DESTINATIONS

Northern Frontier –Hadrian’s WallAquae Sulis (Bath)Fishbourne Palace

Defending the Northern Frontier

Walls

The Wall

Home on the Wall

Hadrian

IMP(ERATORIS) CAES(ARIS) TRAIAN(I) / HADRIANI AUG(USTI) / LE(GIO) II AUG(USTA) / A(ULO) PLATORIO NEPOTE LEG(ATO) PR(O) PR(AETORE)

This work of the Emperor Caesar Trajan Hadrian Augustus (was built by) the Second Legion Augusta under Aulus Platorius Nepos, propraetorian legate.

Hadrian and Britannia

122/134 Addressing the troops

122 Arrival in Britain 134 Britannia

119 Defeat of rebels?

Purpose?

• Military• Economic• Border

Wall – Early Years

Period Construction Width (ft.)

Section

122-126 Broad WallNarrow WallTurf WallFortlets

108

20

Wallsend to Irthing RiverIrthing to Burtholme BeckTo Bowness

After 122 Forts, mile castles, turrets

By 138 Turf Wall replaced by stone

~140 Abandoned – ditches covered at intervals

~161 Reoccupied

Types of Wall

X-Section

Components of Wall

• Wall– Forts– Turrets – signal towers– Fortlets or milecastles

• Ditch (N)• Vallum (S) with protecting mounds

Types of Wall

• All c.15’ high• Broad Wall (10’)• Narrow Wall (8’ on a 10’ base)• Turf Wall (18’ wide)

– Later rebuilt in stone

N

Forts

• Newcastle (Pons Aelius)• Benwell (Condercum)

• Halton Chesters (Onnum)• Housesteads (Vercovicium)

– Built after broad foundations but before narrow wall

• Great Chesters– Replaced a milecastle

Forts

• Carvoran – A Stanegate fort that was near but not on the wall

• Birdoswald • Castlesteads

– Only fort not attached to the wall, garrisoned by auxiliaries

• Stanwix (near Carlisle)– Built by VI Victrix but garrisoned by a miliary

cavalry unit

Forts Added after Wall

• Wallsend (Segedunum)• Chesters (Cilurnum)

– Wall crosses the Tyne– A cavalry fort

• Carrawburgh (Brocolitia)– An early addition

• Burgh by Sands (Aballava)– Added to reinforce lines near Solway

• Drumburgh• Bowness

– Terminus of the wall– Possible supply-depot

Fort Astride Wall

Benwell

Milecastles

XX Valeria Victrix II AugustaVI Victrix

• Milecastles have arched gateways.

• House from 8 to 32 legionaries.

Milecastle 42

Ditch

Turret

Turf Section

Turf and Stone

Amiens Patera

Rudge Cup uncolored replica in British Museum

Staffordshire Moorlands Patera

Hadrian’s Wall Forts

The Rudge Cup• A.MAISABALLAVAVXELODUMCAMBOGLANSBANNA•  A.  MAIS   ABALLAVA   VXELODUM   CAMBOGLANS   BANNA

The Amiens patera• MAISABALLAVAVXELODVNVMCAMBOG...SBANNAESICA•  MAIS  ABALLAVA  VXELODVNVM  CAMBOG...S   BANNA   ESICA

The Moorlands patera• MAISCOGGABATAVXELODVNVMCAMMOGLANNARIGOREVALIAELIDRACONIS

• MAIS   COGGABATA  VXELODVNVM  CAMMOGLANNA

Drumburgh ? Stanwix Castleheads

Birdoswald Great Chesters

Wall – Middle Years

Period Events

~140 Abandoned – ditches covered at intervalsForay into Scotland

~161 Abandon Antonine wallReoccupy and rebuild – Use of British labor in rebuilding and maintenance

Aquae SulisCurse tablets

Roman Bath

Baths - Development

I. Great Bath and two small swimming baths to east

II. Laconicum; Heated bath suite to east

III. Reroofing; expansion east and west baths

IV. Eastern baths rebuilt in monumental style; Heated chamber and cold swimming bath added

V. Immersion bath at west end

Late 1st C.

Strigils

Late 3rd – Early 4th C.

Great Bath

Circular bath

Model

Water Flow - Model

Sacred Spring overflow

Drain Bath

Aquae Sulis Complex

Temple Facade

Sulis/Minerva

Cornerstone of Great Altar

Minerva reliefFound at Great Bath

Visitors

• Petition at Sacred Spring• Offerings• Dedications• Use the healing waters• Visit other springs

Patera

Gems

Visions Dedication Stone

Dedication altar

To the goddess Sulis, for the welfare and safety of Aufidius Maximus, centurion of the Sixth Legion Victrix, Marcus Aufidius Lemnus, his freedman, willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow.

Local Dedication

For the goddess Sulis, Lucius Marcius Memnor, augurer, gave this gift

Dedication from afar - Trier

Peregrinus son of Secundus, a citizen of the Treviri, to Loucetius Mars and Nemetona willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow

Birth of Aesculapus(Cross Spring)

Curse Tablets

May he who has taken Vilbia from me dissolve like water. May s/he be dumb who devoured her, whether it be Velvinna or Exsupereus or Verianus or Severinus or Augustalis or Comitianus or Catus Minianus or Germanilla or Jovina. 

Curse tablets

• About half (~250) of the Latin curse tablets have been found in Britain

• 100+ from the sacred spring at Bath • 87 from the rural shrine of Uley, Glos.

Thief

Lord Neptune, I give you the man who has stolen the solidus and six argentioli of Muconius. So I give the names who took them away, whether male or female, whether boy or girl. So I give you, Niskus, and to Neptune the life, health, blood of him who has been privy to that taking-away. The mind which stole this and which has been privy to it, may you take it away. The thief who stole this, may you consume his blood and take it away, Lord Neptune.

Curse tablet, London

• Pierced 7 times• Cursed Tretia

Maria threatened with loss of ability to reveal secrets

• Misspelled words and incorrect grammar

Bath

• Lettering– 80 in cursive– 29 in capitals– 4 imitative– 5 blank

• Often deliberately written backwards

Senua-Minerva?Baldock

Baldock votive plaques

Baldock votive plaques Minerva

Baldock hoard

Uley Mercury

Uley 2

• To: Mercury• From: Saturnina a

woman• Cause:, a lost linen

cloth• Seeks: return• Reward: Third to

Mercury or Silvanus if returned

Fishbourne

Bath

Audience Hall

North Wing

Fishbourne Plan

Garden

Statue Base

From the Air

Wall Paint

Painting of Coastal Villa

Fishbourne Stabiae

Garden

Lady of the house

Man of the House

Layers of Mosaic

1st Century Mosaic

West Wing

‘City Walls’ Mosaic

City Walls

Geometric Mosaic, 1st C.

2nd C.

Fates

• Wall – TBA• Baths – Flooding in late 4th – early 5th century

leads to abandonment– Rediscovered and baths revived in late 18th C.

• Fishbourne –Destroyed by fire in late 3rd C.