Vindobala
| Rudchester Castle | |
|---|---|
| Alternative name |
a) Vindobala , b) Vindovala , c) Uindobala |
| limes | Britain |
| section | Hadrian's Wall |
| Dating (occupancy) |
Hadrianic , 2nd to late 3rd century AD |
| Type | Alen and cohort fort |
| unit |
a) Legio VI Victrix ?, b) Cohors I Frixagorum |
| size | Area: 1.8 ha |
| Construction | Stone construction |
| State of preservation | Square floor plan with rounded surfaces, not visible above ground. |
| place | Rudchester |
| Geographical location | 55 ° 0 '3.6 " N , 1 ° 49' 33.6" W |
| Previous | Fort Condercum (east) |
| Subsequently | Onnum Fort (west) |
Vindobala was a Roman auxiliary fort and stood near the hamlet (Hamlet) Rudchester, Parish Heddon-on-the-Wall, County Northumbria , England .
It belonged to the chain of fortresses of Hadrian's Wall ( per lineam valli ) consisting of a total of 16 forts and secured its eastern section. The camp was probably used by the military from 122 to 400 AD, with a longer interruption. The excavation site has become known nationwide for its mithraium and a Roman cistern. Despite its poor state of preservation, the excavation site produced some important archaeological finds. They provided valuable information about life on the northern border of Britain.
Surname
The ancient place name Vindobala is derived from the Celtic and could mean “mighty white mountain or walls”. He is known from the Notitia Dignitatum of the late fourth or early fifth century and the cosmography of the geographer of Ravenna of the seventh century. In these documents it appears as Uindobala and Vindovala . The current name Rudchester comes from the Anglo-Saxon and means "red fortress". When it was excavated in 1924, it was found that many of the stones had actually taken on a reddish color when the fort burned down.
location
Rudchester Castle is the fourth link in the chain of fortresses on Hadrian's Wall ( vallum aelium ). It is located about eleven kilometers from Benwell, stood at the highest point of a flat, slightly south-sloping ridge between the March Burn in the west and the Rudchester Burn in the south and east. Its area is partly under the B6318. Hadrian's Wall runs along the west side of the Rudchester Burn river valley, then over the slight ascent to the fort to the descent into the shallow depression through which the March Burn flows. From the location of the fort there was only a limited view to the north. In contrast, the topography allows a wide view to the south over the valley of the Tyne, while the view to the east and west is again severely restricted. The outlines of the fort are only clearly visible in aerial photographs. From 212/213 the region around Vindobala belonged to the province of Britannia inferior , from the 4th century to the province of Britannia secunda .
Research history
The location of the fort has been known since the 18th century. Its area was used for agriculture for a long time. In 1897 the first experimental archaeological excavations took place on the fort grounds. In 1901 the course of the early wood-peat wall (Hadrian's Wall) could be traced. The first scientific excavations were carried out by W. Parker-Brewis in 1924, and the exact dimensions of the camp could be determined. At the same time, some gates and the most important buildings (commandant's house, headquarters and granary) could be identified and located. In 1930 aerial photographs were taken of the fort area.
In 1972 the Newcastle University Excavation Committee (JP Gillam, RM Harrison ) uncovered parts of the south-eastern quarter of the fort area ( via Quintana ). In 1975, construction work on the fort was observed by archaeologist Charles Daniels. In 1987, the University of Durham, Department of Archeology, carried out geophysical surveys in the fort and along the southern Vallum. The course of the fort wall was examined and some new knowledge about the interior construction was gained. The position of the northwest corner was then determined. Soil anomalies indicated the presence of other buildings in the north, on the B6318 and on the southeast corner (east-west orientation). In 1988, further geophysical investigations by the archaeologists of Durham University in the northern half of the fortress were used to determine the course of the fort wall and the inner wall and the position of the north gate. Another archaeological study was carried out by Colm O'Brien as part of the renewal of the main aqueduct in June 1989. A 17.31 m long wall at the northern end of the water supply ditch could be observed. Stone structures and a threshold block indicated that there ( praetentura ) was a building facing east to west. After 60–65 m, at a depth of 0.7 m, the fort's rampart road, the via singularis , was encountered . No trace of the fort wall could be found, although some large stones that were seen at digging 70 meters could have come from the wall. The remains of buildings of the vicus were found between 72 m and 88.5 m at a depth between 0.4 m and 0.55 m.
In 1990 a field inspection was carried out. By 1992 the further course of the southern Vallum could be clarified. He crossed the March Burn 90 m west of the fort, then turned 60 degrees and circled the camp to the south. Two of the four main gates were excavated, as well as a warehouse, some rooms in the headquarters and the remains of a hypocaust heater in the commandant's house. A life-size statue of Hercules and four altars of Mithras are worth mentioning as finds.
