In the Alps, a hiker unintentionally finds an ancient Roman shrine to mountain gods.
The site of the finds, at the foot of the Ammertenhorn, at the end of summer 2022. © Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern, Regula Glatz
Being a professional archaeologist must occasionally be frustrating. Here you are laboring away on years-long excavations in the sweltering desert or icy English rain, hoping to find a tiny clue about ancient burial rites or something — only for some rogue to wander up a mountain one day and unintentionally stumble upon a long-lost shrine to the Ancient Roman mountain gods.
The Alps rarely yield solitary Roman coins, but this finding stands out for the quantity and position of the coins.
Even though our investigations are just getting started, we believe this is a sacred location.
A Roman coin on the site of the excavations. © Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern, Regula Glatz
People made a sort of pilgrimage there to leave votive offerings—mostly cash, but also other items—asking or thanking the gods.
A lone hiker discovered a solitary old coin buried among the wreckage in 2020, which was the first indication that something unusual may have been going on in the area.
But, it soon became clear that this high-altitude spot was concealing much more than just a few pieces of lost change after reporting the discovery to the local authorities.
The votive plaque found at the foot of the Ammertenhorn. © Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern, Markus Detmer
According to Newsweek, the team has so far uncovered 100 antique Roman coins, 59 Roman shoe nails, 27 tiny rock crystals, a brooch, and a piece of a votive plaque with a leaf design.
Yet even for the modern excavation team, getting to the location was challenging because it was 2,590 meters (almost 8,500 feet) above sea level and far from any known crossing spots.
It is clearly not a pass because it is far from any populated areas, both now and during the Roman era.
All of this points to a location that was very significant to the ancient people who left those artifacts behind.
The research team speculates that the area's naturally occurring rock crystal formations may play a role in its significance.
One of 27 rock crystals found at the foot of the Ammertenhorn. © Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern, Regula Glatz
This kind of item is frequently thought of as an offering.
It is possible that the elevated plateau that sits between the Wildstrubel massif and Ammertenhorn's distant peaks was once a sacred site.
It's not entirely surprising considering that the location is only 19.3 kilometers (12 miles) from Thun, which is home to multiple Roman temples, including one specifically dedicated to the Alps' goddesses.
Clearly, there was a religious importance to the mountains, according to Gubler.
This location is intriguing because it demonstrates that the local Romans traveled up and near to the mountains to leave votive offerings, in addition to worshiping them from a distance.