unit of the Roman army, the Cuneus Frisiorum. (The Frisii was a name applied to all or most tribes north of the Rhine in Roman times, in the same general area of the Tubantes.) The inscriptions say: "To the god Mars and the two Alaisiagae, and to the divine power of the Emperor, the German tribesmen of Tuihantis of the formation of Frisians of Vercovicium, Severus Alexanders's own, willingly and deservedly fulfilled their vow." "To the god Mars Thinescus and the two Alaisiagae, Beda and Fimmilena, and the divine power of the Emperor, Germans tribemen from Tuihantis willingly and deservedly fulfilled their vow." "Mars Thingsus" is understood as referring to the Germanic God "Tyr", who was often considered equivalent to Roman Mars, and was associated with the Germanic traditions of assemblies called "Things". In 308 AD the Tubantes joined the alliance against Constantine the Great during his campaign against the Bructeri. The name reappears as Tuianti and Tueanti in two acts from 797 and 799 AD concerning the donation of some farms in Twente and Salland to the church of Wichmond, Gelderland. Archaeology Archaeology shows that the region associated with the Tubantes was inhabited more or less continuously since the last ice-age. The region is very fertile and will support agriculture and cattle. The countryside is marked by artificial hills, called es or esch, which were formed by depositing dung mixed with dirt. Prime examples include the Fleringer Esch, near Fleringen and the Usseler Es, also known as the Usseler Esch, near Usselo. There is archaeological evidence of (relatively) large scale iron production in the region, specifically near Heeten, indicating that the locals understood the process of producing steel, with a carbon content of 2% [1]. The ore used was the abundant bog iron. The production sites can be dated to 280-350 AD. See also List of Germanic peoples References Early Germanic peoples Frankish people