The Roman Fort at Vindolanda: Shoes and Other Fabulous Finds from the Roman FronEr the Roman Empire and the Roman Army

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Roman Fort at Vindolanda: Shoes and Other Fabulous Finds from the Roman Fron�Er the Roman Empire and the Roman Army The Roman Fort at Vindolanda: Shoes and other Fabulous Finds from the Roman Fron7er The Roman Empire and the Roman Army Copyright: Ancient World Mapping Center The Roman Empire and Britain Britannia AD 43 Copyright: Ancient World Mapping Center Hadrian’s Wall Vindolanda The Emperor Hadrian and Britain Hadrian’s Wall, constructed in the AD 120s The military forts on Hadrian’s Wall: Housesteads A “Milecastle” on Hadrian’s Wall Photo: Britain Express The Roman Army on the Frontiers: The Fort at Vindolanda Vindolanda Aerial View A ‘standard’ Roman military fort VINDOLANDA, Period VII/VIII, AD 213, visible remains on site today And what lies beneath in anaerobic soil The larger timber forts from ca. AD 85-120 What lies beneath . “Anaerobic” Preserva7on at Vindolanda (without oxygen) Timber water pipes carrying fresh water across the site, ca. AD 105-120 Timber floor boards and supporFng beams, Occupaon Period IV, ca. AD 105-120 Lathe turned wooden box lid with detailed incised decoraon on both sides, ca. AD 100-130 Wooden box with contents sFll remaining inside, ca. AD 90-100 Ox skulls excavated from a pit dug in the floor of a large central courtyard building, ca. AD 220 Human skull, probably a “trophy head” displayed by the Roman army, from a fort defensiVe ditch, ca. AD 200 Roman Helmet Crest made of hair moss Metal ArFfacts: Bronze, silVer, Iron The Vindolanda Writing Tablets The first le[er found read: Infra-red Photography “I have sent you socks used to read the le[ers and underwear” The Vindolanda Wring Tablets “The Birthday InVitaon” Claudia SeVera to her Lepidina greeFngs. On the third day before the Ides of September, sister, for the celebraon of my birthday, I giVe you a warm inVitaon to make sure that you come to us, to make the day more enjoyable for me by your arriVal, if you are present (?). GiVe my greeFngs to your Cerialis. My Aelius and my li[le son send him (?) their greeFngs. (second hand) I shall expect you, sister. Farewell, sister, my dearest soul, as I hope to prosper, and hail. Bowman, Alan K., Life and Le)ers on the Roman Fron2er, Routledge 1994 A man from Italy? “… I implore your mercifulness not to allow me, a man from the continent and an innocent one, about whose good faith you may inquire, to have been bloodied by rods as if I had committed some crime.” (Tablet 344) Over 4000 Roman Leather shoes in the Vindolanda museum and storerooms Leather shoe “uppers” Why Study Shoes? Style and Dang Workshops DeformiFes and Podiatry Demography The “Lepidina” Slipper A wealthy woman’s shoe found in the “Praetorium”, the residence of the commanding officer of the unit staoned at Vindolanda, ca. AD 97-105 Several children’s shoes also found in domesc spaces within the fort A fort and its vicus (settlement outside the walls) VINDOLANDA, Period VII/VIII, AD 213, visible remains on site today Buildings in the vicus at Vindolanda The round houses at Vindolanda A ‘native’ building style? Religion on the fronFer: Jupiter Dolichenus I · O · M CETERISQUE DIIS·IMMORT· ET·GEN·PRAETOR· Q·PETRONIUS Q·F·FAB·URBICUS PRAEFCOH·I·I·I·I· GALLORUM EX·ITALIA· DOMO BRIXIA· VOTUM·SOLVIT PRO· ·SE· AC SUIS CIVES GALLI ‘The Gallic ciFzens DE GALLIAE to the goddess Gallia CONCO[R]DES and, in agreement, QVE BRITANNI the Britons’ Portable altars and statuettes to the matres, Epona, the Veteres and other deites of Germanic and Celtic origin Life in the fort and vicus: What is life like in this settlement? .
