Princastellum/Bernkastel - a late antique fortification above the Moselle

To date, twenty comparable military stations have been identified between Trier and the mouth of the Moselle near Koblenz. On the lower Moselle, an almost uniform distance of approx. 5 Roman miles (approx. 7.5 km) between the fortifications has even been established, whereby the individual bases were built in alternating sequence to the river on more easily defended elevations above the Moselle valley and jumped from bank to bank. With three exceptions, all the fortifications were situated between 75 and 130 metres above the Moselle valley. Mountain spurs and ridges, which were easier to defend than hilltops, were primarily chosen as locations. The surface area intended for an inner fortification usually did not exceed 0.25 ha.