After researchers used computer models to determine its location, they discovered ruins of ancient Roman camps in the Netherlands across the northern frontier of the Empire.
The “rare” discovery at a site called Hoog Buurlo shows that Romans were running about 15.5 miles (25 kilometers) south of the camp, across the boundary that ran along the Rhine.
“For the Netherlands, this is just the fourth Rome temporary camp, so it’s a very rare discovery,” said Saskia Stevens, an associate professor of ancient history and classical civilization at Utrecht University and a lead researcher on the “Lyme the Rimes” project, who found the fort. “The fact that it was discovered across the borders of the Empire and north of the Lower Germanic Lyme tells us that the Romans did not recognize Lyme as the end of the Empire,” Stevens told Live Science via email.
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According to a statement from Utrecht University, the fort was probably a temporary marching camp, with the military only in use for days or weeks. It is also possible that the camp was a stopover on the way to another camp.
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The construction of the Lime, a project led by the University of Utrecht, aims to understand how the Roman border worked and excavate a temporary Roman camp north of the border.
Related: Remains of a 1,600-year-old Roman fort excavated in Türkiye
As part of the investigation, Jens Goeree, an archaeology student at Saxion Applied Sciences University, developed a computer program to predict the location of a temporary Roman camp in Veluwe, a natural reserve area filled with forest areas, grasslands and lakes. The program is based on probability, and the data used from the elevation map and rider (light detection and range) is a technique in which machines shoot lasers from the aircraft on the site, measuring reflected waves to map the landscape below.
“He reconstructed the possible routes for the Roman army throughout the Velvet region and calculated the number of kilometres that the troops could travel per day,” Stevens said. The program also took into account road and water availability and searched for “typical Trump-style camps” built by the Romans, she said.
The computer program was not disappointed. In 2023, they led them to the Hoog Buurlo site within Veluwe.
According to the statement, in January 2025, the team dug into an archaeological trench, dig into an archaeological trench, and confirmed that it actually held an ancient fort.
The fort was 9 acres (3.6 hectares) – shaped like a rectangle with round corners. It had a 6.6 feet deep V-shaped groove, with a 10 feet wide (3 m) wide dirt wall and several entrances, Stevens said. However, the team only found some artifacts on the site, including fragments of Roman military armor.
“The number of discoveries is not surprising as the camp was only used for a short period (a few days, a few weeks) and soldiers were moving through the light,” Stevens said.
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A few discoveries have made dating camps difficult. However, by examining the armor and comparing it to a camp discovered in 1922 on another Dutch site in 1922, the team dated a newly discovered temporary camp and a second-century ad, Stevens said.
The findings indicate that the Romans “are clearly active across the border, and viewed that territory as an area of their influence,” Stevens said. The area north of Lime was a vital location for robbing those who had probably taken cows and enslaved them.
People who lived in the area, Frisii and Chamavi, were already connected to the Romans. “The Frisians generally had good relations with the Romans,” they traded with them, Stevens said. Historical sources mention treaties in which the Frisians paid taxes in the form of cattle hideouts, and they also provided soldiers to the auxiliary forces and members of the Nero (controlled from 54-68 AD) empire bodyguards.
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