An archaeologist has on Google Earth 3 ancient Roman military camps discovered in the Jordanian desert. The camps from the 2nd century AD could be part of a secret military maneuvers have been.
Rare camp in the Middle East
Only a handful of Roman camps have been found in the Middle East, unlike in Europe, where hundreds of military camps are known. The outlines of these camps are sometimes included as well Google Earth to recognize. This is also the case in Jordan.
© Google Earth
However, the camp in Jordan is so far out in the Desertthat nobody has probably visited it on foot. There are only a few tire tracks nearby. The main author of StudyMichael Fradley, opposite “Live Science” indicates that a wall of the camp was at some point in a Jordanian directory of the cultural heritage had been registered. “But it wasn’t interpreted as a Roman camp,” he says.
Several camps discovered
Fradley regularly works with Google Earth images because the open source images are freely accessible. Most recently, he inspected an area in Jordan on the border Saudi Arabianwhere he encountered several rectangular structures.
Further investigation suggested that the outlines are the remains of temporary Roman military camps, constructed by soldiers to a standard plan. The camps are about 37 to 44 kilometers apart and Fradley estimates they were manned by hundreds of mounted troops. May have served as a means of transportation Camels.
Bird’s-eye view of the Roman camp.
© F. Bqa’in
Secret Roman attack possible
However, there are no records of Roman activity in the region in the 2nd century AD. At the time the area was owned by a Bedouinvolk controlled, which was considered an ally of the Roman Empire. The camps seem to refer to the city of that time Dumat al-Jandal to align, but are off the path used at that time. Fradley therefore suspects that it is a secret Roman attack could act.
What happened to the soldiers in the camps is not known. They may have turned back before reaching Dumat al-Jandal, or continued their journey to other camps, Fradley surmises. However, there is no evidence for these theories.
