- Vercovicium
Vercovicium (or Housesteads Roman Fort) was an auxiliary
castra onHadrian's Wall , [J.G. Crow, "Houseteads Roman Fort", London: English Heritage (1989)] in theRoman province ofBritannia . Its ruins are located atHousesteads (gbmapping|NY790688) in thecivil parish ofBardon Mill in the English county ofNorthumberland , somewhat to the south ofBroomlee Lough .History
In the
2nd century AD , thegarrison consisted of an unknown double-sized auxiliaryinfantry cohort and a detachment oflegionaries from "Legio II Augusta ". In the3rd century , it comprised "cohors I Tungrorum", augmented by the "numerus Hnaudifridi" and the "cuneus Frisiorum". The Tungrians were still there in the4th century , according to theNotitia Dignitatum . By 409 AD the Romans had withdrawn. [Thomas Brown (2006) "Celtic Roots", Trafford Publishing ISBN 1552125858]The fort was built in stone around AD
124 , soon after the construction of the Wall began in AD122 . Vercovicium was built overlying the original Broad Wall foundation and Turret 36b. The fort was repaired and rebuilt several times, its northern defences being particularly prone to collapse. A substantial civil settlement ("vicus ") existed to the south, outside the fort, and some of the stone foundations can still be seen, including "Murder House", where twoskeletons were found beneath an apparently newly-laid floor when excavated.The fort's orientation is unorthodox, in that its long axis is arranged parallel with Hadrian's Wall (which forms its northern defensive wall), due to the lie of the land. Most other forts use the Wall as their southern boundary and therefore protrude into barbarian territory. [ [http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=18177 C.Michael Hogan "Hadrian's Wall", (2007) ed. A. Burnham, The Megalithic Portal] ] It is also unusual for Britain in that it has no running water supply and is dependent upon rainwater collection (for which purpose there is a series of large stone-lined tanks around the periphery of the defences). It is also famous for having one of the best-preserved stone
latrine s inRoman Britain .A recent geophysical survey commissioned by
English Heritage was carried out by TimeScape Surveys [Biggins, J. A. and Taylor, D. J. A., 2004, A Geophysical Survey of Housesteads Roman Fort, "Archaeologia Aeliana" 33 51- 60.] at the fort using magnetometry and resistivity techniques. It identified field systems to the west of the fort and an area of settlement to the south enclosed by ditches and the Vallum. A possible bathhouse has also been identified. It is considered that the planning arrangements reflect a decision by the military to zone land use around the fort.It is likely that the site for the fort was chosen just as much for its strategic position commanding a gap in the
Whin Sill ridge overlooking Knag Burn, as occupying a site on or close to a native settlement. The designation of land use shown by the enclosed settlement and the siting of field systems to the west of the fort clearly support the authors’ thesis that the areas around a fort were precisely defined both in extent and use at a very early date by the army.The survey to the south and west of the site is surprising in that the known
vicus (civilian settlement) immediately to the south of the fort is clearly shown to be contained by ditches to the east and west, and the Vallum to the south. In addition, there is little evidence of other buildings apart from alongside the west road and possibly to the south of the survey area. The large building to the east of the settlement is probably a bathhouse, although how thewater supply was provided is problematical, but probably from springs on the hillside.Present day
The site is now owned by the National Trust and is currently in the care of
English Heritage . Finds from Vercovicium can be seen in the site museum, in the museum at Chesters, and in theMuseum of Antiquities inNewcastle upon Tyne .ee also
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History of Northumberland References
Further reading
*
* Crow, J. "Housesteads", London: Batsford (1995) (second edition, Stroud: Tempus 2004)
* Rivet, A.L.F. "The Place-Names of Roman Britain", London: Batsford (1979)External links
* [http://www.fmschmitt.com/travels/England/hadrianswall/index.html Photo Essay on Housesteads Roman Fort]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/launch_vt_housesteads.shtml VRML reconstruction]
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