Under the modern foundations of Vienna still sleeps the shadow of its Roman past. During recent work in the Simering district, an unexpected discovery uncovered a Roman common pit in Vienna, buried under a football stadium. Only a few kilometers from the historic heart, more than one hundred and fifty skeletons have been exhumed, testifying to a confrontation as brutal as they can be forgotten. Between traces of injuries to combat and abandoned military objects, the site reveals the remains of a battle of which no ancient text had memory.
The first elements indicate that men have been inhummed in haste, probably in a context of great urgency. Archaeologists from the Vienna Museum dated the bones between 80 and 130 AD, thanks to carbon 14 analysis and the study of several exhumed military objects, such as spears, breastplate fragments and military sandal nails. A dagger, whose style corresponds precisely to the end of the 1st century, was notably decisive to locate the event in time.
A Roman common pit in Vienna, witness to a bloody confrontation
All exhumed bodies are male, aged 20 to 30, and in good health. Archaeologists have observed on each skeleton net traces of wounds: blades, impacts of projectiles and contounding trauma in the head, in the basin and the torso.
According to Kristina Adler-Wölfl, responsible for archeology of the city of Vienna, these marks leave no doubt about the nature of the facts. These are not executions, but deaths on the battlefield. This is confirmed by The Guardian, adding that this kind of discovery – not a battlefield, but of its victims – had no known equivalent in the military history of the Roman Empire.
The mode of burial, disorderly, and the lack of cremation – however usual at that time – suggests that the gravediggers acted in the precipitation, without ceremony. For Michaela Binder, director of excavations, this is a unique case throughout Roman history. Although archaeologists have found many weapons elsewhere in Europe, no site had ever delivered so many bodies of Roman soldiers killed during a confrontation.
What this discovery changes in the history of the city
The researchers think that the Danube campaigns, led by the Emperor Domitian between 86 and 96 AD, could explain the presence of this Roman common pit in Vienna. This hypothesis is based in particular on the location of the site, located outside the former military camp in Vindobona, the nucleus of ancient Vienne. According to the Austrian site Vienna.at, very limited historical sources mention the loss of a Roman legion around the year 92, which could correspond to the events documented by the excavations.
The place of discovery, in Hasenleitngasse, is located a few kilometers from the current historic center of the city. According to the experts cited by The Independent, this discovery could modify the chronology of the urban expansion of Vienna. It shows that a military or civilian establishment probably existed at this place long before the massive extension of the Vindobona camp during the reign of Trajan.
This site, exceptional for central Europe, raises many questions still unanswered. Researchers now intend to rely on DNA and isotopic analyzes to determine the geographic origin of soldiers, their diet and, perhaps, their ethnicity. The Vienna Museum is already considering an exhibition in two years to present the results of the first studies to the public. In the meantime, this forgotten battlefield continues to deliver its secrets.
With an unwavering passion for local news, Christopher leads our editorial team with integrity and dedication. With over 20 years’ experience, he is the backbone of Wouldsayso, ensuring that we stay true to our mission to inform.
