JERUSALEM, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Israeli archaeologists uncovered architectural remains of an extensive 1,800-year-old military base of the Roman Legio VI Ferrata, or the Sixth Ironclad Legion, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said in a statement on Wednesday.
The base was located in the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel, at the foot of the archaeological mound of the ancient city of Megiddo.
The camp was the permanent military base for over 5,000 Roman soldiers for more than 180 years during the rule of the Roman Empire, the IAA added.
The excavations revealed impressive remains of the camp's main road, named Via Pretoria, and a semicircular-shaped podium and stone-paved areas that were part of a large, monumental public building.
The archaeologists explained that two main roads intersected at the center of the 550-m-long and 350-m-wide camp, and its headquarters were set up there.
Distances to the main cities in the north were measured and marked with milestones from this base point along the Roman Imperial roads, the archaeologists noted.
In the excavation, many roof tiles, some of which were stamped with the VIth Legion stamps, were also found. Besides roofing buildings, they were used for paving floors and coating walls. Ancient coins, weapon parts, pottery sherds, and glass fragments were also found at the site.
The technology and know-how, building techniques, and weapons that the legion brought from its home country are unique to the Roman army, reflecting specific Roman imperial military characteristics, the researchers concluded.
