Lindum Colonia

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Roman north wall

Lindum Colonia was an ancient Roman city on the site of present-day Lincoln in Lincolnshire , England .

The city was a Roman colonia (colony) established in the Roman province of Britannia Britain at the end of Domitian's reign . Earlier, which was at the site of the city bearing the Legio IX Hispana . At the end of the 3rd century the city became the administrative seat of a province, perhaps of Britannia secunda , while earlier research suggested Flavia Caesariensis .

location

Lindum Colonia was at the crossroads of some important Roman roads and had the Witham River as another major artery. From north to south it was " Ermine Street " that connected Londinium ( London ) with Eboracum ( York ). The " Fosse Way " coming from Isca Dumnoniorum ( Exeter ) ended in Lincoln. There was probably a bridge near the city that spanned the Witham. There was also a road that led east to the coast.

Gravestone of Volusia Faustina, which was erected by her husband, the Decurios Aurelios Senecio

Surname

The name of the city is handed down in inscriptions and also by ancient geographers. The full name can be reconstructed as Colonia Domitiana Lindensium , but has not yet been documented. In the Geographike Hyphegesis by Claudius Ptolemy the city appears as Lindum . In the Itinerarium Antonini she is called Lindo . The geographer of Ravenna calls it Lindum Colonia .

history

Especially on the basis of tombstones that were discovered at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, it can be attested with certainty that the Legio VIIII Hispana and then the Legio II Adiutrix were stationed here. The founding date of the Legio VIIII Hispana camp is uncertain. Dates between the later years of Claudius' reign (c. 47–54 AD) to around AD 60 are discussed in research. Four tombstones belong to legionaries of Legio VIIII Hispana, which according to the inscriptions come from provinces in the Mediterranean region (Spain, Macedonia and Italy). The Legio II Adiutrix eventually came to Lindum Colonia in 71, together with the new provincial governor Petilius Cerialis . In 77/78 this legion was moved to Chester . In the following years the place received the rank of a colony . The exact founding date of the colony is unknown, but there is an inscription from Mainz that mentions Lindum Colonia and dates to the year 96 AD.

Retired legionaries were mostly settled in the colonies and land was allocated to them. They did not necessarily live directly in the city, but also in the surrounding area belonging to the city. Colony cities also had their own administration. There was one city council ( ordo ) and ideally 100 councils ( decurions ). A decurion, Aurelios Senecio, is known from a tombstone. Otherwise the city was probably no different from other cities in Britain. The center of public life was a forum, there were temples, an amphitheater (which previously could not be located) and public baths. There must also have been a temple for the imperial cult in the city. Two priests, sevili augustales are known. Marcus Aurelius Lunaris (237 AD) held this office in Lindum Colonia and Eboracum ( York ) and is known from a consecration stone that was found in Bordeaux .

City construction

The ancient city consisted of two parts. In the north, on a hill, there was a square (approx. 300 × 300 meters), about 16 hectare area that was on the site of the former legionary camp. It is also known as the Upper Town. To the south was the so-called lower town, which was just as wide but around 400 meters long. It bordered the Witham, a small river, to the south. The embankment in the lower town is partly very steep and it is assumed that there were retaining walls in Roman times, but nothing can be clearly identified archaeologically. The modern buildings make it difficult to get an idea of ​​the ancient city. The lower town evidently developed from the camp settlement ( canabae ) , which was next to the military camp. The city had a city map with streets crossing at right angles, although there is also a diagonal street in the lower town, which indicates that the previous settlement grew rather unplanned. Beyond the Witham, there was an extensive suburb that stretched a good mile along Ermine Street.

city ​​wall

Newport Gate (North Gate)
The east gate

The upper town had a city wall from the beginning, which was made of stone and replaced the earthworks of the military camp. The wall dates to the beginning of the second century. The stone wall was 1.2 m thick and once about 4 m high. On the outside there was a trench that had been rebuilt as the camp's trench could not be used as the stone wall overran the trench of the legionnaire's camp. Part of the arch of the northern city gate is still standing today. The lower town wall was built later. On the inside there was a tower at a distance of about 40 m, which measured about 5 × 6 m. In total there must have been around 40 of them at one time. The upper town wall had four gates. The north gate is best known and still stands today. It consists of a gate with a round arch. There are pedestrian entrances on both sides. The entrances were flanked by semicircular towers on the outside of the wall. The east gate was constructed similarly. It was the main gate of the legionary camp, but had two passages. The east gate came in 1836 but has not been examined since then. It was a tower with a passage. The south gate has been poorly examined. It had two passageways and flanking towers. It is uncertain whether there were also entrances for pedestrians.

