The early traces of human habitation reach back approx. 35,000 years. The German word “Alb” comes from the Celtis word alpis, which means a nurturing mountain. “Swabian” comes from the Germanic Suevi tribe (who settled on the Rhine and Neckar during Julius Caesar’s time). The Romans occupied this area between 15 BC and AD 260, after which the Alemannic tribes appeared. Place names ending in “-ingen” date from this time (this suffix was added on to the names of famous persons or landowners). As Christianity spread in the 6th century, the aera began to be integrated into the Frankish empire. Hohenstaufen, Zähringer, Württemberger and Hohenzollern – grat imperial and ruling dynasties – come from the Swabian Alb.