Yr 11

1. Defending the Northern
Frontier

2. Walls

3. The Wall

4. Home on the Wall

5. Hadrian
IMP(ERATORIS) CAES(ARIS) TRAIAN(I) /
HADRIANI AUG(USTI) / LE(GIO) II
AUG(USTA) / A(ULO) PLATORIO NEPOTE
LEG(ATO) PR(O) PR(AETORE)
This work of the Emperor Caesar Trajan
Hadrian Augustus (was built by) the Second
Legion Augusta under Aulus Platorius
Nepos, propraetorian legate.

6. Hadrian and Britannia
122/134 Addressing the
troops
122 Arrival in Britain 134 Britannia
119 Defeat of rebels?

7. Purpose?
• Military
• Economic
• Border

8. Wall – Early Years
Period Construction Width
(ft.)
Section
122-126 Broad Wall
Narrow Wall
Turf Wall
Fortlets
10
8
20
Wallsend to Irthing River
Irthing to Burtholme Beck
To Bowness
After 122 Forts, mile castles, turrets
By 138 Turf Wall replaced by stone
~140 Abandoned – ditches covered at intervals
~161 Reoccupied

9. Types of Wall

10. X-Section

11. Components of Wall
• Wall
– Forts
– Turrets – signal towers
– Fortlets or milecastles
• Ditch (N)
• Vallum (S) with protecting mounds

12. Types of Wall
• All c.15’ high
• Broad Wall (10’)
• Narrow Wall (8’ on a 10’ base)
• Turf Wall (18’ wide)
– Later rebuilt in stone
N

13. Forts
• Newcastle (Pons Aelius)
• Benwell (Condercum)
• Halton Chesters
(Onnum)
• Housesteads
(Vercovicium)
– Built after broad
foundations but before
narrow wall
• Great Chesters
– Replaced a milecastle

14. Forts
• Carvoran
– A Stanegate fort that
was near but not on the
wall
• Birdoswald
• Castlesteads
– Only fort not attached to
the wall, garrisoned by
auxiliaries
• Stanwix (near Carlisle)
– Built by VI Victrix but
garrisoned by a miliary
cavalry unit

15. Forts Added after Wall
• Wallsend (Segedunum)
• Chesters (Cilurnum)
– Wall crosses the Tyne
– A cavalry fort
• Carrawburgh
(Brocolitia)
– An early addition
• Burgh by Sands
(Aballava)
– Added to reinforce lines
near Solway
• Drumburgh
• Bowness
– Terminus of the wall
– Possible supply-depot

16. Fort Astride Wall
Benwell

17. Milecastles
XX Valeria Victrix II Augusta
VI Victrix
•Milecastles have arched gateways.
•House from 8 to 32 legionaries.

18. Milecastle 42

19. Ditch

20. Turret

21. Turf Section

22. Turf and Stone

23. Amiens Patera

24. Rudge Cup uncolored replica in British Museum

25. Staffordshire Moorlands Patera

26. Hadrian’s Wall Forts
The Rudge Cup
• A.MAISABALLAVAVXELODUMCAMBOGLANSBANNA
• A. MAIS ABALLAVA VXELODUM CAMBOGLANS BANNA
The Amiens patera
• MAISABALLAVAVXELODVNVMCAMBOG...SBANNAESICA
• MAIS ABALLAVA VXELODVNVM CAMBOG...S BANNA ESICA
The Moorlands patera
• MAISCOGGABATAVXELODVNVMCAMMOGLANNARIGOREVALIAELI
DRACONIS
• MAIS COGGABATA VXELODVNVM CAMMOGLANNA
Drumburgh ? Stanwix Castleheads
Birdoswald Great Chesters

27. Wall – Middle Years
Period Events
~140 Abandoned – ditches covered at intervals
Foray into Scotland
~161 Abandon Antonine wall
Reoccupy and rebuild – Use of British labor in
rebuilding and maintenance

