Argentovaria: the inquiry
The toponym Argentovaria is found in several manuscripts like in The Geopgraphy written by Ptolemy in the 2nd century (Fuchs 1993). Other manuscripts from the 3rd and 4th centuries also related the existence of a military site named Argentovaria. In 378, the emperor Gratian beat the Alamannis under the walls of Argentovaria. There are many problems in locating the exact place of this site. First the original documents do not exist anymore and the copy may not always be accurate. Secondly, there are other Roman sites that have been discovered in the vicinity that could also correspond to the description of the location (Fuchs 1993). The controversy concerning the location of Argentovaria has been going on since the 16th century, but there is no evidence that the castellum of Horbourg-Wihr was Argentovaria, only further research may reveal where Argentovaria is located.
Excavations of the
Castellum in
2004