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30.01.2026 09:50

Research project “Kalkriese as the site of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest? – an ongoing controversy”

Sophia Sievers Stabsstelle Presse
Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum

The research project “Kalkriese as the site of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest? – an ongoing controversy”, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, has been successfully completed with the submission of two doctoral theses. In cooperation with the German Mining Museum Bochum – Leibniz Research Museum for Geo-resources – and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, two researchers approached the finds from Kalkriese in very different ways.

Text and Contact:
Caroline Flöring
Varusschlacht im Osnabrücker Land - Museum und Park Kalkriese
Tel. +49 (0)5468/ 9204-40, E-Mail: caroline.floering@kalkriese-varusschlacht.de

In her recently published doctoral thesis, Dr Uta Schröder, now at the University of Bonn, focused on the cultural-historical contextualisation of the archaeological finds. Her study concentrated on the dating, function and spatial distribution of the artefacts in order to obtain as precise a picture as possible of the events that took place at the site. As part of this work, a source-critical analysis was carried out for the first time, examining the various circumstances under which the artefacts were discovered.
Dr Annika Lüttmann, now at Georg Agricola University of Applied Sciences in Bochum, used a new scientific method to investigate whether it is possible to identify so-called metallurgical fingerprints of Roman legions. Using chemical analysis techniques, she succeeded in identifying the 19th Legion at Kalkriese. Both researchers have now presented their findings.
“The two doctoral theses once again demonstrate that the history of this site is far from fully told. Many questions remain unanswered, some findings are surprising, and time and again entirely new research approaches emerge. It becomes increasingly clear that archaeology reaches its limits with its own methods, limits that can only be overcome through scientific analyses. For this reason, we are once again looking forward to the excavations and projects planned for the coming years. We are tracing the events that took place here and hope to solve one or two of the remaining mysteries,” agree Professor Dr Marcus Zagermann (University of Osnabrück), Scientific Director, and Dr Stefan Burmeister, Managing Director of Varusschlacht im Osnabrücker Land.

More than 5,000 finds under scrutiny
Since the 1980s, the Kalkriese–Niewedder depression near Osnabrück has been widely regarded by the public as the site of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. However, many questions have remained unresolved to this day: Roman written sources do not name a clearly identifiable location, while the traces found at Kalkriese do not fully correspond to those sources. The chronological classification of the site based on coin finds is currently not precise enough, and the remaining Roman artefacts have not yet been comprehensively analysed together.
For the first time, Dr Uta Schröder systematically analysed 5,400 small finds from Kalkriese, including more than 1,000 previously unpublished objects. The results paint a differentiated yet strikingly clear picture: during the late reign of Augustus or under Tiberius, a military confrontation involving Roman troops undoubtedly took place at Kalkriese. Roman infantry and cavalry units can be clearly identified. The artefacts show close connections to Roman military sites such as Haltern or Oberaden, while also pointing to Roman recruitment areas along the Lower Rhine and possibly even to a former stationing of a unit in Spain.
Ownership inscriptions name individual soldiers; references to Legio I Augusta and possibly Legio VIII Augusta could indicate previously little-known troop movements during the early Imperial period. From an archaeological perspective, however, definitive proof that the traces at Kalkriese represent the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest is still lacking. There is also no evidence for women and children, who according to written sources accompanied the baggage train of Varus’ legions.
In addition, the study shows that earlier concentrations of finds often reflect not so much historical events as the intensity of archaeological investigations. Agricultural activity, soil movement and uneven surveying and excavation have significantly influenced the distribution of finds over the decades. For this reason, the researcher argues for a reassessment of previous investigation methods and for stronger geological and agricultural accompanying research in order to interpret the complex cultural landscape of Kalkriese adequately.
“Whether it was the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest or another conflict of the early Imperial period – Kalkriese is and remains one of the most important archaeological sites in Europe, whose history is far from fully told and which will continue to yield surprising insights in the future,” Dr Uta Schröder concludes.

The 19th Legion identified at Kalkriese
Dr Annika Lüttmann has also recently completed her work on metallurgical fingerprints. There is no dispute that a Roman army perished at Kalkriese. Until now, however, it had not been possible to conclusively determine whether it was the 17th, 18th and 19th Legions from the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.
Lüttmann focused on non-ferrous metals from seven legionary sites. These metals are infinitely recyclable and were worked by legionary smiths on site, for example during the repair of weapons and equipment such as fibulae, belt buckles or strap fittings. The metals used in these workshop repairs contain trace elements that went unnoticed by Roman smiths and could not be deliberately influenced. Over time, on-site processing led to the formation of a characteristic pattern in the composition of trace elements for each legion.
This metallurgical fingerprint describes a characteristic chemical composition of trace elements in Roman non-ferrous metals. Under favourable conditions, it is therefore possible to assign legion-specific metallurgical fingerprints to legions whose stationing locations are known. On this basis, all Roman non-ferrous metals from Kalkriese were sampled and compared with finds from numerous Roman sites.
Following the analyses, it became clear that the 19th Legion in particular – which perished with Varus and had previously been stationed at Dangstetten in southern Germany – stands out from other legions that were deployed in Germania at a later date and took part in Roman retaliatory campaigns. “When comparing the finds from Kalkriese with those from other sites, we see that the finds from Dangstetten and Kalkriese show significant similarities. Finds from legionary sites whose legions did not perish in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest differ clearly from those from Kalkriese and therefore display significant differences,” summarise Dr Annika Lüttmann, her doctoral supervisor Professor Michael Prange and Museumspark Managing Director Dr Stefan Burmeister. “We are able to identify the 19th Legion at Kalkriese.”
All those involved agree that further research is required and that the data obtained must be analysed in greater depth.

On the trail of Varus – excavations planned for summer 2026
One thing is clear: many questions at Kalkriese remain unanswered and research is far from complete. This has prompted the launch of a multi-year research project. Together with the new Scientific Director, Professor Dr Marcus Zagermann of the University of Osnabrück, a long-term excavation project is planned in the museum park.
The key question remains whether the Romans fell into a tactically prepared ambush by Germanic forces at this site or whether they had established a marching camp that was subsequently overrun. New investigative methods will be employed to address this issue. The University of Osnabrück and the museum hope that clarifying these questions will lead to a deeper understanding of the events surrounding the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.

Funding
The research project “Kalkriese as the site of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest? – an ongoing controversy” was funded by the Volkswagen Foundation with a total of €435,000 as part of the funding initiative “Research in Museums”.
Dr Uta Schröder’s study, published by Reichert Verlag, was supported by the VGH Foundation, the Eckhard Bremer Foundation Fund, the Varus Society, the Landschaft of the former Principality of Osnabrück, and the charitable foundation of Kreissparkasse Bersenbrück.

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Prof. Dr. Marcus Zagermann, Universität Osnabrück, Dr. Uta Schröder, Universität Bonn, Prof. Dr. Mic ...
Quelle: Hermann Pentermann
Copyright: Varusschlacht im Osnabrücker Land

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