Archaeologists have found the famous ancient Roman "barbed wire" mentioned by Julius Caesar near a silver mine. To date, no trace of this military technology has been found.

When Julius Caesar undertook the legendary military expedition in Gaul in the 1st century BC, he wrote about small, sharpened wooden stakes that would cover the fences of their camp. This was an ancient Roman version of today's barbed wire.

Until this year, no examples of this military technology have been found. Now, researchers from Goethe University in Germany have discovered an intact specimen for the first time. In the process, they also removed a 130-year-old assumption about the region's history.

The small wooden stakes were found in what is now the German town of Bad Ems, where archaeologist Frederic Auth has led the excavations since 2019, according to a statement from the university.