Recommended publications
  • Distribution: Electronically Initiated By: ANM-300 CHANGE U.S
    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ORDER CHANGE NM 3930.11 FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION CHG 6 Effective Date: National Policy 09/12/17 SUBJ: Aviation Medical Examiner for FAA Employees and Applicants Requiring Medical Certification. 1. Purpose. This order transmits Aviation Medical Examiner – Employee Examiner (AME- EE) information to the following: Transport Airplane Directorate (ANM-120s, ANM-130s, ANM-140s, ANM-150s), Flight Standards (FSDOs, Alaska CMO, SWA-CMO, Seattle AEG) and the ATO Western Service Area with Enroute and Terminal employees assigned to facilities located in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming requiring Federal Aviation Administration Aerospace Medical Certification. 2. Who this change affects. Branch level and above in the following divisions in the Northwest Mountain Region: Aerospace Medicine, Flight Standards, Transport Airplane Directorate and the ATO Western Service Area (CO, ID, MT, OR, UT, WA and WY) - Enroute and Terminal. 3. Disposition of Transmittal Paragraph. Retain this transmittal sheet until the directive is cancelled by a new directive. PAGE CHANGE CONTROL CHART Remove Pages Dated Insert Pages Dated Appendix A 9/1/17 Appendix A 9/12/17 4. 5. Administrative Information. This order change is distributed to Branch level and above in the following divisions in the Northwest Mountain Region: Aerospace Medicine, Flight Standards, Transport Airplane Directorate and the ATO Western Service Area (CO, ID, MT, OR, UT, WA and WY) - Enroute and Terminal. Responsibility for Distribution: The above divisions are responsible for verifying that there have been no updates to this order prior to scheduling an employee exam. Brett A. Wyrick, D.O. Regional Flight Surgeon Northwest Mountain Region Distribution: Electronically Initiated By: ANM-300 U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Map for Day out One Hadrian's Wall Classic
    Welcome to Hadian’s Wall Country a UNESCO Arriva & Stagecoach KEY Map for Day Out One World Heritage Site. Truly immerse yourself in Newcastle - Hexham - Carlisle www.arrivabus.co.uk/north-east A Runs Daily the history and heritage of the area by exploring 685 Hadrian’s Wall Classic Tickets and Passes National Trail (See overleaf) by bus and on foot. Plus, spending just one day Arriva Cuddy’s Crags Newcastle - Corbridge - Hexham www.arrivabus.co.uk/north-east Alternative - Roman Traveller’s Guide without your car can help to look after this area of X85 Runs Monday - Friday Military Way (Nov-Mar) national heritage. Hotbank Crags 3 AD122 Rover Tickets The Sill Walk In this guide to estbound These tickets offer This traveller’s guide is designed to help you leave Milecastle 37 Housesteads eet W unlimited travel on Parking est End een Hadrian’s Wall uns r the AD122 service. Roman Fort the confines of your car behind and truly “walk G ee T ont Str ough , Hexham Road Approx Refreshments in the footsteps of the Romans”. So, find your , Lion and Lamb journey times Crag Lough independent spirit and let the journey become part ockley don Mill, Bowes Hotel eenhead, Bypass arwick Bridge Eldon SquaLemingtonre Thr Road EndsHeddon, ThHorsler y Ovington Corbridge,Road EndHexham Angel InnHaydon Bridge,Bar W Melkridge,Haltwhistle, The Gr MarketBrampton, Place W Fr Scotby Carlisle Adult Child Concession Family Roman Site Milecastle 38 Country Both 685 and X85 of your adventure. hr Sycamore 685 only 1 Day Ticket £12.50 £6.50 £9.50 £26.00 Haydon t 16 23 27
    [Show full text]
  • Roman Britain
    Roman Britain Hadrian s Wall - History Vallum Hadriani - Historia “ Having completely transformed the soldiers, in royal fashion, he made for Britain, where he set right many things and - the rst to do so - drew a wall along a length of eighty miles to separate barbarians and Romans. (The Augustan History, Hadrian 11.1)” Although we have much epigraphic evidence from the Wall itself, the sole classical literary reference for Hadrian having built the Wall is the passage above, wrien by Aelius Spartianus towards the end of the 3rd century AD. The original concept of a continuous barrier across the Tyne-Solway isthmus, was devised by emperor Hadrian during his visit to Britain in 122AD. His visit had been prompted by the threat of renewed unrest with the Brigantes tribe of northern Britain, and the need was seen to separate this war-like race from the lowland tribes of Scotland, with whom they had allied against Rome during recent troubles. Components of The Wall Hadrian s Wall was a composite military barrier which, in its nal form, comprised six separate elements; 1. A stone wall fronted by a V-shaped ditch. 2. A number of purpose-built stone garrison forti cations; Forts, Milecastles and Turrets. 3. A large earthwork and ditch, built parallel with and to the south of the Wall, known as the Vallum. 4. A metalled road linking the garrison forts, the Roman Military Way . 5. A number of outpost forts built to the north of the Wall and linked to it by road. 6. A series of forts and lookout towers along the Cumbrian coast, the Western Sea Defences .
