Based on excavations, the fortifications were originally built in the pre-Roman Iron Age, archaeologists reckoning a construction time of up to six weeks. The site was extended during a second phase of use during the Saxon Wars. In 782 in the Süntel a Frankish army under the Saxon duke Widukind was annihilated, leading to the massacre of Verden. The Amelungsburg was not a battlefield - few weapons have been found here - but could have been part of the Saxon's overall military strategy.