Archaeologists have uncovered a rare Roman-era workshop area in western Dortmund, Germany, during an excavation of a settlement dating from the 1st to 5th centuries AD. The site contains several areas with pits, furnaces, and hearths. It also has the first pottery kiln found at the site and exceptionally well-preserved workshops used for metalworking. The excavation team from the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL) and the Dortmund City Archaeology Department began examining the settlement in mid-August. Reportedly, the workshop area is a first of its kind in the western part of the Germanic settlement area.
Archaeologists uncover a rare workshop area in western Dortmund
The excavation team has uncovered several areas used for craft work at the settlement. The remains include pits, furnaces and hearths that provide evidence of different activities carried out at the site.The excavation team also identified the first pottery kiln discovered at the site. The team also identified workshops used for metalworking. These areas are described as exceptionally well preserved. Dr Eva Cichy, excavation director at the Olpe branch of LWL Archaeology for Westphalia, said, “This is a first in this form in the western part of the Germanic settlement area. In addition to the first pottery kiln, we found metalworking workshops, which were exceptionally well preserved.“
PC: Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL)
What do the furnaces reveal about ancient metalworking
The excavated furnaces provide details about how the metal was processed. Jan Rosbeck of the Dortmund City Archaeology Department said, “The Germanic tribes melted Roman scrap metal here in crucibles that they placed in kilns. These were round to oval structures with clay walls, into which air was pumped from the sides using bellows to regulate the temperature.” These remains provide physical evidence of the facilities used to process Roman metal scrap. The LWL identified them as part of the metalworking area uncovered during the excavation. The structures provide further archaeological evidence of Germanic metalworking during the Roman Imperial Period.
More clues remain to be uncovered at the ancient workshop
The excavation is now nearly complete, although some questions about the site remain unanswered. The archaeologists do not yet know what type of pottery was produced in the kiln. The team plans to completely recover the best-preserved furnace so that the unique archaeological remains can be put on display in the future.The excavation began in mid-August and is being carried out by LWL Archaeology for Westphalia together with the Dortmund City Archaeology Department. The workshop area includes the pottery kiln and metalworking facilities, along with pits, furnaces and hearths.
Why is the discovery important beyond the region
The metalworking remains are especially important because they provide evidence for Germanic metal processing outside the Roman Empire. Prof. Dr. Michael Baales of LWL Archaeology for Westphalia said, “It has been known for some time that the Germanic tribes, particularly in the late Imperial period, recycled large quantities of Roman metal objects acquired through trade or plunder.”Tobias Zacharias of the Dortmund City Archaeology Department said such work had not previously been documented through archaeological remains. He said the discovery makes the site significant beyond the region and gives the excavation wider archaeological importance.
