A Roman camp sitting at nearly 7,000 feet in the Swiss Alps has been uncovered. The site links directly to a known battlefield and confirms a coordinated military presence in the region around 2,000 years ago.
The discovery was made in Graubünden, where archaeologists have been studying traces of Roman activity for several years. According to the Canton of Graubünden, the camp’s position allowed soldiers to keep watch over several key valleys and routes through the Alps.
Since 2021, teams from the University of Basel and the Graubünden Archaeological Service had been focusing on a battlefield in the Crap Ses area. The situation changed in 2023, when a volunteer spotted an unusual shape in the landscape higher up, leading researchers to a second site.
A Hidden Fortification Spotted From The Air
The camp is located in the Colm la Runga corridor, about 3,000 feet above the known battlefield. It was identified using LiDAR, a technology that scans the ground and reveals subtle changes in elevation. This made it possible to clearly see the outline of a man-made structure.
What emerged is a fortified site with three ditches and a rampart wall, still visible after nearly two thousand years. From this spot, Roman troops had a wide view over the valleys, as well as the busy Lenzerheide route.
“The location of the camp at Colm la Runga was clearly chosen for strategic reasons. From this position, there is a wide view over the surrounding valleys, including Landwasser Valley, Albula Valley, Domleschg, and Surses. The Lenzerheide, which was an important passage at the time, is also clearly visible,” reported in a translated statement.
Roman Legion Traced Through Finds
Inside the site, archaeologists uncovered lead sling bullets and hobnails from military boots. Some of the bullets are stamped with the mark of the Roman 3rd Legion, clearly pointing to the unit involved.
As explained in statement, these objects match those found at the nearby battlefield, placing both sites in the same time period, around 2,000 years ago. This connection suggests the camp and battlefield were part of the same military operation.
Following the Lost Roman Route Across the Alps
This find helps piece together how Roman troops travelled across this part of the Alps. As the official statement notes, they probably moved from Bergell over the Septimer Pass to Tiefencastel, before continuing toward Chur and the Alpine Rhine Valley.
Placing a camp at this altitude shows how the Romans used high ground to monitor movement and control access through key mountain corridors.
“The remarkable discovery of a Roman military camp in the canton of Graubünden underscores once more that archaeological research in ‘Roman Switzerland’ continues to reveal unexpected treasures”
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