have not been throughly researched, but what has been found out dates them to the Tumulus culture.
Tree roots digging into a tumulus
Usually, only one person was buried beneath a mound in an inhumation or cremation grave, sometimes within stone circles, but often protected by wooden or leather materials that did not preserve. Grave goods were usually limited (Bronze parts of garments), though some graves with more valuable grave goods like weapons exist; they are assumed to be burials of leaders. Secondary burials have been quite common; other members of a family were entombed in the same place, but sometimes the mounds were also reused in the Iron Age.
Traces of the 1880 dig in the mound
One of the mounds in the Bad-Sooden-Allendorf group had been opened by treasure hunters in 1880, but inside only a stone circle and remains of a fire were found, nothing of value. Another official dig on the large mound showed traces of fire and some bones under the hill – a primary burial, and a stone ring outside the tumulus, covered by earth – which was likely a secondary burial. One mound has unfortunately been cut in two at some point.
Summer forest
The Middle Bronze Age, dating to 1600 - 1200 BCE, only counts as such in central Europe, and only there it is known as Tumulus culture. The epoch already ended in 1600 BCE on Crete and in Greece (where it began in 2000 BCE), while in Scandinavia – and to some extent in northern Germany – it lasts from about 1300 - 1000 BCE. The different dates show a cultural gradient, though finds from fe. Greece (which would date to the Late Bronze Age there) can be found in Middle Bronze Age contexts in central Europe.
The Lost Fort is a travel and history blog based on my journeys in Germany, Great Britain, Scandinavia, the Baltic Countries, and central Europe. It includes virtual town and castle tours with a focus on history, essays on Roman and Mediaeval history, hiking tours, and photography.
This blog is non-commercial.
All texts and photos (if no other copyright is noted) are copyright of Gabriele Campbell.
Kommentare sind auch in deutscher Sprache willkommen.
GDPR Privacy Policy

- Name: Gabriele Campbell
- Location: Goettingen, Germany
I'm a blogger from Göttingen, Germany, with a MA in Literature and History, interested in everything Roman and Mediaeval, avid reader and sometimes writer, opera enthusiast, traveller with a liking for foreign languages and odd rocks, photographer, and tea aficionado. And an old-fashioned blogger who refuses to get an Instagram account.
(See here for Archives for mobile devices)
View my complete profile
Historical Places
Germany
· Castles
· Towns
· Abbeys and Churches
· Romans Remains
· Neolithicum and Bronze Age
· Museums
England
Scotland
Wales
Denmark
Finland
Norway
Sweden
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Czechia
Poland
Belgium
Luxembourg
City Trips
Landscapes and Geology
Germany
Baltic Countries
Great Britain
Scandinavia
Geology
Photo Parades
Medieval History
Medieval Life
Hanseatic League
Teutonic Knights
Vikings
Germany
Great Britain
Scandinavia
Lithuania and Livonia
Poland
Bohemia
Luxembourg
Roman History
The Romans at War
Life and Religion
Other Times
Neolithicum to Iron Age
Post-Medieval History
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Historical Places
Germany
Towns
Bad Sooden-Allendorf
Historical Town and Graduation Tower
Bruchteiche Reservoir
Binz
A Seaside Resort
Braunschweig