    [Show full text]
  • Hadrian and the Greek East
    HADRIAN AND THE GREEK EAST: IMPERIAL POLICY AND COMMUNICATION DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Demetrios Kritsotakis, B.A, M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2008 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Fritz Graf, Adviser Professor Tom Hawkins ____________________________ Professor Anthony Kaldellis Adviser Greek and Latin Graduate Program Copyright by Demetrios Kritsotakis 2008 ABSTRACT The Roman Emperor Hadrian pursued a policy of unification of the vast Empire. After his accession, he abandoned the expansionist policy of his predecessor Trajan and focused on securing the frontiers of the empire and on maintaining its stability. Of the utmost importance was the further integration and participation in his program of the peoples of the Greek East, especially of the Greek mainland and Asia Minor. Hadrian now invited them to become active members of the empire. By his lengthy travels and benefactions to the people of the region and by the creation of the Panhellenion, Hadrian attempted to create a second center of the Empire. Rome, in the West, was the first center; now a second one, in the East, would draw together the Greek people on both sides of the Aegean Sea. Thus he could accelerate the unification of the empire by focusing on its two most important elements, Romans and Greeks. Hadrian channeled his intentions in a number of ways, including the use of specific iconographical types on the coinage of his reign and religious language and themes in his interactions with the Greeks. In both cases it becomes evident that the Greeks not only understood his messages, but they also reacted in a positive way.
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of the Roman Army (200 BC – AD 476)
    Impact of Empire 6 IMEM-6-deBlois_CS2.indd i 5-4-2007 8:35:52 Impact of Empire Editorial Board of the series Impact of Empire (= Management Team of the Network Impact of Empire) Lukas de Blois, Angelos Chaniotis Ségolène Demougin, Olivier Hekster, Gerda de Kleijn Luuk de Ligt, Elio Lo Cascio, Michael Peachin John Rich, and Christian Witschel Executive Secretariat of the Series and the Network Lukas de Blois, Olivier Hekster Gerda de Kleijn and John Rich Radboud University of Nijmegen, Erasmusplein 1, P.O. Box 9103, 6500 HD Nijmegen, The Netherlands E-mail addresses: [email protected] and [email protected] Academic Board of the International Network Impact of Empire geza alföldy – stéphane benoist – anthony birley christer bruun – john drinkwater – werner eck – peter funke andrea giardina – johannes hahn – fik meijer – onno van nijf marie-thérèse raepsaet-charlier – john richardson bert van der spek – richard talbert – willem zwalve VOLUME 6 IMEM-6-deBlois_CS2.indd ii 5-4-2007 8:35:52 The Impact of the Roman Army (200 BC – AD 476) Economic, Social, Political, Religious and Cultural Aspects Proceedings of the Sixth Workshop of the International Network Impact of Empire (Roman Empire, 200 B.C. – A.D. 476) Capri, March 29 – April 2, 2005 Edited by Lukas de Blois & Elio Lo Cascio With the Aid of Olivier Hekster & Gerda de Kleijn LEIDEN • BOSTON 2007 This is an open access title distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC 4.0 License, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
    [Show full text]
  • Eusebius and Hadrian's Founding of Aelia Capitolina in Jerusalem
