Aballava

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Burgh by Sands castles
Alternative name a) Aballava ,
b) Aballaba ,
c) Avalana
limes Britain
section Hadrian's Wall
Dating (occupancy) trajanic or hadrianic ,
2nd to 4th century AD?
Type Equestrian and cohort fort
unit a) Ala I Tungrorum ?,
b) Cohors I Nervana Germanorum ,
c) Cuneus Frisionum Aballavensium ,
d) Numerus Maurorum Aurelianorum
size Area:
a) 3.66 ha (Fort I),
b) 2 ha (Fort II)
Construction a) wood and earth fort,
b) stone fort
State of preservation square floor plan with rounded corners,
not visible above ground
place Burgh-by-Sands
Geographical location 54 ° 55 '22.8 "  N , 3 ° 3' 0"  W Coordinates: 54 ° 55 '22.8 "  N , 3 ° 3' 0"  W. hf
Previous Uxelodunum Castle (east)
Subsequently Congavata Fort (west)
Fortresses North Great Britain.png
Coin portrait of Hadrian
Hadrian's Wall in Burgh
Findings sketch of the fort II
Row of houses in the center of Burgh-by-Sands, east of the intersection of The Pack and Main Street, area of ​​Kastell II
St. Michaels Church in Burgh-by-Sands, it probably stands over the remains of the Principia of Fort II
Signpost on Hadrian's Wall Path near Burgh by Sands
Reeanactor in the equipment of a Roman cavalryman of the 2nd century AD.
Iupiter Altar of Publius Tuscilius […] Asinianus

Aballava was a Roman auxiliary troop fort . It is located near the Solway Firth , in Burgh by Sands , a parish in the Carlisle District , County Cumbria , England .

The wall fort was built in the 2nd century AD, was part of the chain of fortresses on Hadrian's Wall ( per lineam valli ), which consisted of 16 forts, and secured its western sector. It was probably occupied by Roman troops until the 4th century. In its vicinity are two wood and earth forts and some only briefly used were marching camp . A civil settlement ( vicus ) could be detected outside the wall fort . The ground monument includes the remains of the ramparts in the section between the west side of the churchyard of St. Mary's Church in Beaumont in the east and Burgh Head in the west, the three forts in Burgh by Sands and the temporary marching camps at Beaumont and Grinsdale.

Surname

There are several ancient written sources from which the name of this fort is known: First of all, the Notitia Dignitatum, which names the place “ Aballaba ”, between the entries for Petrianis (Stanwix) and Concavata (Drumburgh). On two Roman drinking vessels (so-called "Rudge Cup" and Staffordshire Moorlands Pan ) it is indicated as " Aballava ". In the Ravenna cosmography of the 7th century geographer of Ravenna , the place appears as “ Avalana ”, between the entries for “ Uxelludamo ” (Stanwix) and “ Maia ” (Bowness on Solway). The place name is also given as " Aballavensium " on two inscriptions from Papcastle ( Derventio ) donated by a Frisian cohort . Aballava is derived from the Celtic aballa (apple) and could mean orchard or apple orchard. It probably does not refer to just one fruit or tree, although (as with other tree references in ancient place names) it could also mean a sacred tree. Another explanation would be that there were once wild fruit trees there.

The current name originated around 1180 from the name Burch , derived from the old English Burh , (fortress). It first appeared in 1292 as Burg en le Sandes and refers to the location of a medieval fortress near the sand dunes of the Solway Firth.

location

Aballava was the fourteenth link in the fortress chain of Hadrian's Wall ( vallum aelium ). Burgh-by-Sands is 5 miles northwest of Carlisle , about 1.5 miles from the south bank of the Solway Firth . The main town consists of several historically grown settlements such as Burgh Head and West End. West of Burgh lies the hamlet of Dykesfield, from whose location on Hadrian's Wall the place name is derived (Dyke = dam). Burgh is surrounded on three sides by alluvial marshland, which extends to the north and east to the bend of the river Eden and is part of the reserve of the Upper Solway Flats (Marshes Nature Conservation Site). The wall fort (Fort II) is located about 1 km south of the coast of the Solway, between the forts Congavata (Drumburgh) in the west and the largest military camp on the wall, Uxelodunum / Petriana (Stanwix) (about 3 km away) in the east. The ground monument is now mostly under the historic town center, St. Michael's Church and a field north of The Pack street (field name Monks Croft). In the late 2nd century the ramparts belonged to the province of Britannia inferior , from the 4th century to the province of Britannia secunda .

