European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 21, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Heidelberg roman roots top a pot of old Gold coins found in 1953, stolen  finally recovered  returned to Heidelberg Bottom miniature troops pass Over a Model of the Bridge built by Rome Over the Neckar in about . 170. Continued from Page 7 area seems to have been pottery More than 60 ovens for baking Clay have been unearthed. It also seems that local Clay pits supplied the raw materials for making bricks  tiles. The Neckar was used to Export such products. Between 1951  1971 an enormous burial ground was excavated in the Region of the Berliner Strasse. More than 1,500 Graves were painstakingly investigated using the most modern techniques. The finds were particularly rewarding  give valuable insights into roman life  death. Many Graves contained Lovely jewelry along with exquisite glassware  pottery containing the food  drinks that the dead would require for their posthumous activity. Many Graves also contained Small lamps that had burned in remembrance of the dead. Although the roman settlements of Heidelberg grew  flourished for More than 150 years life East of the Rhine was always a perilous business with the threat of barbarian invasion never far away. Thus in 233, Nevenheim was sacked although the invaders were driven Back again in the same year. One curious find was a pot of coins dating from . 63 to 233, apparently buried at the time of this first barbarian assault on the Castle. The coins Wen first excavated in 1953, but the building workers assisting with the dig managed to spirit away the contents  sell them. There followed a Hunt for the missing coins that was to extend throughout Europe  by a mixture of detective skill  Good Fortune All of them were eventually recovered. The attack of 233 revealed the weakness of the town s defences but clearly there was Little that could be done to resist the Ever increasing pressure from the East. In . 260, the town was utterly destroyed  the romans were ignominiously thrown Back Over the Rhine. A last despairing attempt to gain a foothold West of the Rhine collapsed in 369, when the romans suffered a crushing defeat at a Hill called Mons Piri which Many experts identify As the Heiligenberg. Certainly the romans had earlier built a Temple to Mercury at this site which is now the Only place around Heidelberg where roman remains can still be seen in their original place. Most of the finds mentioned in this article can be seen on display in the  museum Sec related Story along with interesting models  reconstructions dealing with roman Heidelberg. Cowin a freelance writer lives  works in the Heidelberg area. An example of roman Glass work displayed in Heidelberg s museum. 8 stripes Magazine july 21, 1988