Medieval Braunschweig
Lion Benches in the Castle Square
The Quadriga
Erfurt
Medieval Erfurt
Goslar
Medieval Goslar
Chapel in the Klus Rock
Heiligenstadt
Churches St.Martin and St.Mary
Lübeck
St. Mary's Church
Magdeburg
Church of Our Lady: History
Mainz
The Temple of Isis and Mater Magna
Paderborn
Medieval Paderborn
Quedlinburg
Medieval Quedlinburg
The Chapter Church
Speyer
The Cathedral: Architecture
Jewish Ritual Bath
Stralsund
The Harbour
The Old Town
Treffurt
Medieval Lanes and Old Houses
Trier
The Roman Amphitheatre
The Aula Palatina
The Imperial Baths
The Porta Nigra
Weimar
Sites of the Weimar Classicism
The Park at the Ilm
Wismar
The Old Harbour
Xanten
Roman and Medieval Xanten
The Gothic House
Castles
Adelebsen
The Keep
Altenstein (Werra)
A Border Castle
Bramburg
Weser River Reivers
Brandenburg (Thuringia)
The Beginnings
Albrecht II of Thuringia
Coburg Fortress
History
Architecture
Ebersburg
The Marshals of Ebersburg
Architecture
Grebenstein
History
Grubenhagen
History of the Keep
Hanstein
Introduction
Hardeg Castle
The Great Hall
Hardenberg
History
Heldenburg (Salzderhelden)
A Welfen Seat
Hohnstein (Harz)
The Counts of Hohnstein
Between Welfen and Staufen
14th-15th Century
Krukenburg
Built to Protect a Chapel
Kugelsburg
The Counts of Everstein
Later Times
Plesse
The Counts of Winzenburg
The Lords of Plesse
Architecture
Polle Castle
An Everstein Stronghold
Regenstein
History
Reichenbach (Hessia)
History
Sababurg
Photo Impressions
Scharfenstein
From Castle to Convention Centre
Scharzfels
History
Architecture
Sichelnstein
History
Stauffenburg (Harz)
A Secret Mistress
Stapelburg
A Little Known Ruin in the Harz
Trendelburg
Photo Impressions
Wartburg
A Virtual Tour
Weidelsburg
History
Architecture
Revisiting the Weidelsburg
Abbeys and Churches
Bursfelde
Early History of the Abbey
Fredelsloh
A Romanesque Basilica
Gehrden
A Romanesque Church
Göllingen
The Byzantine Crypt
Hahnenklee
The Stave Church
Helmarshausen
Remains of the Monastery
Lippoldsberg
Early History of the Abbey
Interior of the Church
Lorsch
The Carolingian Gate Hall
Pöhlde
Remains of the Monastery
Scharzfeld (Harz)
The Cave Church
Vernawahlshausen
Medieval Murals
Walkenried
The Monastery - Introduction
Wiebrechtshausen
Romanesque Church and a Ducal Burial
Wilhelmshausen (Kassel)
The Romanesque Church
Roman Remains
Augusta Treverorum / Trier
The Amphitheatre
The Aula Palatina
The Imperial Baths
The Porta Nigra
The Roman Bridge
Colonia Ulpia Traiana / Xanten
Roman Xanten
The Amphitheatre in Birten
Limes Fort Aalen
The Barracks
Limes Fort Osterburken
The Discovery
The Cohort castellum
The Annex Fort
The Garrisons
Limes Fort Saalburg
A Reconstructed Limes Fort
Shrine of the Standards
Haltern am See
Romans in Haltern
Playmobil Romans, LWL Museum Haltern
Varus Statue See
Romans at the Moselle
Romans at the Moselle
The Villa Urbana in Longuich
Romans at the Rhine
Boppard - The Roman Baudobriga
The Villa at Wachenheim
Neolithicum and Bronze Age
Neolithic Burials
Neolithic Burials in the Everstorf Forest and Rugia
The Necropolis of Oldendorf
Bronze Age
Bronze and Iron Age Remains at the Werra
Museums / Reconstructed Sites
Palatine Seat Tilleda
The Defenses
Viking Settlement Haithabu
The Nydam Ship
Open Air Museums
European Bread Museum Ebergötzen
Open Air Museum Oerlinghausen
Post-Mediaeval Exhibits
Historical Guns, Coburg Fortress
Vintage Car Museum, Wolfsburg
England
Northumbria Tour
Towns
Chester
Roman and Medieval Chester
Hexham