28. Vindolanda Fort

29. Signaling

30. Short Range Communication
• Trumpets
– Charge, retreat
• Cornets ( played by cornicen)
– Motion of colors
• Classicum or buccina (horn)
– Used by commander, salutes, executions
• Tuba (played by tubicen)
– Signal trumpet
Vegetius, De Re Militari

31. Trajan’s Column

33. Longer range communication
• Beacons
• Semaphores
• Coded signals
• Manpower needed?
• caelum crebris imbribus ac nebulis foedum

34. Signaling
The other 'evidence' from field archaeology,
aerial photography and excavations for Roman
military signalling systems is hypothetical, and
varies from the ridiculous to the inconclusive.
Donaldson, “Signalling, Communications and the
Roman Imperial Army” 1988
• Probable Method: pony express

35. Vindolanda

36. Resources
• Find slag
• Find coal in 2nd C.

39. Where?

40. The Place

41. When? Stages

42. Period Dates Size Occupants
I c AD 85-95 3 acres Coh I Tungrorum
II c AD 95-100 5 acres Coh VIIII Batavorum
III AD 100-105 5 acres Coh VIIII Batavorum
IV AD 105-120 8 acres Coh I Tungrorum; Vardulli cavalry +Legionaries;
V AD 120-130 5 acres Coh I Tungrorum ; stone fort
VI c AD 130-160’s 3.6acres Possibly Coh II Nerviorum
VIA c AD 160-200 4 acres. Unknown – Possibly North African in origin or Coh II
Nerviorum
VIB c AD 208-211 1.5acres Unknown
VII c AD 212-280 3.6acres Coh IV Gallorum
VIII c AD 300-367 3.6acres Coh IV Gallorum
IX AD 367-410 3.6acres Unknown –Riacus
X c AD 410-600 3.6acres Unknown – Brigomaglos and Riacus only known
occupants

43. Who?

44. Leading Cast
• Flavius Cerialis, Prefect
• Aelius Brocchus,
another prefect (off-
stage)

45. Roman Names
Forename Family name Nickname, local name
or tribal name
Praenomen gentilicium or nomen Cognomen
? Flavius Cerialis
Acquired Roman
Citizenship after
accession of first
Flavian, Vespasian
From Petillius Cerialis

46. Significant Others
• Sulpicia Lepidina,
wife of Flavius
• Claudia Severa, wife
of Aelius

47. Their Home

48. Correspondents
• Felicio, a centurion
• Priuatis, a slave
• Caecilius September, prefect of a cavalry unit

49. The Extras
• Types of auxiliary units
– Quingenaria or milliaria
– Equitata
• VIIII Batavians
• I Tungrians
• Itinerant cavalry, legionaries, other units

50. Cavalry Present

51. Bronze military diploma
Malpas, Cheshire 103 CE
To:
Reburrus, a Spanish decurion in the 1st
Pannonian cavalry

52. Military Diploma
From Hadrian for the units:
which are in Britain….
… soldiers who have
served twenty-five
years and received an
honourable discharge
…. To them and to
their children for
posterity has been
granted … citizenship.

53. Marriage

54. Life at Vindolanda
The Written Record

55. Not Written on Stone
• Papyrus
• Vellum
• Wax tablet – business and legal use
• Ink tablet – ephemeral use

56. Wax Writing Tablet/Styli
Found in or near the
River Walbrook, London
1st or 2nd century

57. Wax Writing Tablet-Vindolanda

58. Writing Tablets and Scribes
PROC AVG DEDERVNT
BRIT PROV
'The imperial procurators of
the province of Britain
issued this

59. Ox Goad Or Pen?

60. Challenge-Reading the Tablets
• Conservation
• Dirt: Infra-red photography
• Reading script
• New words, new spelling
• Filling in missing parts
– Formulaic writing
– Standard abbreviations
– Recognized names

61. Script

62. Cerialis Seeks Advancement
Now (?), in whatever way you
wish, fulfil what I expect of
you and ... so furnish me with
friends that thanks to you I
may be able to enjoy a
pleasant period of military
service.