- Altar for Mithras from the Mithraeum, found 1844 .;
- Altar for Mithras, found in 1844;
- Altar for Sol Apollo Mithras, found in 1844;
- Altar for Sol (Mithraeum), found 1844.
development
The castle hill was inhabited since pre-Roman times. During the excavations, u. a. Pre-Adrian plow marks can be observed in the clay layer below the Roman soil horizon. Originally there was a Celto-British settlement called Bindo or Bindobala . In 122, Emperor Hadrian ordered a barrier wall, reinforced by watchtowers and forts, to be erected from the Tyne to the Solway Firth in northern Britain 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 stationed in Britain and the Classis Britannica .
The crew was supposed to secure the valley of the March Burn. Vindobala was burned to the ground during a Caledonian incursion around 181 and abandoned by the army. The fort was not occupied by soldiers again until around 370. Inside, wooden buildings were raised on stone foundations. It was finally abandoned by the military at the end of the 4th or early 5th century. The fort was perhaps used as a refuge by the civilian population until the late fifth century. From this period, the archaeologists found fragments of so-called Crambeck and Huntcliffe ceramics, a stone sleeper and stone plinth with holes carved into it for inserting wooden posts. According to John Horsley, the castle ruins were still visible until the 1720s, after which they were almost completely destroyed by stone robbery. The stone material was u. a. Used to build Rudchester Manor, nearby farm buildings and the B6318 military road.
Fort
From the fort and Hadrian's Wall, only a rectangular, 1.4 m high elevation, the south and west side (0.6 m high), directly on Hadrian's Wall Path, can be seen on a sheep pasture. A section of the north wall forms a wide, flat, 1.6 m high embankment. The northern half of the fort was almost completely destroyed by agricultural activity. Also inside the fortress, no surface features are visible north of the B6318. The south side is a little better preserved. Vindobala was otherwise very similar to the neighboring forts of Wallsend , Benwell and Chesters .
The camp had the square floor plan with rounded corners (playing card shape) typical of the middle imperial era. As is usual with the cavalry fort on the Wall, in Vindobala the praetentura of the camp extended beyond Hadrian's Wall. It measured 157 m from north to south and 118 m from west to east and covered (including the rear earth ramp) an area of 1.8 ha.
Enclosure
The fort should have had a total of six gates. Four main gates ( portae principales , two passages) in the north, south and east and two side gates ( portae quintanae , with only one passage) in the west and east. The main gates were secured by two square side towers. The south gate, whose central pillar ( spina ) has been preserved just below the ground, and the western side gate have been researched. A passage was later bricked up at the south and west gates. Interruptions in the steep slopes mark the positions of the two gates. In 2010 a stone with two round holes was still visible on the fort area. It was located in the southern part of the fortress and could have served as a pivot stone for one of the gate wings of the south gate.
The four corners of the fort were reinforced by towers. A depression in the ground can still be seen at the location of the southeast corner tower. Traces of the moat have been preserved on the west side (a 0.7 m deep depression). On the aerial photographs of the 1930s, its course can also be seen on the north and south sides.
Indoor building
In 1987, the position of the north-west corner and that of buildings in the north-west quarter were determined within the fortress. Subsequently, coherent traces of east-west facing buildings in the south-east corner were observed.
Principia: The headquarters ( principia ) resembled that of Arbeia and had a basement room under the flag sanctuary ( sacellum ) to store the troop treasury. The walls of the building were plastered, and the pavement in the courtyard also showed traces of painting.
Praetorium: The commandant's house ( praetorium ) was equipped with a hypocaust heater.
Horreum: West of the Principia there was a long rectangular warehouse ( horreum ) of type B - free-standing inside the fort. Its outer walls were supported by pilasters and a loading platform was located at its southern end.
Barracks: In 1972, in the southeast of the fortress, the northern end of a crew barracks from Hadrian times was uncovered. It burned down in the late second or early third century and was later replaced by a barrack of a similar design. Although it was not destroyed by force, it fell into disrepair over time through neglect and was not rebuilt after it fell apart.
