How the Romans Conquered the Alps

In 15BC, the Emperor Augustus set out to conquer Germania, but to pacify this northern territory, he needed to control a direct route through the unconquered Alps. Despite its importance, little was known about Augustus’s Alpine campaign until researchers uncovered an ancient battlefield and the Roman Empire’s highest military camp at the Septimer Pass in the Swiss canton of Grisons. A team of archaeologists, forensic and ballistics experts reconstruct the campaign, revealing for the first time the route, weapons and tactics used to overcome the Suanetes. The findings reveal how Roman soldiers coped in the harsh mountain conditions to successfully annex much of the Alps in a single summer. This province, Raetia, remained under Roman control for 400 years.