Battle of Solicinium

The Battle of Solicinium was fought in 368 between a Roman Empire army and the Alamanni. The Roman force was led by Emperor Valentinian I, and they managed to repel the Alamanni, but suffered heavy losses during the battle.

There is little known about the battle. Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus claims that different tribes organized for a major offensive, the last one to overcome the Germanic Limes. Forced to do battle, the Alamanni retreated onto a hill where they inflicted heavy casualties to the onrushing Romans until finally being defeated.

The actual location of the battle is not known and remains subject to historical speculation and disagreement. No archaeological evidence has been found so far, so many hills could be the actual site of the battle. The locations under consideration are Sulz am Neckar, Heidelberg, Schwetzingen, Rottenburg (Sülchen), Glauberg or the Spitzberg near Tübingen. All these sites are located in southwestern Germany, but spread over an area of roughly 200 km in diameter. The most recent research shows that the battle probably took place in the northern part of what is today Hechingen and the lost city Solicinium was located where the Roman museum of Hechingen is located today.