The Archaeology of Britain: An introduction from ... - waughfamily.ca
The Archaeology of Britain: An introduction from ... - waughfamily.ca
The Archaeology of Britain: An introduction from ... - waughfamily.ca
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Roman <strong>Britain</strong>: military dimension<br />
• 143 •<br />
KEY DATA<br />
Inchtuthil, Perthshire<br />
It is ironic that the most extensively known legionary fortress in <strong>Britain</strong> is that at Inchtuthil,<br />
which is both the most northerly and briefest occupied <strong>of</strong> all <strong>of</strong> the fortresses. A combination <strong>of</strong><br />
aerial photography and limited ex<strong>ca</strong>vation has recovered virtually the complete plan <strong>of</strong> the timberbuilt<br />
fortress (Figure 8.4a) (Pitts and St Joseph 1985). It covered an area <strong>of</strong> some 20 ha and was<br />
clearly intended to house a full legion. All <strong>of</strong> the barrack blocks had been built, along with the<br />
headquarters building, hospital, workshop, some <strong>of</strong> the granaries, and the houses for most <strong>of</strong> the<br />
junior <strong>of</strong>ficers. However, construction <strong>of</strong> the commanding <strong>of</strong>ficer’s house had not commenced<br />
when the fortress was abandoned and dismantled as part <strong>of</strong> the Roman withdrawal <strong>from</strong> northern<br />
Scotland, probably in AD 87. <strong>The</strong> lo<strong>ca</strong>tion <strong>of</strong> the fortress on the extreme northern frontier<br />
represents the consolidation <strong>of</strong> the conquests achieved by Agricola, but placing a legion in this<br />
exposed position also indi<strong>ca</strong>tes the Roman intention to continue to advance.<br />
Red House, Corbridge, Northumberland<br />
<strong>The</strong> full size <strong>of</strong> the fort at Red House is unknown, but its east-west dimension suggests that it<br />
should be interpreted as a vexillation fortress <strong>of</strong> some 10 ha. Ex<strong>ca</strong>vation ahead <strong>of</strong> road building<br />
recovered traces <strong>of</strong> timber buildings, including a workshop, a large barrack block and several openended<br />
storage buildings (Hanson et al. 1979), while earlier work had identified the remains <strong>of</strong> a large<br />
bath building close by (Figure 8.4b). Occupation <strong>of</strong> the site was short-lived and seems to have been<br />
linked to the <strong>ca</strong>mpaigns <strong>of</strong> Agricola, after which it was replaced by an auxiliary fort nearby.<br />
Elginhaugh, Midlothian<br />
This timber-built auxiliary fort is the only example for which we have the complete plan recovered<br />
by ex<strong>ca</strong>vation. Eleven barrack blocks, two <strong>of</strong> them probably for <strong>ca</strong>valry, are crammed into a<br />
space <strong>of</strong> only 1.2 ha, providing accommodation for some 780 men (Figure 8.5a). More limited<br />
examination <strong>of</strong> the annexe to the west indi<strong>ca</strong>ted a complex development <strong>of</strong> ovens and storage<br />
buildings alongside the road, with perhaps open spaces for the tethering <strong>of</strong> horses elsewhere in<br />
its interior. Situated at the northern end <strong>of</strong> Dere Street, the main route into Scotland up the<br />
eastern side <strong>of</strong> the country, the fort was occupied as part <strong>of</strong> the consolidation <strong>of</strong> Lowland<br />
Scotland <strong>from</strong> probably c.AD 80 and, like Inchtuthil, it was demolished and abandoned in AD 87.<br />
Immediately thereafter, however, the fort enclosure seems to have been reused by the Romans as<br />
a collection point for livestock, perhaps linked to the continuing extraction <strong>of</strong> tribute <strong>from</strong> the<br />
lo<strong>ca</strong>l tribe, the Votadini (Hanson forthcoming).<br />
Housesteads, Northumberland<br />
<strong>The</strong> auxiliary fort at Housesteads is perhaps one <strong>of</strong> the most famous in Roman <strong>Britain</strong>. It<br />
was attached to the rear <strong>of</strong> Hadrian’s Wall when garrisons were moved up to the line <strong>of</strong><br />
the Wall as part <strong>of</strong> the reassessment <strong>of</strong> its operation during the course <strong>of</strong> its construction.<br />
<strong>The</strong> fort covered an area <strong>of</strong> 2 ha and probably contained some 800–1,000 men. <strong>The</strong> original<br />
plan is not known in its entirety, and the apparently ‘full’ plan as <strong>of</strong>ten published is a<br />
composite <strong>of</strong> different periods derived <strong>from</strong> ex<strong>ca</strong>vations at the end <strong>of</strong> last century. <strong>The</strong><br />
fort was occupied almost continuously <strong>from</strong> the reign <strong>of</strong> Hadrian in the second century<br />
AD through to the end <strong>of</strong> the fourth century, or the beginning <strong>of</strong> the fifth. Its garrison in<br />
the third and fourth centuries, the first cohort <strong>of</strong> Tungrians, an infantry unit originally<br />
<strong>from</strong> modern-day Belgium, is attested epigraphi<strong>ca</strong>lly. By the third century, an extensive<br />
civilian settlement had grown up around the fort, with some <strong>of</strong> the buildings encroaching