Kalefeld

Kalefeld
Coat of arms
Kalefeld
Location of Kalefeld within Northeim district
Coordinates: 51°47′53″N 10°02′06″E / 51.79806°N 10.03500°E / 51.79806; 10.03500Coordinates: 51°47′53″N 10°02′06″E / 51.79806°N 10.03500°E / 51.79806; 10.03500
Country	Germany
State	Lower Saxony
District	Northeim
Government
• Mayor	Edgar Martin (Ind.)
Area
• Total	84.16 km2 (32.49 sq mi)
Elevation	125 m (410 ft)
Population (2015-12-31)
• Total	6,543
• Density	78/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	37589
Dialling codes	05553
Vehicle registration	NOM
Website	www.kalefeld.de

Kalefeld is a municipality in the district of Northeim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 10 km north of Northeim. It comprises the villages of Dögerode, Eboldshausen, Echte, Kalefeld, Oldenrode, Oldershausen, Sebexen, Westerhof, Wiershausen, and Willershausen.

In 2008, a Roman battlefield was excavated near the town. Currently it is very probable that Roman legionaries won a battle for a blocked pass against local Germanic fighters.

In summer 2008 German archaeologists unearthed the remains of a battle fought in Magna Germania very probably between Roman legionaries and Germanic tribes. The archaeological find was originally made in 2000 by amateurs in a hilly pine-wooded region between Hanover and Kassel who discovered metallic items using metal-detectors.

The archaeologists have now ascertained that a fierce battle now called the Battle at the Harzhorn took place on the approach to a pass, involving archers and cavalry equipped with long-range catapults (Scorpio) capable of piercing shields at a distance of 300 metres (yards).

"The findings show that possibly 1,000 Romans were involved" in the battle, according to the leading archaeologist, Petra Lönne. "This is an unrivalled, well-preserved site," she added. Some 600 artefacts have been found so far, including spears, arrowheads, axes, armour plating, tent pegs, catapult bolts, and coins. In 2013, a complete coat of mail was discovered as well.

One such coin depicts the Roman emperor Commodus, who reigned from 180 to 192 AD (terminus post quem), while fragments of swords and carts suggest the battle took place in the first half of the third century AD

Contrary to the belief of the German media that the Romans completely retreated behind the river Rhine in the wake of the Teutoburg Forest massacre in which thousands of legionaries were slaughtered, historical records regularly reported about military operations as punitive raids east of the Rhine.