Roman military horse cemetery found on Germanic frontier

[guy]

 

This article offers a more detailed examination of a previous post on the discovery and excavation of a Roman horse cemetery in Cannstatt, Germany, containing the remains of 109 horses. This finding is interpreted as evidence of a Roman military unit stationed on the frontier.

Cannstatt’s importance lies in its role as a major Roman military and logistical hub on the Upper Germanic frontier, located at a strategic crossing of the Neckar River where cavalry, supply transport, and frontier defense converged. The discovery of the 109‑horse Roman military cemetery underscores Cannstatt’s function as a cavalry garrison center. 

The cemetery is associated with a Roman fort or cavalry outpost, likely dating to the 2nd–3rd centuries AD, when cavalry forces were heavily deployed along the frontier. The horses belonged to an ala (cavalry regiment) or an equites cohort.

The Cannstatt horses were small, tough, and highly functional cavalry mounts, standing 130–140 cm (51–55 in) tall — exactly the type of horse the Roman army preferred for mobility and endurance on the Germanic frontier. This size would be considered a large pony or small horse today, but in the Roman period, it was standard cavalry size. (There had been earlier posts about Roman horses being smaller than modern horses. See picture below of Marcus Aurelius with a relatively small horse.)

Preliminary isotope results suggest that many horses were not locally bred, supporting the idea that Roman cavalry units imported or transferred horses between provinces.

 

 

https://the-past.com/feature/109-roman-mounts-excavating-a-military-horse-cemetery/

 

 

Edited May 4 by guy