    ELECTRUM * Vol. 26 (2019): 119–128 doi: 10.4467/20800909EL.19.007.11210 www.ejournals.eu/electrum EUSEBIUS AND HADRIAN’S FOUNDING OF AELIA CAPItoLINA IN JERUSALEM Miriam Ben Zeev Hofman Ben Gurion University of the Negev Abstract: From numismatic findings and recent excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem it emerges that the preparatory work on Aelia Capitolina started at the very beginning of Hadrian’ reign, most probably in the 120s, more than a decade before the Bar Kokhba war. The question then arises as how it happened that Eusebius mentions the founding of this colony as a conse- quence of the war. The answer lies both in the source he depends upon, possibly Ariston of Pella, and also in Eusebius’ own conception of Jewish history. Keywords: Bar Kokhba’s coins, Jerusalem excavations, Ariston of Pella, Eusebius’ view of Jewish history. The military colony of Aelia Capitolina which Hadrian founded in Jerusalem constitutes a traumatic event and a turning point in Jewish history. The holy city of Jerusalem turned into a pagan site inhabited by Roman soldiers, where idolatrous shrines were built and pagan religious rites were held. Jews were prohibited from entering it. The meaning of this event has been variously interpreted in modern scholarship,1 and its very timing within the context of the Bar Kokhba war has long been debated in view of the conflicting testimonies provided by the extant sources. At the beginning of the third century CE, Cassius Dio records the founding of the colony as preceding the Bar 1 For example, scholars are found who consider it usual Roman praxis and attribute it to technical and logistical considerations (Bowersock 1980, 134–135, 138; Mildenberg 1980, 332–334; Schäfer 1981, 92; Schäfer 1990, 287–288, 296; Schäfer 2003, 147; see also Tameanko 1999, 21; Bieberstein 2007, 143–144; Bazzana 2010, 98–99), while others contend that the founding was meant to put an end to Jewish expectations of a Temple by founding a miniature Rome explicitly intended for the settlement of foreign races and for- eign religious rites.
    [Show full text]
  • A VINDOLANDA JOURNEY by Deb Bennett, Ph.D
    A VINDOLANDA JOURNEY by Deb Bennett, Ph.D. In the Wild Uplands of Northumbria: Once every year since 2002, I have spent a month at Vindolanda, also known as Chesterholm Museum, a wonderfrul historical park in the wilds of northern England. For Americans, describing anything English as “wild” may sound a bit extreme: we think of England as a center of civilization, culture, and urbanity -- not a place to go camping and hiking with scenery such as you might find on the Appalachian Trail or in Yosemite Park. But England is not all London, not all Oxford or Cambridge. The northern part of the country, where it borders on Scotland, was historically known as “the borderlands” -- for centuries a dangerous, politi- cally-contested no-man’s-land laid out on steep scarps, cloven valleys, and high uplands where the only cattle are woolly sheep and the wind whips a wary lookout’s hair. This is a country for pheasant and deer, with beautiful fall colors and fast-running “burns” where trout and salmon leap. The glass-clear tarns and lochs of the Lake District, nearby to the northwest, are part of Britain’s national park system and feature mountain views and world-class fly fishing. Vindolanda sits atop a flat hill within a steep- sided valley. The long stone wall is the actual fort; ruins in the fore- ground are of the village and temple complexes. Visiting Vindolanda is easy: just go to www.vindolanda.com for details. Here almost 2,000 years ago, Roman armies built forts, and later a massive wall, to divide the civilized South from the wild North.
    [Show full text]
  • A Kink in the Cosmography?