The forum

The so-called Mint Wall, once the washable wall of a basilica

In the middle of the upper town was the forum and a basilica . The forum stood on the site of the Principia of the legionary camp and was evidently given a civil function when it was converted into a civilian settlement. Significant elements of the forum have been found, but the possibility of reconstructing a plan is limited. Under Balligate, a street in the center of modern Lincoln, a colonnade with 19 columns came to light in 1878. Other parts were found in 1897. Here there was also a milestone that indicates the distance to Segelocum as 14 miles. The colonnade was 84 m long. The remains of a road were found on the south side. The individual columns were 4.8 m apart (measured from the center). In other places the distance is 6 m and it can be assumed that there were entrances here. It can be assumed that the colonnades decorated the outside of the forum. Another well-preserved part of the forum is the so-called Mint Wall . It is the remains of a wall, some of which are still 7 m high and can be traced over a length of 23 m. The wall is about 1 m thick, with no windows in the preserved parts. The wall probably dates to the end of the second century and runs exactly at right angles to the northernmost column of the preserved colonnade. The south wall presumably represents a basilica. Under the wall, more recent excavations have revealed older wall remains that belong to an older construction phase of the forum. An apse was also excavated here. To the south of the wall there was a large open courtyard, the flagstone paving of which was partly well preserved. The remains of a statue base were found here. The remains of the Principia , the headquarters of the legionary camp, could also be excavated under the courtyard . It is possible to distinguish between two construction phases, whereby it is not known which construction phase the colonnade belongs to.

Thermal baths

In the far northeast of the city, parts of a public bath were recorded during excavations in 1957. It probably took up most of an insula and was once about 60 by 45 m. During the excavations, only small sections of the facilities were found. It seems certain that the complex was oriented to the south. There was also a porticus facing the street. Several rooms had hypocausts and various rooms were furnished with mosaics. There were probably several phases of construction. The original bath was built at the beginning of the 2nd century. There was an expansion at the end of the same century. There seems to have been a bath in the lower town too. A 6 × 6 m large heated room was discovered here in 1782, which can only come from public thermal baths.

Other buildings

In the lower town there was an inscription that mentions Mercury and indicates a temple or shrine to the god. With the inscription, there were remains of columns and large, worked stones that may have come from the temple. Another inscription names Apollo and may indicate another temple. The remains of a public well were also found in the lower town. It was discovered as early as 1830 but was not fully investigated until 1953. It is an octagonal structure made of limestone, which was lined with waterproof cement. The fountain was about 6 m in diameter and 1 m high. Remnants of a discharge were found, but there is no evidence of how the well was supplied with water. Similar public fountains are also known from other Roman cities and it can be assumed that it stood in a public square. The remains of a possibly classical temple could also be found in the lower town.

Water supply and sewerage

The city has one of the best documented and developed sewer systems in Roman Britain. A sewer came to light under the Balligate. It was up to 1.5 m high, a good 1.2 m wide and made of stone. The top was covered with stone slabs. Smaller sewers and sewers directly from houses that fed this main sewer were found in various places. There were various inspection shafts so that the sewer could be serviced.

The city also had an aqueduct that provided fresh water. The aqueduct reached the city in the north where there was a water basin and was fed by the Roaring Meg , a stream about 1.8 km away. The difference in altitude was 21 m. The actual line consisted of clay tubes that were 914 mm long and a maximum of 140 mm in diameter. The tubes were walled in in waterproof cement. The line mostly ran underground, but there were also places where it ran over a bridge. At Roaring Meg there must have been pumps or a water tower, but there is no archaeological evidence of this.

Residential buildings

Mosaic from Lindum Colonia

Little is known of the residential development. In the 19th century in particular, there were isolated mosaics , most of which only show geometric patterns. They show a high standard of living and point to some magnificent residential buildings. Overall, residential buildings initially seem to have been made of wood, only to be replaced by stone buildings in the second century. A house with at least 12 rooms was excavated in the lower town. At least one room had hypocausts. The house could not be fully captured, so there is no complete plan. Remnants of residential buildings from the 4th century often appear to indicate significant and large residential buildings. This may be related to the city's new role as provincial capital. However, the most important residential buildings from other cities in Britain also come from this period, so the city only followed a general trend.

A little more is known about the residential development in the southern residential city. Mainly residential buildings stood here along the street. It is mainly strip houses built in wood . There was usually a shop at the front, workshops behind it and the living quarters at the back of the house. Four such houses were largely excavated from what is now the lower High Street . Two phases, both dating to the third century, came to light. There were various stoves and one house even had a room painted.

graveyards

Gravestone of Claudia Crysis, who was 90 years old

Extensive cemeteries were located beyond the city walls, especially on the arteries to the north and east, further burial grounds were directly east and west of the lower town, while relatively few graves were found south of the suburb. Most of the burials are urn burials. Body burials, which became more popular from the second century onwards and became the norm in the fourth century, came to light mainly east of the city, while a large cemetery west of the lower city was abandoned. Numerous tombstones were built into the city wall or in other places. They provide names and professions of the townspeople. For example, C. Iulius Gelenus was a soldier in the Sixth Legion. Gaius Valerius was a standard bearer of the Ninth Legion. Sacer was the son of Bruscus and calls himself Senone . Claudia Crysis is said to have turned 90. Flavius ​​Helius was a Greek woman who lived to be around 40 and whose tombstone was erected by her husband. Titus Valerius Pudens served in the Legio II Adiutrix and was originally from Savaria.