The Abbey - Introduction
The Old Gaol
York
Clifford Tower
The Guild Hall
Monk Bar Gate with Richard III Museum
Museum Gardens
Houses in the Old Town
York Minster: Architecture
Castles
Carlisle
History
Richmond
Conquest to King John
Henry III to the Tudors
Architecture
Scarborough
Romans to the Tudors
Civil War to the Present
Architecture
Roman Remains
Eboracum / York
Roman Bath in the Fortress
Wall Fort Birdoswald
The Dark Age Timber Halls
Wall Fort Segedunum
Museum and Viewing Tower
The Baths
Other Roman Sites
The Mithraeum at Brocolita
The Signal Station at Scarborough
Scotland
Scotland Tour
Towns
Edinburgh
Views from the Castle
Stirling
The Wallace Monument
Castles
Doune
A Virtual Tour
The Early Stewart Kings
Royal Dower House
Duart Castle
Guarding the Sound of Mull
Dunstaffnage
An Ancient MacDougall Stronghold
The Wars of Independence
The Campbells Are Coming
Dunstaffnage Chapel
Stirling
Robert the Bruce
Abbeys and Churches
Inchcolm
Arriving at Inchcolm Abbey
Neolithicum and Bronze Age
Neolithic Orkney
Ring of Brodgar
Skara Brae
Brochs and Cairns
Clava Cairns
The Brochs of Gurness and Midhowe - Introduction
Picts and Dalriatans
Dunadd Hill Fort
Staffa
Wales
Towns
Aberystwyth
Castle and Coast
Caerleon
The Ffwrwm
The Roman Amphitheatre
The Baths in the Legionary Fort
Conwy
The Smallest House in Great Britain
Castles
Beaumaris
History
Architecture
Caernarfon
Master James of St.George
The Castle Kitchens
Cardiff
From Romans to Victorians
Chepstow
Beginnings unto Bigod
Edward II to the Tudors
Civil War
Conwy
History
Architecture
Criccieth
Llywelyn's Buildings
King Edward's Buildings
Manorbier
The Pleasantest Spot in Wales
Pembroke
Photo Impressions
The Caves Under the Castle
Roman Remains
Isca Silurum / Caerleon
The Amphitheatre
The Baths in the Legionary Fort
Denmark
Denmark Tour, Part 1 /
Part 2
Finland
Towns
Porvoo
Medieval Porvoo
Norway
Castles and Fortresses
Akershus Fortress in Oslo
Kings and Pirates
The Time of King Håkon V
Architecture
Vardøhus Fortress
History
Museums
The Fram Museum in Oslo
Sweden
Neolithicum and Bronze Age
Gotland
Gnisvärd Ship Setting
Museums
The Vasa Museum in Stockholm
Raising the Vasa Wreck
Estonia
Baltics Tour, Part 1 /
Part 2
Towns
Tallinn
The History of Medieval Tallinn
Latvia
Baltics Tour, Part 1 /
Part 2
Towns
Riga
The History of Medieval Riga
Lithuania
Lithuania Tour, Part 1 /
Part 2
Towns
Vilnius
Photo Impressions
Czechia
Czechia Tour
Towns
Cheb / Eger
The Old Town
Karlovy Vary / Karlsbad
Brief History of the Town
Kutná Hora
The Sedlec Ossuary
The Medieval Town and St.Barbara's Church
Poland
Poland Tour
Towns
Gdańsk / Danzig
History of Medieval Gdańsk
Medieval and Renaissance Gdańsk
Kraków
The Old Town
Jewish Kraków - Kazimierz and the Ghetto
Wrocław / Breslau
The Botanical Garden
The Wrocław Dwarfs
Castles
Ogrodzieniec Castle
A Virtual Tour
First Castle to the Boner Family
Belgium
Towns
Antwerp
The Old Town
Bruges
Medieval Bruges
Ghent
Medieval Ghent
Tongeren
Medieval Buildings
Roman Remains
Atuatuca Tungrorum / Tongeren
Roman Remains in the Town
Luxembourg
Towns
Luxembourg City
A Tour of the Town
City Trips
Strasbourg (France)
A Tour of the Town
St. Petersburg (Russia)
Impressions from the Neva River
Landscapes and Geology
Germany
Baltic Sea Coast
Flensburg Firth
Impressions from Rugia
Rugia: Flint Fields
Rugia: Jasmund Peninsula and Kap Arkona
Rugia: The Pier of Sellin
A Tour on the Wakenitz River
Lüneburg Heath
Hiking in the Lüneburg Heath