Hadrian's Wall
The wall runs in the Rudchester section directly under the B6318. The excavations at Meilenkastell 13 in 1930 confirmed that the wall in this section was designed in the broad version. The wall was examined in 1924 at a point 3 meters west of the fort. The foundation consisted of rubble stones. A relief plinth was discovered on the first row of stones in the rising masonry. A building inscription (centurial stone) was probably once affixed here, which marked the construction phase of the cohort responsible there. Four specimens were recovered from Rudchester. The course of the military road that ran between the wall and the vallum has not yet been archaeologically confirmed in this section of the corridor. The southern trench was localized by geophysical surveys in the southwest and south of the fortress. As in Benwell, it runs in a wide arc around the fort (220 meters). The asymmetrical course of the vallum around the camp suggests that the fort was completed in front of the moat. On the east side, the earth dams that were originally piled up on both sides of the trench still reach a height of about one meter, the trench is 1.4 meters deep.
garrison
The Legio VI Victrix is likely to have provided the first garrison unit of the fort as part of their work as a construction vexillation. However, it seems rather unlikely that her relatives were stationed here after the fort was completed. The construction of a stone fort required specialized craftsmen who were usually only to be found among the legions and not among the auxiliaries who were later garrisoned here. Legionaries were used to build most of the empire's military structures.
The following auxiliary units are known or may have been crewed for Vindobala for a limited time:
| Time position | Troop name | description |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd century AD | Cohors quingenaria equitata | The name of the first unit to occupy this fortress is unknown. The excavations have shown that the Hadrian garrison was probably a mixed cohort of auxiliaries (i.e. both infantry and cavalrymen) consisting of five hundred soldiers. |
| 3rd century AD | Legio sextae Victrix Pia Fidelis (the sixth legion, the victorious, pious and faithful), | One of the altars of the Mithraum was donated by Lucius Sentius Castus, a centurion of this legion, which had its headquarters in Eburacum / York. It is possible that a vexillation of this unit stayed in the fort for some time. |
| 3rd to 5th century AD | Cohors prima Frixagorum ("the first cohort of the Frisians ") | This 500 man strong, probably also partly mounted cohort was originally set up in Lower Germany ( Rhine delta ). It is believed that it was moved to Britain in 71 with the troops of the governor Petilius Cerealis. It is also mentioned on a diploma and an altar inscription from Carrawburgh ( Brocolitia ). Two of its commanders, Prefects Publius Aelius Titullus and Tiberius Claudius Decimus Cornelius Antonius, are also known by name. The latter had the Mithra temple renovated. In the Notitia Dignitatum , the list of troops of the Dux Britanniarum , the rank of its commanding officer, a tribunus , is handed down for the Vindobala of the 4th century . At that time the unit was one of the Limitanei . Since the troops still appear in this late antique document, they could have stood there until the dissolution of the provincial army in the 5th century. |
Vicus
Only a few terraces between the fort and the Mithraic temple mark the area of the Roman civil settlement ( vicus ) today . Remnants of buildings are no longer to be seen. They are located in the south and southwest of the camp. However, some buildings could also have stood along the military road to the east and west. The full extent of the settlement is unknown. Some of the terraces are up to 3.2 meters high, but most are only 0.3 to 1.5 meters high. They contain considerable amounts of stone, some appear to have been streets and others resemble building foundations. Traces of the vicus have also been seen at Rudchester Farm. A rectangular depression near the Mithraeum, discovered in 1766 and carved into a rock slab, known as "The Giant's Grave" is actually a Roman cisterna , it measures 3.9 meters × 1.5 meters internally and is about 0.5 meters deep. There is a drain hole in the northwest corner. When they were discovered, rubble, bones and an iron three-armed candlestick were found inside. The discovery of such a reservoir is so far unique in the northern border area. Either it had a function in the water supply system of the civil settlement, was used for brewing beer or it belonged to the thermal baths of the fort, which up to now could not be located. The cistern is the only remnant of the vicus that can still be seen today. In 1850 the torso of a statue of Hercules was also found there. It is now in the Great North Museum, Newcastle u. T.
Mithraeum
The sanctuary, dedicated to the god Mithras , was discovered in 1844, about 138 meters from the southwest corner of the fort, and excavated in 1953 by JP Gillam and I. MacIvor. The temple had a partially asymmetrical, square floor plan and was oriented to the north-west. The building, apparently built with little expertise, was 42 meters long and 26 meters wide and was connected at its northwestern end by an apse . The entrance was in the middle of the southeast wall and was covered by a porch ( narthex ). Inside there were stone benches about five meters wide on both sides and along its entire length, separated by a nine-meter-wide alley. At their front they were clad with stone blocks. The temple and the narthex are likely to have been built in the early third century over a previous building. A large pit was also filled in the process. The south-eastern end of the temple collapsed again due to the serious structural defects. It was rebuilt without the narthex and was used until the first half of the fourth century. Four altars were found in the Mithraeum itself and are now in the Blackgate Museum in Newcastle a. T. are located.
See also
literature
- John Collingwood-Bruce: Handbook to the Roman Wall. Harold Hill & Son, 1863, ISBN 0-900463-32-5 .
- John Collingwood-Bruce, Charles Daniels (Eds.): Handbook to the Roman Wall with the Cumbrian coast and outpost forts. 1978.