Research history

The castle was first described by the antiquarian John Leland on a study trip through the north-east of England in 1539. However, his report was not published in William Camden's Britannia until 60 years later . Field inspections in this wall zone were carried out by the antiquarian Henry McLauchlin from the middle of the 19th century. The first scientific excavations were carried out in 1922 by John Collingwood Bruce on the area of ​​Castle II. Only the northern part of the east wall could be examined in more detail; Barracks buildings cut in the process had been almost completely destroyed by stone robbery. An excavation further south on the road led to the uncovering of the poorly preserved foundations of the east gate. The ceramic finds spanned the period from the middle of the second to the middle / end of the fourth century. In 1951, J. K. St. Joseph was able to make out the remains of an extramural settlement (vicus) on aerial photographs east of the fort . Between 1976 and 1977 aerial photographs of the fort area were made, which revealed traces of two other previous buildings. The location of Fort I was revealed from aerial photographs by G.D.B. Jones in 1975. Its position and time could be confirmed by excavations between 1978 and 1979. In 1977, Fort III could also be located on aerial photographs. During excavations by Barri Jones between 1978 and 1979, the interior of the fort was examined. On the east side of the fort, between 1980 and 1982 Jones uncovered the remains of the civil settlement in the garden of the former rectory. Further building remains were observed in 1984. Geophysical investigations in the northern part of Fort II were carried out in 1992. In 2002 ten exploratory trenches were dug in a field east of Fort II. A linear soil anomaly observed there in 1992 was identified as a road that led directly to the wall. In 2006 further aerial photographs of the vicus were made.

Inscriptions

A total of eleven Roman inscriptions are known from Burgh-by-Sands, eight altar stones and three tombstone fragments. Only one of them could be dated exactly, it probably comes from the middle of the third century. A relief of the Celtic god of war Belatucadrus was found near Burgh-by-Sands . A total of four altars were dedicated to him in Burgh, one together with the Roman god of war Mars . Two copies were dedicated to the highest Roman state god Iupiter . Later an altar was found for Hercules and the goddess Latis.

development

In 122, Emperor Hadrian ordered a barrier wall to be built in northern Britain, reinforced by watchtowers and forts, from the Tyne to the Solway Firth, to protect the British provinces from the constant incursions of the Picts from the north. Most of the wall was built by soldiers from the three legions and men of the Classis Britannica stationed in Britain .

Little is known about the history of the castles. The British from the Carvetii tribe settled in their vicinity . One of them (Fort III) may have been part of the fortress chain of the Stanegate . However, this is only a conjecture and has so far not been proven archaeologically or epigraphically. The crews stationed here one after the other were supposed to secure the southern endpoints of the two fjords of the Solway (Stonewath and Sandwath), an incursion route often used by looters, particularly that of the Selgovae tribes in the north and possibly that of the Novantae in the northwest. The wall fort was probably occupied by regular Roman troops until the 4th century AD. Around 410 AD, Hadrian's Wall was finally abandoned by the Roman army. The wall and the camp were almost completely removed over the centuries by the local population for the extraction of building material. Roman ashlar stones can be found everywhere in the substance of the walls of the surrounding buildings. Some of them, provided with a grid-shaped incised pattern, can be seen at the entrance to the tower of St. Michael's Church. In the east wall of the church there is a stone that presumably represents the head of a Celt, probably also of Roman origin .

Castles

In and around Burgh, several Roman fortifications from different periods of time have been identified.

Burgh watchtower

A 19-meter-wide circular structure was found near the south-east gate of Fort I. It was the remains of a Roman watchtower. It resembled the specimens that had also been found along Gask Ridge (near Tayside ). The fence consisted of a circular, V-shaped ditch about 2.3 × 1.8 meters deep, followed by a wooden-paneled earth ramp with a width between 4 and 4.5 meters; the entrance gate was in the southeast. These surrounded a central, square wooden tower standing on four support posts. A black burnished ceramic shard that was found on one of the main pillars was from around 120. The tower was only in use for a short time. It was finally dismantled again and Fort I was built in its place.