    A Kink in the Cosmography? One vital clue for deciphering Roman-era names is that the order of names in the Ravenna Cosmography is geographically logical. The unknown cosmographer appears to have taken names off maps and/or itineraries that were tolerably accurate, not up to modern cartographic standards, but good enough for Roman soldiers to plan their travels logically. An apparent exception to this logic occurs near Hadrian’s Wall, where RC’s sequence of names runs thus: ... Bereda – Lagubalium – Magnis – Gabaglanda – Vindolande – Lincoigla ... The general course is clear enough, looping up from the south onto the Stanegate road (which was built earlier than the actual Wall) and then going back south. Lagubalium must be Carlisle and Vindolande must be Chesterholm, so it seems obvious that Magnis was at Carvoran and Gabaglanda was at Castlesteads. The problem is that Carvoran lies east of Castlesteads, which would make RC backtrack and put a kink in its path across the ground. Most people will simply say “So what? Cosmo made a mistake. Or his map was wrong. Or the names were written awkwardly on his map.” But this oddity prompted us to look hard at the evidence for names on and around Hadrian’s Wall, as summarised in a table on the following page. How many of the name-to-place allocations accepted by R&S really stand up to critical examination? One discovery quickly followed (a better location for Axelodunum), but many questions remain. For a start, what was magna ‘great’ about the two places that share the name Magnis, Carvoran and Kenchester? Did that name signify something such as ‘headquarters’ or ‘supply base’ in a particular period? Could another site on the Stanegate between Carlisle and Castlesteads be the northern Magnis? The fort at Chapelburn (=Nether Denton, NY59576460) would reduce the size of the kink, but not eliminate it.
    [Show full text]
  • Walking in Hadrian's Wall Country
    Walking in Hadrian’s Wall Country Welcome to Walking in Hadrian’s Wall Country The Granary, Housesteads © Roger Clegg Contents Page An Introduction to Walking in Hadrian’s Wall Country . 3 Helping us to look after Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site . 4 Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail . 6 Three walking itineraries incorporating the National Trail . 8 Walk Grade 1 Fort-to-Fort . .Easy . .10 2 Jesmond Dene – Lord Armstrong’s Back Garden . Easy . .12 3 Around the Town Walls . Easy . .14 4 Wylam to Prudhoe . Easy . .16 5 Corbridge and Aydon Castle . Moderate . .18 6 Chesters and Humshaugh . Easy . 20 7 A “barbarian” view of the Wall . Strenuous . 22 8 Once Brewed, Vindolanda and Housesteads . Strenuous . 24 9 Cawfields to Caw Gap. Moderate . 26 10 Haltwhistle Burn to Cawfields . Strenuous . 28 11 Gilsland Spa “Popping-stone”. Moderate . 30 12 Carlisle City . Easy . 32 13 Forts and Ports . Moderate . 34 14 Roman Maryport and the Smugglers Route . Easy . 36 15 Whitehaven to Moresby Roman Fort . Easy . 38 Section 4 Section 3 West of Carlisle to Whitehaven Gilsland to West of Carlisle 14 13 12 15 2 hadrians-wall.org Cuddy’s Crag © i2i Walltown Crags © Roger Coulam River Irthing Bridge © Graeme Peacock This set of walks and itineraries presents some of the best walking in Hadrian’s Wall Country. You can concentrate on the Wall itself or sample some of the hidden gems just waiting to be discovered – the choice is yours. Make a day of it by visiting some of the many historic sites and attractions along the walks and dwell awhile for refreshment at the cafés, pubs and restaurants that you will come across.