- Archaeologia Aeliana: or miscellaneous tracts relating to antiquity, New series, No. 1 (1857) - 25, 1904, pp. 25-31.
- P. Brewis: Archaeologia Aeliana: or miscellaneous tracts relating to antiquity, No. 1, 1924.
- John Pearson Gillam: Archaeologia Aeliana: or miscellaneous tracts relating to antiquity, No. 1, 1972.
- John Pearson Gillam, Iain MacIvor: The Temple of Mithras at Rudchester. In: Archaeologia Aeliana. ser. 4th Vol. 32. pp. 176-219. pl. XIV-XVIII. 1954.
- Albert Rivet, Colin Smith: The place-names of Roman Britain. 1979.
- J. Gibson: A Geophysical Investigation of the Roman Fort and Vallum at Rudchester (Vindobala). Unpublished MSc dissertation, Durham University, 1988.
- J. Moore: Resistivity and S-Wave Seismic Refraction Surveys at Hadrians Wall, Rudchester, Northumberland. Unpublished MSc dissertation, Durham University, 1988.
- M. Bowden, K. Blood: The Roman fort at Rudchester: an analytical field survey, 1991.
- Tony Wilmott: Hadrian's Wall: archaeological research by English Heritage 1976-2000, 2009.
- Guy de la Bédoyère : Hadrian's Wall: history and guide, Tempus, 1998, ISBN 0-7524-1407-0 .
- Nic Fields: Hadrian's Wall AD 122-410. Osprey, Oxford 2003, ISBN 1-84176-430-2 .
- Hadrian's Wall Map and Guide by the Ordnance Survey. Southampton 1989.
- Ronald Embleton, Frank Graham: Hadrian's Wall in the Days of the Romans. Newcastle 1984, pp. 67-72.
- RW Davies: The Roman Military Diet. Britannia II, 1971. pp. 122-142.
- MJT Lewis: Temples in Roman Britain. Cambridge 1966.
- RG Collingwood, RP Wright: The Roman Inscriptions of Britain. Oxford 1965.
Remarks
- RIB = Roman inscriptions in Britain
- ↑ L. Rivet / Colin Smith 1979, p. 500, Guy de la Bedoyere 1998, p. 49, RC No. 145.
- ^ Bowden & Blood: The Roman Fort at Rudchester. An analytic field survey. Archaeologia Aeliana, 5th series, 1991, No. 19, pp. 25-31
- ↑ RIB 1395
- ^ RIB 1398
- ↑ RIB 1397
- ^ RIB 1396
- ↑ Guy de la Bedoyere 1998, p. 49, Nic Fields 2003, p. 39.
- ↑ P. Brewis 1924, pp. 93-120, J. Gillam 1972, pp. 81-85, J. Collingwood Bruce 1978, pp. 76-81
- ↑ RIB 1400 , RIB 1401 , RIB 1402 , RIB 1403
- ^ RIB 1398
- ^ ND Occ. 11, 20, RB 1395 , RIB 1396 , RIB 1523 .
- ↑ John Horsley: 1732, Britannia Romana, p. 140, The Annual Register or a view of the History, Politicks and Literature for the year 1766, printed for J. Dodiley, Pall Mall, London 1767, JC Bruce: The Roman Wall, 1st edition, 1851, p. 151, Gillam / Macivor: 1954, pp. 177-178, Bowden / Blood 1991, Archaeologia Aeliana, Vol. 1 (1857) -25, 1904, No. 19, pp. 25-31.
- ↑ Gillam / MacIvor 1954, p. 176 ff
Web links
- RIB Roman Inscriptions of Britain inscription database
- Hadrian's Wall photo album on Flickr
- Satellite photo of the fort area, location of Roman monuments on Vici.org.
- The wall from Arbeia to Maia. Film production with 3D-CGI models, images and explanation of the individual Roman castles along Hadrian's Wall, Part III on You Tube.
- Rudchester Castle on Pastscape
- Excavation report
- Aerial photograph, reconstruction and excavation photos on Rudchester.com (English)
- Vindobala on Roman Britain (English)
- 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.
Segedunum Castle (Wallsend) | Pons Aelius Castle (Newcastle upon Tyne) | Condercum Castle (Benwell) | Vindobala Castle (Rudchesters) | Onnum Castle (Halton Orchestra) | Cilurnum Castle (Chesters) | Brocolitia Castle (Carrawburgh) | Vercovicium Castle (Housesteads) | Aesica Castle (Great Chesters) | Magnis Castle (Carvoran) | Fort Banna (Birdoswald) | Camboglanna Castle (Castlesteads) | Uxelodunum Castle (Stanwix) | Aballava Castle (Burgh-by-Sands) | Congavata Castle (Drumburgh) | Maia Castle (Bowness-on-Solway)