Castle I.

The wood-and-earth method of fastening was discovered in aerial photographs in the mid-1970s. It came from the late Trajan or early Hadrian rule period. The defense system had a rectangular floor plan with rounded corners (playing card shape), measured 145 × 137 meters and covered an area of ​​1.98 hectares. The camp was oriented from NE to SW and stood on a small hill. Remarkably, however, it was built around 800 meters south of the wood-earth wall. It went through at least two construction phases and was later replaced by the Watchtower 71B . The fortification of phase I was additionally protected by a circumferential weir ditch, the walls of which had been stabilized with pounded clay. A layer of river pebbles between 5 and 7.5 meters wide was found at the bottom of the trench. In phase II, a 140 × 120 meter annex was built on the southeast side and the fort was enlarged to 3.66 hectares. During the excavations at the end of the 1970s, remains of wooden structures came to light inside the fort. The floor plans of the stone commandant's house ( praetorium ) and a storage building ( horreum ) were documented in the mid-1980s. It is now generally recognized in research that this fortress was no longer part of the Stanegate border, but was already part of the security system of Hadrian's Wall.

Castle II

It was the actual wall fort and was built as a replacement for Fort I, probably in the late Hadrian period or shortly afterwards. Around 160 AD, the western sector of the wall was also rebuilt in stone, which also changed its course. The stone fort replaced the watchtower 71B, which stood near Sandwath Fjord. It stood on the highest elevation of today's town center, directly above the remains of the original wood-earth wall in order to avoid swampy terrain in the south. The sections of the camp examined by the archaeologists had been almost completely destroyed by stone robbery. Today only the exact location of part of the east wall and east gate is known. A clearly recognizable lowering of the street near the junction of The Pack and Main Street probably marks the remains of the western wall. Fort II is likely to have been used until the middle or late 4th century.

The fort had the long, rectangular floor plan with rounded corners, which is typical for medieval fortifications. As is usual with the cavalry fort on the Wall, the northern half ( praetentura ) extended beyond Hadrian's Wall. In the event of an enemy attack, this allowed the cavalry formations to unfold quickly through the three main gates in front of the wall. Its dimensions were probably about 160 meters (north-south) by 130 meters (east-west) and it thus covered an area of ​​2 hectares. The exact extent of the fortress is unclear, as the north, west and south sides could not be excavated. She should have had a total of six goals. Four main gates ( portae principales , with two passages) in the north, south, west and east and two side gates ( portae quintanae ) in the west and east, through which the military road also passed the camp. The main gates were secured by two square towers. The two side gates stood south of the wall and probably only had one passage. It is not known whether the camp also had square, internally attached intermediate and corner towers, but it is very likely. Collingwood's dig in 1922 examined the east wall and east gate in the SE corner of the churchyard. In addition, some stone floors of the NO crew barracks blocks ( contubernium ) were exposed in the northeast of the excavation area. In 1991, the connection of Hadrian's Wall to the northeast corner of the fort was located. Subsequent excavations by Flynn in 1993 confirmed that the north trench of the original wood-earth wall, 6 meters wide and 2.2 meters deep, was leveled when the camp was built and later built over with fort buildings on clay and rubble foundations. North from the center of the fort is a day - in the core Norman - fortified church . It was built in the late 12th century almost entirely from the demolition material (mainly red sandstone in the past) from the Roman camp and Hadrian's Wall. Presumably either the command building ( principia ) or a warehouse ( horreum ) was located at this point . The camp bath ( balineum ) was located southeast, not far from the rectory, and was completely destroyed at the beginning of the 19th century during the excavation work for the Carlisle Canal.