Harz National Park
A Collection of Tours
Arboretum Bad Grund / Hübichenstein
Bode Valley and Rosstrappe Cliff
Daneil's Cave
Devil's Wall
Ilse Valley and Ilse's Rock
Klus Rock
Lonau Falls
Oderteich Reservoir
Rappbode Reservoir
Rhume Springs
Southern Harz Karst
National Park Hainich
Oberderdorla and Hainich National Park
Nature Park Meissner-Kaufunger Wald
Blue Dome near Eschwege
Hiking in the Meissner
Hessian Switzerland
Rossbach Heath
Salt Springs at the Werra
Nature Park Reinhardswald
Old Forest at the Sababurg
Nature Park Solling-Vogler
The Forest Pasture Project
Hannover Cliffs
Raised Bog Mecklenbruch
Pretty Places in Göttingen
Spring in the Parks of Göttingen
Winter Impressions
Rivers and Lakes
Autumn at Werra/Weser
The Danube in Spring
Edersee Reservoir
A Rainy Rhine Cruise
Vineyards at Saale/Unstrut
Weser River Ferry
Weser Skywalk
Wildlife
Harz Falcon Park
Ozeaneum Stralsund: Baltic Sea Life
Ozeaneum Stralsund: North Sea Life
Red squirrels
Baltic Countries
Baltic Sea Cruise
Lithuania
Beaches at the Curonian Spit
Geology of the Curonian Spit
Great Britain
The East Coast
By Ferry to Newcastle
Impressions from the East Coast
Scottish Sea Shores
Crossing to Mull
Mull: Craignure to Fionnphort
Dunollie and Kilchurn
Highland Mountains: Inverness to John o'Groats
Pentland Firth
Staffa
Summer in Oban
Scotland by Train
West Highland Railway
Wildlife
Sea Gulls
Scandinavia
The
Hurtigruten-Tour
A Voyage into Winter
Light and Shadows
Norway by Train
From Oslo to Bergen
From Trondheim to Oslo
Wildlife
Bearded Seals
Dog Sledding With Huskies
Eagles and Gulls in the Trollfjord
Geology
Fossils and Rocks
Fossilized Ammonites
Loket Meteorite (Czechia)
Photo Parades
Photo Parade 2023
Photo Parade 2024
Medieval History
Medieval Life
Warfare
Trebuchets
Late Medieval Swords
Medieval Art
The Choir Screen in the Cathedral of Mainz
The Gospels of Heinrich the Lion
The Hunting Frieze in Königslutter Cathedral
Medieval Monster Carvings
The Viking Treasure of Hiddensee
Craftmanship
Goldsmithery
Medical Instruments
The Hanseatic League
History of the Hanseatic League
Introduction and Beginnings
Hanseatic Architecture
Examples of Brick Architecture
Hall Houses (Dielenhäuser)
Goods and Trade
Stockfish Trade
Towns of the Hanseatic League
Riga
Stralsund
Tallinn / Reval
The Order of the Teutonic Knights
The Northern Crusades
The Conquest of Danzig
The Siege of Vilnius 1390
Vikings
Viking Material Culture
The Viking Treasure of Hiddensee
Viking Ships
The Nydam Ship
Germany
Geneaology
List of Medieval German Emperors
Anglo-German Marriage Connections
Kings and Emperors
The Salian Dynasty
King Heinrich IV
Staufen against Welfen
Emperor Otto IV
Princes and Lords
House Welfen
Heinrich the Lion's Ancestors
The Dukes of Braunschweig-Grubenhagen
Otto I of Braunschweig-Göttingen
The Landgraves of Thuringia
The Ludowing Landgraves of Thuringia
Albrecht II and Friedrich I of Thuringia
Dukes and Princes of other Families
Prince Wilhelm Malte of Putbus
Counts and Local Lords
The Marshals of Ebersburg
The Counts of Everstein
The Counts of Hohnstein
The Lords of Plesse
The Counts of Reichenbach
The Counts of Winzenburg
Feuds and Rebellions
Royal Troubles
Otto IV and Bishop Adalbert II of Magdeburg
Local Feuds
The Lüneburg Succession War
The Thuringian Succession War
The Star Wars
Great Britain
Kings of England
House Plantagenet
Richard Lionheart in Speyer
King Henry IV's Lithuanian Crusade
Normans, Britons, Angevins
Great Noble Houses