63. Wishing Cerialis Success in his Upcoming
Meeting with the Governor

64. Expenses
• Dinners with Brocchus
• Hunting
• Distribution of beer to the decurions
• Chickens
– Dinner guests
– Holidays

65. Account

66. Account - Details
• Cloaks, number 6, 11 /2 denarii each, total 69 denarii
• Skillets, number 4, denarii 2 7/8 and 1 as each, total 11¾
denarii.
• Scarlet curtain (?), measuring 11 ½ , total 54 ½ + denarii
• Hair, 9 pounds in weight, 5¾ denarii per pound, total 51¾
denarii.
• Drawers, number 10, 2 ½ denarii each, total 25 denarii.

67. Supplies – Detailed List
•Wheat
•Hides from tannery at
Catterick
•Send cash
•Delivery delay because
the bad roads would have
resulted in injuries to the
animals

68. Inventory

69. Buying Food for the Holiday, etc.
•Barley
•Beer
•Wine
•Fish-sauce

70. More for the Saturnalia
Severus to his Candidus, greetings. Regarding the ... for the Saturnalia, I
ask you, brother, to see to them at a price of 4 or six asses and radishes
to the value of not less than 1/2 denarius. Farewell, brother.’
Back: To Candidus, slave of Genialis the prefect, from Severus, slave of ?

71. Recipe
Found in kitchen
•Garlic
•Spiced wine
•Olives ?
•Salt ?

72. New Year’s Day Sacrifice

73. Footwear
Early
Late

74. Lepidina’s ‘Designer’ Sandal

75. Birthday Invitation
On 11 September, sister, for
the day of the celebration
of my birthday, I give you a
warm invitation to make
sure that you come to us, to
make the day more
enjoyable for me by your
arrival, if you are present
(?).
To Sulpicia Lepidina from Claudia Severa, wife of Aelius Brocchus

76. Birthday Letter

77. Child’s Sock

78. HW
INTEREA PAVIDAM VOLITANS PINNA
TA .VBEM segn.
Meanwhile, the winged [bird, rumor], flying though the trembling city. Virgil IX
473 Slack

79. Neglecting HW?

80. Damaged pottery
From Graufinesque, S. Gaul

81. The Rank and File

82. Roll call
18 May, net number of the
First Cohort of Tungrians,
of which the commander is
Iulius Verecundus the
prefect: 752, including
centurions 6
of whom there are absent:
[list numbers of absentees and where
they are]

83. Work
Three groups
•Building a hospitium
•Working at lime-kilns
•Getting clay for making
wattle fences

84. Recommendation Letter

85. Clothing
I have sent (?) you ... pairs of socks from Sattua, two pairs
of sandals and two pairs of underpants, two pairs of
sandals ... Greet ...ndes, Elpis, Iu..., ...enus, Tetricus and all
your messmates with whom I pray that you live in the
greatest good fortune

86. Expense Account
•Wine
•Barley
•Wagon-axles
•Carriage
•Accommodation
•Vests

87. Travel

88. Account of Loan(?) of Wheat

89. Request for Leave
I ask, my lord
Cerialis, that you
consider me a
worthy person to
whom to grant
leave

90. Masclus’ Request
P.S. My fellow soldiers
have no beer. Please
order some to be sent.

91. Purchases by Lower Ranks
•Pepper
•Tallow
•Towels
•Overcoat
•Thongs

92. Complaint
I want you to know that I
am in very good health, as
I hope you are in turn, you
neglectful man, who have
sent me not even one
letter. But I think that I am
behaving in a more
considerate fashion in
writing to you ... to you,
brother, ... my messmate.

93. Mistreatment - Complaint
I implore your majesty not
to allow me, an innocent
man, to have been beaten
with rods… I implore your
mercifulness not to allow
me, a man from overseas
and an innocent one, about
whose good faith you may
inquire, to have been
bloodied by rods as if I had
committed some crime.

