Vindonissa, the only Roman legionary fortress in Switzerland, was occupied during the first century A.D. to guard the frontier against Germany. Because of the exactly defined period of habitation the pottery of this place is of special importance.
The legionary fortress at Vindonissa is situated on a plateau between two rivers and on the north side the ground slopes steeply down to the R. Aare. Some time after the foundation of the fortress, which is probably to be dated shortly after the Varus catastrophe of A.D. 9, perhaps after the third decade of the first century, the soldiers began to throw all the rubbish of the fortress down this slope.