Castle III

This fortification stood 1.22 km southwest of Castle II, near Hill Farm in Longborough. A Roman road ran past the camp and ran along the ridge of the Fingland Rigg to the nearest Stanegate fort in Kirkbride. The latter was probably created under Emperor Trajan, as part of the expansion of the Stanegate border to the west. According to the ceramics found on site, the fort is likely to date from the first half of the second century AD. It was rebuilt at least twice during its use. Fort IIIa measured 184 × 113 meters and thus enclosed an area of ​​2.7 hectares. It was also surrounded by a moat. Later it was enlarged again to the southwest. The new dimensions were now 290 × 113 meters, the area now 3.2 ha (Fort IIIb). These construction measures were probably connected with the alternating stationing of garrison units of different sizes. For a long time it was assumed that this fort belonged to the fortress chain of the Stanegate border . Recently, however, the theory that this was in reality only a temporary marching camp has been gaining more and more approval.

Marching camp

The remains of some temporary marching camps were also found in the region around Burgh, four in the east near Grinsdale and one in Beaumont. The latter was located 80 meters south of the western end of Milldikes Lane, about 40 meters south of Hadrian's Wall, on the gently sloping south side of a terrain spur overlooking Powburgh Beck. Only the eastern segment of the camp could be seen on aerial photographs. Nevertheless, it was later possible to determine its full extent. The eastern wall was best preserved. The proximity of the Beaumont camp to Fort II could indicate that the soldiers involved in the construction of the ramparts were housed there.

Hadrian's Wall

The stone wall followed the southern bank of the Eden from Stanwix. The Vallum ran in a more even line on slightly higher terrain. The most recent investigations in the west of Burgh have revealed that a section of the wood-earth wall was built on a 4.8 meter wide foundation made of rubble stones. That was unusual for such structures. The turf tiles were usually laid directly on the grown subsoil, only the earth ramps behind the fort walls were piled on such foundations. In the region between Burgh-by-Sands and Beaumont, nothing can be seen of the two ramparts and their moats. Its course in the area of ​​Burgh Castle, southeast of Speergarth Hool, was determined by an excavation in 1950. The line of the north trench could also be confirmed. In addition, a further section of the wall west of Burgh Castle was uncovered by a geophysical survey in 1991. The results of these investigations revealed that the early wood-earth wall ran south of the later stone wall, near today's motor road.

The course of the Vallum in this section is largely known from observations in the adjacent sections of Hadrian's Wall to the east and west. The excavations have also shown that the Vallum is overbuilt by Fort II - as in Carrawburgh . A larger section was uncovered in 1980 south of the former rectory. Although its full length could not be examined, it is very likely that it was also the Vallum.

The route of the military road has not yet been confirmed beyond doubt. In 1980, the remains of an 8-meter-wide Roman road were discovered 60 meters east of the fort. However, it is not certain whether it was the military road or in fact just a road of the civil settlement.

garrison

Aballava was probably occupied by regular Roman soldiers from the 2nd to the early 5th centuries. Legionnaires may also have temporarily stood in the camp. They were usually not assigned to garrison service on the border, but sent special forces for the more demanding construction projects on Hadrian's Wall. On the basis of an inscription of Censorinus discovered in 1749, which has now disappeared, it was assumed that an Ala I Tungrorum was also located in Aballava . Censorius, however, must not have been a prefectus equitum . It is therefore assumed that the force was not stationed there. In late antiquity, the occupation belonged to the Limitanei .

The following units either provided the fort's crew or may have stayed there for a limited time:

Time position Troop name description
2nd century AD to 5th century AD? Cohors Primae Nervana Germanorum milliaria equitata (the first Germanic cohort of the Nerva , partly mounted, 1000 men strong) A unit of auxiliary forces. The soldiers were evidently recruited from the Germanic tribes of the Rhine provinces during the rule of the Nerva (96–98 AD). Their presence is known from an altar of Iupiter salvaged from the river Eden in 1825 (now lost). It was donated by one of its commanders, the Tribune Publius Tuscilius […] asinianus .
3rd century AD Cuneus Frisionum Aballavensium (a group of Frisians in Aballava) The Frisians are likely to have provided the garrison of the fort during the reign of Caracalla (211-217). Under Emperor Philip Arabs (244–249) the Frisians were moved to Derventio (Papcastle, Cumbria). The name addition " Aballavensium " is still given in the inscriptions found there. Other Frisian cunei were in Vercovicium (Housesteads) and in the hinterland of Hadrian's Wall, in Vinovia (Binchester).
4-5. Century AD Numerus Maurorum Aurelianorum Valeriani Gallieniquorum (a unit of Moors of Aurelius , the Valerians , the Gauls ) The members of this unit were recruited in North Africa, in the provinces of Mauretania Tingitana and Mauretania Caesariensis . Since she had obviously proven herself in combat, she was allowed to use the gentile name of Emperor Marc Aurel as an award . At the time of the joint rule of Valerian with his son Gallienus (253-260), the unit was probably moved to Burgh-by-Sands. Their presence is attested by an altar stone for Iupiter Optimus Maximus (dated 253-258). It was commissioned by its commander at the time, the Tribune Flavius ​​Vibianus . Interestingly, on the inscription on the Iupiter altar, the rank of commandant is indicated as a tribune instead of prefect as later in the Notitia. Unusually for a cohort tribune, he commanded a numerus . The unit may have been a pure infantry force in the 250s and later had riders in its ranks ( cohors equitata = partially mounted). The troupe appears recently in the Notitia Dignitatum , troops list of Dux Britanniarum , on. The rank of their commanding officer, a prefect , is also noted there. Since the troops are still mentioned in the 4th century Notitia, they could have stood here until the final withdrawal of the Roman army from Hadrian's Wall.

Vicus

Compilation of finds from Burgh (Roman reliefs and tombstone fragments)

The camp village ( vicus ) belonging to Fort II was about 200 meters southeast of the fortress. It was probably a larger settlement that spread south and east of the fort. The first evidence of a vicus near Aballava was provided in 1951 by a flight over the area by John Kenneth Sinclair St. Joseph, who found remains of Roman buildings. However, he did not photograph the area. A smaller excavation of the vicus area in the garden of the former rectory was carried out by employees of Headland Archeology (HA). Some remnants of the vicus along a road leading from east to west were uncovered. These included support post holes from a larger building, additional post holes, beams from ancient wooden structures, and shallow foundation trenches and sewers. All of these finds were from the middle of the 2nd century AD. However, there was no evidence of continued settlement in the later 2nd and 3rd centuries, which could indicate that the camp village was abandoned during this period. More outlines of strip houses could be seen in aerial photographs taken in 2006 . They stood parallel to a street (military street?) That led directly to the east gate of Fort II. Further buildings of the vicus could be made out both in the north and in the south of today's main street. To the north of it there should have been a row of strip houses that stretched at least 100 meters from east to west. But they seem to have been north of the wall. During the excavations of the HA, the stone foundations of at least one building, paved alleyways (oriented at right angles to the Roman main street), floors and several hearths could be observed. Large quantities of slag and charcoal were also found, suggesting several metal workshops, including the waste from a glass furnace. Several unusual utensils were also recovered (a glass mosaic bowl , a face jug , a triple pot , a tazza measuring beaker and several small glass vessels).

Burial ground

The burial ground for soldiers and civilians is believed to be south of Fort II. In Burgh-by-Sands only three Roman gravestones - all badly damaged - have so far been found (see illustration). One was set for a Dacian named Julius, presumably a veteran of the auxiliaries. Only smaller fragments of the inscriptions of the other two were preserved (DMS ... "the spirits of the deceased [...]" and the number VII).