    [Show full text]
  • Notitia Dignitatum Table and Map Chapter 40, the Dux Britanniarum, from the Notitia Dignitatum Occidentis
    Notitia Dignitatum table and map Chapter 40, the dux Britanniarum, from the Notitia Dignitatum Occidentis. Uncertain locations marked with an asterisk*. Placenames have been changed to the generally-accepted Latin spellings, though variations of these spellings are found in the Notitia. 17. At the disposal of viri spectabilis the Duke of the Britains Location 18. Prefect of the 6th Legion York 19. Prefect of the cavalry Dalmatarum at Praesidium *East or North Yorkshire 20. Prefect of the cavalry Crispianorum at Danum Doncaster 21. Prefect of the cavalry catafractariorum at Morbio *Piercebridge 22. Prefect of the unit of barcariorum Tigrisiensium at Arbeia South Shields 23. Prefect of the unit of Nerviorum Dictensium at Dictum *Wearmouth 24. Prefect of the unit vigilum at Concangium Chester-le-Street 25. Prefect of the unit exploratorum at Lavatris Bowes 26. Prefect of the unit directorum at Verteris Brough-under-Stainmore 27. Prefect of the unit defensorum at Braboniacum Kirkby Thore 28. Prefect of the unit Solensium at Maglonis Old Carlisle 29. Prefect of the unit Pacensium at Magis *Piercebridge 30. Prefect of the unit Longovicanorum at Longovicium Lanchester 31. Prefect of the unit supervenientium Petueriensium at Derventione *Malton 32. Along the line of the Wall 33. Tribune of the 4th cohort Lingonum at Segedunum Wallsend 34. Tribune of the 1st cohort Cornoviorum at Pons Aelius Newcastle 35. Prefect of the 1st ala Asturum at Condercum Benwell 36. Tribune of the 1st cohort Frixagorum at Vindobala Rudchester 37. Prefect of the ala Sabiniana at Hunnum Haltonchesters 38. Prefect of the 2nd ala Asturum at Cilurnum Chesters 39.
    [Show full text]
  • The Roman Army's Emergence from Its Italian Origins
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Carolina Digital Repository THE ROMAN ARMY’S EMERGENCE FROM ITS ITALIAN ORIGINS Patrick Alan Kent A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History. Chapel Hill 2012 Approved by: Richard Talbert Nathan Rosenstein Daniel Gargola Fred Naiden Wayne Lee ABSTRACT PATRICK ALAN KENT: The Roman Army’s Emergence from its Italian Origins (Under the direction of Prof. Richard Talbert) Roman armies in the 4 th century and earlier resembled other Italian armies of the day. By using what limited sources are available concerning early Italian warfare, it is possible to reinterpret the history of the Republic through the changing relationship of the Romans and their Italian allies. An important aspect of early Italian warfare was military cooperation, facilitated by overlapping bonds of formal and informal relationships between communities and individuals. However, there was little in the way of organized allied contingents. Over the 3 rd century and culminating in the Second Punic War, the Romans organized their Italian allies into large conglomerate units that were placed under Roman officers. At the same time, the Romans generally took more direct control of the military resources of their allies as idea of military obligation developed. The integration and subordination of the Italians under increasing Roman domination fundamentally altered their relationships. In the 2 nd century the result was a growing feeling of discontent among the Italians with their position.
    [Show full text]
  • Roman Roads of Britain
    Roman Roads of Britain A Wikipedia Compilation by Michael A. Linton PDF generated using the open source mwlib toolkit. See http://code.pediapress.com/ for more information. PDF generated at: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 02:32:02 UTC Contents Articles Roman roads in Britain 1 Ackling Dyke 9 Akeman Street 10 Cade's Road 11 Dere Street 13 Devil's Causeway 17 Ermin Street 20 Ermine Street 21 Fen Causeway 23 Fosse Way 24 Icknield Street 27 King Street (Roman road) 33 Military Way (Hadrian's Wall) 36 Peddars Way 37 Portway 39 Pye Road 40 Stane Street (Chichester) 41 Stane Street (Colchester) 46 Stanegate 48 Watling Street 51 Via Devana 56 Wade's Causeway 57 References Article Sources and Contributors 59 Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 61 Article Licenses License 63 Roman roads in Britain 1 Roman roads in Britain Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army, constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in their other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads (i.e. surfaced highways) during their nearly four centuries of occupation (43 - 410 AD). This article focuses on the ca. 2,000 mi (3,200 km) of Roman roads in Britain shown on the Ordnance Survey's Map of Roman Britain.[1] This contains the most accurate and up-to-date layout of certain and probable routes that is readily available to the general public. The pre-Roman Britons used mostly unpaved trackways for their communications, including very ancient ones running along elevated ridges of hills, such as the South Downs Way, now a public long-distance footpath.
    [Show full text]