Historic%20Yorkshire

84
THE STORY OF YORK CASTLE.
took the place of the Ninth Legion,which remained and
was incorporated with the Sixth. From, at least, the
time of Septimius Severus, it was the residence of the
Roman Emperors when they visited the province, and at
other timesoftheImperial legatees. HereSeptimius,and
also Constantius Chloras, died,and here too, though this
fact rests but on tradition, the Emperor Constantine the
Great was born. Here the immense garrisons of the
Romans lay for a long period, occupied not only in
constant warfare with the fierce predatory tribes of the
north, but also in the building of the Roman wall between
Burdoswald and Carlisle, other walls and fortifications,
roads, and the ramparts of Eboracum itself. There can
be little doubtthat the walls of stone would be erectedon
the immediate site of the earthen rampart, at Eboracum,
whichwouldbethe first protectionagainstthe unsubduable
Picts;and this Roman wallundoubtedlycoincideswiththe
wallswhichareextantat the presenttime. Oneof theangle
towers — known as the MultangularTower — and a portion
of the wall connected with it, are in an extraordinarily
perfect state. At a comparatively recent removal of a
largeportionof the more modernerection a largepart of
the Roman wall was found connected with the same
angle tower, but in anotherdirection,and also theremains
of two wall towers, and buried deep below the ramparts
were found the foundations of one of the entrance gates
of the stationof Eboracum. Other excavations at various
times and in different directions have resulted in the
discovery of the remains of the ancient fortifications.
From these it would appear that the station was of
rectangular form, occupying a space of about 650 yards
by 550, having a wall and a rampart on the inner side of
the wall,and a fosse without. It had fourprincipalangle
towers, and several minor wall towers or turrets, and
with four chief entrances, from which proceeded the great
military roads to the neighbouringstations. That there
were extensive suburbs, more particularly on the westward
side, is indisputable, as is evident from the very