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.News from the Excavations
In 2011, too, archaeological excavations are taking place at Kalkriese. During the past few years, research activities on the 
antique battlefield focused on the central finding place with the field name »Oberesch« at the museum’s park. With the new excavation project, scientists are going to expand their research beyond the military conflict. During surveys of the terrain near Museum und Park Kalkriese in the past few years, not only Roman artifacts were discovered, but also traces of Germanic settlements. In 2004, test sections were cut into the current excavation area, yielding numerous shards dating to the Pre-Roman Iron Age and the Roman Empire, as well as possible indicators of a settlement. These interesting finds shall be examined further in the course of a large-scale excavation scheduled to take place this summer. More than one thousand square meters, divided into two sections, will be excavated until this fall.
The landscape in which the actual military clashes took place is the focus of the excavation – its geographical, economic and 
social aspects. Various questions will be addressed: How densely was the land surrounding the battlefield populated? Where did traffic routes run through the defile between mountain and moor? Where to did the Germanic people take their spoils of war? Where did they bury their dead? This research approach is summarized by scientists under the name »conflict landscape«. They will try to trace complex interrelations involved in extensive military activities while surveying a large section of the landscape. Their approach will include a close examination of the armies’ deployment routes, destroyed civilian settlements, military camps and burial grounds.
The German Research Funding Foundation (DFG) helps funding the »conflict landscape« research project. The University of Osnabrück’s Department of Classical and Ancient Studies (Altertumswissenschaften der Universität Osnabrück) and Varusschlacht im Osnabrücker Land GmbH - Museum und Park Kalkriese cooperate in researching the Roman-Germanic conflicts.