See also

literature

  • Henry MacLauchlan: Surveys of the Roman Wall and other remains in the North of England, 1852-1854.
  • John Collingwood Bruce: The Roman Wall, Harold Hill & Son, 1863, ISBN 0-900463-32-5 .
  • John Collingwood Bruce: The Handbook to the Roman Wall. 8th edition, 1927, p. 49.
  • RG Bruce, I. Richmond: Handbook to Roman Wall, 12th Edition, 1966.
  • Robin George Collingwood : Explorations at the Roman Fort of Burgh By Sands. Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Society, No. 23, 1923.
  • Robin George Collingwood, JNL Myres: Roman Britain and the English settlements. The Oxford history of England. 1937.
  • Guy de la Bédoyère : Hadrian's Wall: history and guide, Tempus, 1998, ISBN 0-7524-1407-0 .
  • P. Masser, J. Evans: Excavations within the vicus at Amberfield, Burgh by Sands, Cumbria. Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society.
  • Frank Graham: The Roman Wall. Comprehensive History and Guide, Frank Graham, 1979, ISBN 0-85983-140-X .
  • Eric Birley: Research on Hadrian's Wall. 1961.
  • Nick Hodgson: Hadrian's Wall 1999-2009.
  • N. Linford: Geophysical Survey: Burgh-by-Sands, Cumbria. Ancient Monuments Laboratory Report No. 88, 1992.
  • FO Grew: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies Britannia: a journal of Romano-British and kindred studies. No. 12, 1981.
  • Albert Rivet, Colin Smith: The Place names of Roman Britain. Batsford, London 1978.
  • Barry Jones: 'Britannia' in Roman Britain. Vol. 12, 1981.
  • Charles Daniels: The Eleventh Pilgrimage of Hadrian's Wall, 1989, pp. 22-24.
  • David Devine: The Northwest Frontier of Rome, p. 93.
  • Madeleine Hope Dodds: A History of Northumberland. Vol. XIII, p. 521.
  • John Kenneth Sinclair St. Joseph: Air Reconnaissance of North Britain. The Journal of Roman Studies, 1951.
  • CT Martin: The Record Interpreter: A Collection of Abbreviations, Latin Words and Names used in English Historical Manuscripts and Records, Reeves & Turner, Londres, 1892.
  • J. Heurgon: Découverte à Amiens d'une patère de bronze émaillée avec une inscription relative au mur d'Hadrien. Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres, 93/2, 1949.
  • J. Heurgon: The Amiens patera. Journal of Roman Studies, No. 41, 1951.
  • R. Chevallier: Les voies romaines. Armand Colin, 1972.
  • Xavier Delamarre: Dictionnaire de la langue gauloise. Errance, Paris, 2003.
  • Xavier Delamarre: Noms de lieux celtiques de l'Europe ancienne. Errance, Paris, 2012.
  • AD Mills: Oxford Dictionary of British Places names. Oxford University Press. 1991-2003.
  • Eilert Ekwall: The concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names. 4th edition, Clarendon Press. 1936-1980.
  • John Collingwood Bruce: The Roman Wall: A Description of the Mural Barrier of the North of England, 1867, with numerous pictures of wall remains, altars, inscriptions etc.

Web links

Remarks

  • RIB = Roman inscriptions in Britain
  1. ↑ R & C 153, Rivet / Smith 1979, p. 238, Guy de la Bedoyere 1998, p. 116, CIL 7, 415 , CIL 7, 416 , dated 241.
  2. ↑ Guy de la Bedoyere 1998, p. 116.
  3. ↑ RIB 2038 , RIB 2039 , RIB 2040 , RIB 2041 , RIB 2042 (dated 253-258), RIB 2043 , RIB 2044 , RIB 2045 , RG Collingwood 1923, pp. 3-12, Eric Birley 1961, pp. 208-209 , Collingwood Bruce 1978, p. 246, N. Linford, 1992, Collingwood / Myres 1937, pp. 100-101, Society for Promotion of Roman Studies. The journal of Roman studies No. 41, 1951, p. 55.
  4. ↑ Eric Birley 1961, pp. 208-209, RG Collingwood 1923, pp. 3-12.
  5. ↑ Nick Hodgson 2009, pp. 151–154, John Collingwood-Bruce 1966, p. 201, Guy de la Bedoyere 1998, p. 116.
  6. ^ R. Hogg: Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmoreland Antique and Arch. Society 'in Excavations of the Fortified Manor House at Burgh by Sands. Vol. 54, 1954, pp. 105-118, FO Grew 1981, p. 325, Guy de la Bedoyere 1998, p. 116.
  7. ↑ RIB 2045
  8. ↑ RIB 2041
  9. ↑ RIB 882 RIB 883
  10. ↑ RIB 2042 , ND Occ. XL, 30, Prafectus numeri Maurorum Aurelianorum, ABALLABA .
  11. ↑ RIB 2046 , RIB 2047 , RIB 2028 , RG Collingwood 1937, pp. 100-101, Society for Promotion of Roman Studies. The journal of Roman studies No. 41, 1951, p. 55, Collingwood Bruce 1978, p. 246, Nick Hodgson 2009, Ian Miller 'Wall-Mile 71', Oxford Archeology North, p. 151.