Lagentium

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Lagentium was a Roman military camp with a vicus in the province of Britain , on the site of today's Castleford .

location

Lagentium was on the one hand on a ford over the river Aire and on the other hand on a road from Lindum Colonia ( Lincoln ) to Eboracum ( York ). This street was an alternate route to bypassing the Humber to Ermine Street further east . In the Itinerarium Antonini the place is mentioned twice (as Lagecium or Legeolio) and described as 16 miles from Danum and 21 miles from Eboracum. Lagentium is also mentioned in the Cosmographia of the Geographer of Ravenna .

history

When the Romans conquered Britain, the Briganten tribe settled in what was later to become the Lagentium . While they initially retained a certain autonomy under their queen Cartimandua through friendly relations with Rome, the Romans themselves took over power in the 1970s and extended their domain far into the north of England. In the period 71–74 a first wooden fort was built in Lagentium. Around the years 89-90 this was replaced by a larger fort. To the north of it, further buildings were built, in which passing troops could be accommodated and goods delivered to the river could be stored. To the west of it a bathhouse ( Thermae or Balneum ) was built, the remains of which have the status of a Scheduled Monument . The civil settlement followed in the south-west. Around the year 100 the area was pacified and the fort was abandoned around this time, at least in the first half of the second century at the latest. The bathhouse was used by the civilian population settling in the vicus and by troops traveling through it until the 4th century. Around the year 140 large and presumably public stone buildings were erected in the vicus.

archeology

A large number of archaeological finds were made on the site, which give a good insight into the life of the Lagentium inhabitants: Roman ceramics, locally produced and imported goods, can be found from the entire period of the existence of the province of Britain. A warehouse for terra sigillata tableware burned down in the period 140–145 . The charred and broken shards were later used as filling material in the foundations of buildings. Stamps on found roof tiles mention the 4th cohort of the Gauls , other tiles were found with stamps of the Legio VIIII Hispana . These units must have been stationed in Lagentium at least temporarily. Many glass finds suggest a local glass processing industry. The name Lagentium possibly comes from the Latin lagenae for bottles . There are also references to enamel work and metalworking . Another specialty of local artisans was the manufacture of spoons, as evidenced by around 800 fragments of spoon molds found. In some cases, textiles and leather sandals were found that were very well preserved in waterlogged layers due to the exclusion of air. Many finds are on display in the Wakefield Museum.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Edmund McClure: British place-names in their historical setting. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; New York, ES Gorham, 1910, p. 108 , accessed July 29, 2017 .
  2. ↑ a b Lagentivm. www.roman-britain.co.uk, January 27, 2016, accessed July 29, 2017 .
  3. ^ A b Roman Bath House, Castleford. Historic England , accessed July 29, 2017 .
  4. ^ A b Castleford Roman Fort (54328). In: PastScape. English Heritage , accessed July 29, 2017 .
  5. ^ A b c Projects - Castleford Vicus. Barbican Research Associates, accessed July 29, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Record ID: WMID-8F90E7 - Roman Spoon. Portable Antiquities Scheme, February 24, 2011, accessed July 30, 2017 .
  7. ^ Roman Castleford. (PDF; 3.1 MB) Wakefield Council, p. 27 , accessed on July 30, 2017 (English).

Coordinates: 53 ° 43 '33.6 "  N , 1 ° 21' 21.6"  W.