“Desert Ships on the Rhine.” Yes, there were camels in Switzerland

A team of Swiss archaeologists has discovered irrefutable evidence that profoundly alters our perception of daily life in Roman-era Europe: Camels — yes, camels — lived and worked in Basel around 1,700 years ago.

A recent study by the Basel Archaeological Research Service shows that bones found beneath the modern city belonged to a rare hybrid camel used by the Romans to transportlogistics and military activities.

This remarkable discovery not only expands our knowledge of Roman trade and mobility, but also highlights Basel’s surprising role in the vast and interconnected network of the Roman Empire.

The conclusions are contained in the Basel-City Archaeological Research Service, in a detailed study signed by archaeologists Barbara Stopp, Sabine Deschler-Erb, Claudia Gerling e Andrea Hagendorn.

In their , profusely illustrated, the researchers analyze the so-called “desert ships on the Rhine”, having combined zooarchaeological techniques, isotope analysis and historical context to confirm that the remains belonged to a rare hybrid camel transported to Basel during the Roman period.

The story begins with the study of a fragmented animal jaw discovered during excavations in the Spiegelhofin the center of Basel. At first glance, the bone seemed banalone of many animal remains frequently found in Roman archaeological sites, says the .

But careful scientific analysis transformed this seemingly ordinary jaw into a exceptional historic track. The teeth and bone structure revealed that the animal was a hybrid camel, resulting from crossing between one one-humped dromedary and a Bactrian camel two-humped.

These hybrids were highly valued in Antiquity. They combined the strength and resistance of Bactrian camels with the speed and adaptability of dromedaries, making them ideal for transporting heavy loads through varied terrain.

Even more revealing was the isotope analysis of tooth enamel, which showed that the animal was not originally from Europe and who changed region at least twice throughout his life, which points to a long tripprobably from North Africa or the Arabian Peninsula, before finally reaching the northern border of the Roman Empire, along the Rhine.

Additional bone fragments, discovered in excavations carried out in both 1939 and 2018, suggest that more than a camel may have been present in Basel.

Altogether, these remains represent the westernmost archaeological evidence of the presence of hybrid camels in Europe discovered to date.

The animal vulgarly designated by camelo (A, in the image below) is, in fact, a dromedary. The two-humped Bactrian camel (C) is native to Asia. The animal found in Basel (B) It’s a hybrid.

Why were camels brought to Roman Switzerland?

Although camels are normally associated with desert landscapes rather than river valleys in Central Europe, they have played a documented paper not Roman world.

As roman military unitss, especially in the eastern and African provinces, depended on camels as efficient pack animalscapable of transporting supplies over long distances and difficult terrain.

Historical sources even refer specialized knight units on camel, the so-called Dromedarieswhich supported border defense, logistics, postal services and communications in remote regions.

Hybrid camels were particularly practical for use in northern Europe. Unlike pure dromedariesthese hybrids were better able to withstand cold, wet climates and muddy soils — common conditions along the Rhine border. Their robustness made them ideal for traveling between fortresses, supply depots and major routes on the Roman road network.

Camel bones in Basel were found along the route of a roman road which connected the fortified settlement on the Münsterhügel to the main international transport routes.

This same route passed through Augusta Ráurica, another important Roman settlement where traces of camels were also identified.

Archaeologists believe that the same Roman legion responsible for construction and reinforcement works in both locations — the Legio Prima Martia — may also have facilitated the arrival of these animals in the region.

The remains of the camel were dating from the 4th century ADa period marked by military consolidation along the Rhine.

At that time, the Roman commander and future emperor Valentinian I He stationed his army in Basel, reinforcing fortifications and organizing campaigns against the Germanic peoples across the river. It was also at this time that a small fortress at Kleinbasel, referred to in ancient texts as “A fortress near Basel”, provided one of the earliest mentions of the name Basel.

In this strategic context, the presence of camels becomes easier to understand. Rather than exotic animals, they were almost certainly working animals. integrated into military logisticshelping to transport equipment, supplies and construction materials essential for border defense.

From an archaeological point of view, the findings relating to the Basel camel enrich our understanding of mobility, infrastructure and environmental adaptation in late Roman Europe, challenge the idea that the camels were restricted to desert areas and show how the Roman empire reused resources from all its territories to respond to local needs.