Late antiquity

Under Diocletian , Lindum Colonia became the capital of the newly established province of Britannia secunda, while Flavia Caesariensis was suspected in earlier research . A bishop named Adelphius is attested to the fourth century, who was present at the Council of Arles in 314 . Otherwise there is little evidence of Christianity in the city. After all, there are remains of a building in the lower town with an apse facing east. It could be a church. Over the course of this century, the population seems to have moved more and more to the banks of the river.

From the time when the city was the provincial capital, there is little evidence of increased state construction, as one would expect. After all, there is evidence that the city wall was reinforced. About 2.5 km east of the city the remains of a richly furnished and very large villa came to light. It is believed that a senior official resided here, but this cannot be proven.

The city lost its importance in the fifth century, but there are signs of continuous settlement, at least on a small scale, until the Middle Ages. The continuity of the name is evidence of this; of Lindum Colonia was Lincoln . A wooden church was built in the forum, but its dating is very uncertain. It may belong in post-Roman times.

aftermath

The Lincoln sheep, which originated in the Lincolnshire region, may be traced back to Roman sheep imports. The breed originated in the Lincolnshire Wolds , which was one of the centers of British wool production from the Roman period (44 to 410) through the Middle Ages and the beginning of the modern era. For imports, however, there is only an indication that all regions of Great Britain where long-wool sheep were traditionally bred were also centers of Roman sheep's wool production. The British Isles had a long tradition of sheep farming even before the Roman occupation, but this was limited to subsistence sheep farming. In contrast, in the Roman Empire there was already since the 2nd century BC. A targeted sheep breeding, in which hornless and white-faced sheep were bred, especially in Apulia. Lincolnshire, which was a center of sheep breeding in Roman times, was one of the wealthiest English counties in the Middle Ages due to its wool production.

literature

  • Michael J. Jones: Roman Lincoln, Conquest, Colony & Capital. Tempus, Stroud 2002, ISBN 0-7524-1455-0 .
  • John Wacher: The Towns of Roman Britain. Routledge, London / New York 1997, ISBN 0-415-17041-9 , pp. 132-150.

Web links

Commons : Lindum Colonia  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ MJ Jones: Roman Lincoln. 2002, p. 119.
  2. ^ MJ Jones: Roman Lincoln. 2002, p. 37.
  3. ^ MJ Jones: Roman Lincoln. 2002, p. 34.
  4. ^ MJ Jones: Roman Lincoln. 2002, p. 37.
  5. ^ J. Wacher: The Towns of Roman Britain. 1997, p. 178, Fig. 80.
  6. ^ MJ Jones: Roman Lincoln. 2002, pp. 77-79.
  7. ^ MJ Jones: Roman Lincoln. 2002, pp. 58-61.
  8. ^ MJ Jones: Roman Lincoln. 2002, pp. 61-71.
  9. ^ MJ Jones: Roman Lincoln. 2002, pp. 71-73.
  10. ^ MJ Jones: Roman Lincoln. 2002, p. 82.
  11. ^ J. Wacher: The Towns of Roman Britain. 1997, p. 144.
  12. ^ MJ Jones: Roman Lincoln. 2002, p. 82.
  13. ^ J. Wacher: The Towns of Roman Britain. 1997, pp. 138-142.
  14. ↑ David S. Neal, Stephen R. Cosh: Roman Mosaics of Britain. Volume I: Northern Britain, incorporating the Midlands and East Anglia. The Society of Antiquaries of London, London 2002, ISBN 0-9537845-2-5 , pp. 162-174.
  15. ^ MJ Jones: Roman Lincoln. 2002, pp. 83-85.
  16. ^ MJ Jones: Roman Lincoln. 2002, pp. 89-93.
  17. ^ MJ Jones: Roman Lincoln. 2002, pp. 113-118.
  18. ↑ RIB 252
  19. ↑ romaninscriptionsofbritain.org RIB 257
  20. ↑ romaninscriptionsofbritain.org RIB 262}
  21. ↑ romaninscriptionsofbritain.org RIB 263
  22. ↑ romaninscriptionsofbritain.org RIB 251
  23. ↑ romaninscriptionsofbritain.org RIB 258
  24. ^ J. Wacher: The Towns of Roman Britain. 1997, p. 146.
  25. ^ MJ Jones: Roman Lincoln. 2002, pp. 127-129.
  26. ^ Philip Walling: Counting Sheep - A Celebration of the Pastoral Heritage of Britain . Profile Books, London 2014, ISBN 978-1-84765-803-6 , p. 23.
  27. ^ Philip Walling: Counting Sheep - A Celebration of the Pastoral Heritage of Britain . Profile Books, London 2014, ISBN 978-1-84765-803-6 , p. 24.
  28. ^ Philip Walling: Counting Sheep - A Celebration of the Pastoral Heritage of Britain . Profile Books, London 2014, ISBN 978-1-84765-803-6 , p. 25.

Coordinates: 53 ° 14 ′  N , 0 ° 32 ′  W