Stein is located opposite Bad Säckingen in Germany. Today the villages are connected by two bridges, one of which made of wood, more than 200 meters long, and at least as old as the 13th century. There may well have been a bridge here in Roman times.
Wooden bridge between Stein and Bad Säckingen (Germany), seen from Stein. Photo: Wikimedia, Wladyslaw.
Wooden bridge between Stein and Bad Säckingen (Germany), interior. Photo: Wikimedia, BlueBreezeWiki.Here the two roads coming from Tenedo (Bad Zurzach) and from Vindonissa (Windisch) came together and continued as a road to Augusta Raurica (Augst). Virtually nothing has been found from Roman times. In 1871 F. Keller wrote: "In the village of Stein there are still ruins of a building that is believed to be Roman and the remains of a tower". In 1962 a few reused architectural stone fragments were found.
It has been suggested that Bad Säckingen was called Sanctio, mentioned by Ammianus Marcellinus describing events taking place in 361 AD. The identification is quite uncertain however.
Dum haec ita aguntur, propinquante iam vere, nuntio percitus inopino ad tristitiam versus est et maerorem. Didicit enim Alamannos a pago Vadomarii exorsos, unde nihil post ictum foedus sperabatur incommodum, vastare confinis Raetiis tractus, nihilque sinere intemptatum manus, praedatorias fusius discurrentes. Quod ne dissimulatum redivivas bellorum materias excitaret, Libinonem quendam comitem cum Celtis et Petulantibus misit hiemantibus secum, negotium, ut poscebat ratio, correcturum. Qui cum mature prope oppidum Sanctionem venisset longe visus a barbaris, qui iam certamina meditantes sese per valles abdiderant, hortatusque milites licet numero inpares, cupidine tamen pugnandi vehementius inritatos, adgreditur inconsulte Germanos interque dimicandi exordia ipse concidit omnium primus, cuius interitu erecta barbarorum fiducia Romanisque ad ducis vindictam accensis certamen committitur obstinatum, et urgente magnitudinis mole disiecti sunt nostri occisis paucis et vulneratis. While these events were taking place, spring being now at hand, Julian was stirred by an unexpected piece of news, which turned him to sadness and grief. For he learned that the Alamanni had sallied forth from Vadomarius' canton, a quarter from which he looked for no danger since the conclusion of the treaty, and were devastating the regions bordering on Raetia, and, ranging widely with bands of plunderers, were leaving nothing untried. Since to ignore this would arouse new causes for war, he sent a certain Libino, a count, with the Celts and Petulantes, who were wintering with him, to set matters in order according as conditions demanded. When Libino had quickly come to the neighbourhood of the town of Sanctio, he was seen from afar by the savages, who, already meditating battle, had hidden themselves in the valleys. Thereupon encouraging his men, who, though fewer in numbers, were inspired with an ardent longing for battle, he rashly attacked the Germans and at the beginning of the fighting was himself the first of all to fall. Since his death increased the confidence of the savages and fired the Romans with a desire to avenge their leader, an obstinate struggle ensued, in which our men, overcome by vast numbers, were put to flight after a few of them had been killed or wounded. Ammianus Marcellinus, History XXI,3. Translation J. C. Rolfe.
Literature
Drack-Fellmann 1988, 482-483; Häseli - Schwarz 2020.
[30-Sep-2023]
