

The last obstacle in the path of Roman control of the Alps as a shield to northern Italy were the Raetians. The first part of Switzerland to fall to Rome’s armies was southern Ticino, annexed after the Roman victory over the Insubres in 222 BC. South of the Swiss plateau were the Nantuates, Seduni and Veragri in the Valais region, the Lepontii in the Ticino and the Raetians in the Grisons area. The Helvetii were the most numerous but there were many others including the Rauraci in north-west Switzerland based around Basel, and the Allobroges around Geneva. The area of what is now Switzerland was populated by numerous tribes, most of which were Celtic, before the Roman conquest. ( Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen ) The Roman Conquest of Switzerland Leads to Local Battles “It looks like the locals have holed up and were shot at by the Romans with slingshots and catapults,” Peter Schwarz, professor of Provincial Roman Archaeology at the University of Basel, said.Ī sling lead with an inscription that suggests that the twelfth Roman legion was involved in the Swiss Roman battle against the local Celtic Helvetii tribes. Whistling Sling Stones: Psychological Warfare and the Roman Army.Rare Roman Soldier’s Dagger Restored To Its Former Glory.The battle took place between the Roman army and a local Rhaetian tribe in what is the present-day canton of Graubünden. Swissinfo.ch reports that over the last two years archaeologists have found a rich haul of hundreds of artifacts including the dagger, well-preserved slingshot stones, coins, nails, and part of a shield that are assumed to have been left behind after a Swiss Roman battle between the Roman army and a local tribe. The University of Basel then began a five-year research project with the federal government and the canton. This alerted experts to the possibility that there were more artifacts at the site to uncover. His tenacity paid off when, two years ago, he managed to uncover the well-preserved 2000-year-old Roman dagger. However, local amateur archaeologist Lucas Schmid believed otherwise. ( Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen ) The Swiss Roman Battle Site: Revealed Artifacts for 20 YearsĪlthough the site became known 20 years back and yielded many artifacts at the time, it was believed to have surrendered all its treasures over the years. Using a metal detector, Lucas Schmid, a hobby archaeologist, found a Roman dagger in the south-eastern region of Switzerland, which was a solid piece of evidence for what was an unknown Swiss Roman battle. Using a metal detector, Lucas Schmid, who is a volunteer at the Graubünden Archaeological Service, found a Roman dagger in the remote south-eastern region of Switzerland near the Crap-Ses gorge, which was a solid piece of evidence for what was until then an unknown Swiss Roman battle. The new site was found between the towns of Tiefencastel and the Cunter thanks to the persistence of an amateur archaeologist. And that is what seems to have happened in the case of a Swiss Roman battle site from 2000 years ago.