The Dukes of Brittany
The Earls of Richmond
Kings of Scots
House Dunkeld
Malcolm III and Northumbria
Struggle for the Throne: Malcolm III to David I
King David and the Civil War, 1
King David and the Civil War, 2
Houses Bruce and Stewart
The Early Stewart Kings
Welsh Princes
The Princes of Gwynedd
The Rise of House Aberffraw
Scotland and England
The Wars of Independence
Alexander of Argyll
The Fight for Stirling Castle
Wales and England
A History of Rebellion
Llywellyn ap Gruffudd to Owain Glyn Dŵr
Scandinavia
Kings of Denmark
House Knýtlinga
Harald Bluetooth's Flight to Pomerania
Kings of Norway
Foreign Relations
King Eirik's Scottish Marriages
King Håkon V's Swedish Politics
Beginnings of the Kalmar Union
Danish Rule in the Baltic Sea
The Duchy of Estonia
Danish Kings and German Sword Brothers
Feuds and Rebellions
Alv Erlingsson of Tønsberg
Livonia and Lithuania
(Livonia: Latvia and Estonia)
Lithuanian Princes
The Geminid Dynasty
Troublesome Cousins - Jogaila and Vytautas
The Northern Crusades
The Wars in Lithuania
The Siege of Vilnius 1390
Conflicts in Livonia
The History of Riga
The History of Reval (Tallinn)
Poland
Royal Dynasties
The Jagiełłonian Kings
Władysław Jagiełło and the Polish-Lithuanian Union
The Northern Crusades
The Conquest of Pomerania and Prussia
The Conquest of Danzig
Bohemia
Royal Dynasties
The Bohemian Kings of House Luxembourg
King Sigismund and the Hussite Wars
Luxembourg
House Luxembourg
King Sigismund
Roman History
The Romans at War
Forts and Fortifications
The German Limes
The Cavalry Fort Aalen
Limes Fort Osterburken
Limes Fort Saalburg
The Hadrian's Wall
Introduction
The Fort at Segedunum / Wallsend
Border Life
Exercise Halls
Mile Castles and Watch Towers
Soldiers' Living Quarters
Cavalry Barracks
Campaigns and Battles
Maps
The Romans in Germania
The Pre-Varus Invasion in Germania
Roman Camp Hedemünden
New Finds in 2008
The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
Museum Park at Kalkriese
The Battle at the Harzhorn
Introduction
The Batavian Rebellion
A Short Introduction
Roman Militaria
Armour
Early Imperial Helmets
Late Roman Helmets
The Negau B Helmet
Weapons
Weapon Finds at Hedemünden
The pilum
Daggers
Swords
Other Equipment
Roman Saddles
Roman Life and Religion
Religion and Public Life
Religion
Curse Tablets and Good Luck Charms
Isis Worship
Memorial Stones
The Mithras Cult
Public Life
Roman Transport: Barges
Roman Transport: Amphorae and Barrels
Roman Water Supply
Architecture
Roman Public Baths
Domestic Life
Roman
villae
Villa Urbana Longuich
Villa Rustica Wachenheim
Everyday Life
Bathing Habits
Children's Toys
Face Pots
Other Times
Neolithicum to Iron Age
Germany
Development of Civilisation
European Bread Museum, Ebergötzen
The Hutewald Project in the Solling
Open Air Museum Oerlinghausen
Neolithic Remains
Stone Burials of the Funnelbeaker Culture
The Necropolis of Oldendorf
Bronze Age / Iron Age
The Nydam Ship
Scotland
Neolithic Orkney
The Neolithic Landscape of Orkney
Ring of Brodgar
Skara Brae
Life in Skara Brae
Bronze Age / Iron Age
Clava Cairns
The Brochs of Gurness and Midhowe - Their Function in Iron Age Society
Scandinavia
Bronze / Iron Age
The Ship Setting of Gnisvärd / Gotland
Post-Medieval History
Development of Technologies
Otto von Guericke and the Magdeburg Hemispheres
Attempts at Raising the Vasa Wreck
Explorers
Fram Expedition to the North Pole
Fram Expedition to the South Pole
Arts and Literature
The Weimar Classicism