94. Intelligence on the Britons
... the Britons are unprotected by
armour (?). There are very many
cavalry. The cavalry do not use
swords nor do the wretched Britons
(Brittunculi) mount in order to
throw javelins.

95. British Uprising

96. Vicus
Fort

97. Development of Vici
Traditional model
• Extra mural area with bath house and a few
traders and camp followers
• Economic development
• Some political independence
– Survive dismantling of the fort
• Military annexes or fortified civilian
annexes

98. Extramural Vindolanda
• Antonine (~160)
– Defensive enclosure perhaps to facilitate wagon
parks, horse lines
• Severan (~210)
– Stone fort
• 3rd century
– Settlement

99. Vindolanda 3-4 C.

100. Baths

101. Baths

102. Footwear for the Baths

103. Roman-Celtic Temple

104. Model altar and stands

105. Brooch and pendant

106. The Environment c. 180 CE85-92 CE

107. Traditional View
• Fort – combatants
• Vicus – noncombatants
– Merchants
– Women

108. In the vicus or nearby
• Oxherd; keeper of pigs
• Brewer
• Veteran
• Guesthouse

109. Finds in barracks
• Female shoes – not just associated with
prefect
• Bracelets and beads at Catterick

110. Shoes in barracks
2nd C.
21% smaller sizes

115. Women in the fort - 3rd & 4th C.
• Weaving work
• Not just associated with prefects or centurions
• Fort boundaries porous in both directions

116. Antonine Wall
Severus
Division of Britannia
Antonine Wall

117. Hadrian’s Successors

118. Antoninus
Antoninus never willing made war
Pausanias
They prefer to preserve their empire rather than
extend it indefinitely to profitless, barbarian
peoples
Appian (~96-165)
They surround the empire with a circle of great
camps
Aelius Aristides (120-189)

119. Antoninus Pius
• Generally shied away from military adventure
• Pressure from the north
• Reconstruction of base at Corbridge
• Victory over barbarians
• Antonine Wall

120. Corbridge – New Construction 139

121. Antonine
Occupation of
Scotland

122. Military Occupation – Antonine Period

123. Interests of the Military
• Rank and file – pensions and booty
• Commanders of equestrian class
– Patronage
– Better posts in the Mediterranean

125. Reuse of Gask Ridge Forts

126. Elements of the Antonine Wall
• Rampart
• Ditch and mound to the north
• Military road to the south

127. Antonine vs Hadrian Walls
• Forts interspersed with smaller stations.
• No Vallum.
• Double the number of troops along smaller
distance than Hadrian's Wall
• Turf not stone – stone reinforcement
• 14-16’ wide, probably 10’ high

128. Antonine Siege Fort

129. Wall at Rough Castle
Annex

130. Rough Castle

131. Principia, Bar Hill

132. Latrine, Bearsden
Artist’s reconstruction

133. Wall with Fortlet

134. Distance Slabs

135. Bridgeness Distance Slab

136. Old Kirkpatrick

137. Summerston Farm, near Balmuildy
IIIDCLXVIS = 3,666 ½ paces

138. Distance Slab Hutcheson Hill

139. Legio II Duntocher

140. Other victory
commemorations

141. Consequences of Antonine Wall
• Forces involved ~6-7,000
• Pax Romana
• No evidence for native rule
• Increased use of stone construction
• New civilian communities follow the army
• Increased mining for iron and surface mining
of coal
• Production of food for army

142. Continuation of Native Life
• Round houses
• No new concentrated
settlements except near
forts
• Natives reuse bronze
but not iron from
Romans
• Roman brooches

143. Roman Artefacts
Dunure (South Ayrshire)
Wigtownshire

144. Antonine Itinerary
• Fourteen numbered roads
• List stations along the roads with distances
between them

145. Example
Iter III
(From London to the port of Dover)
Roman Name 1000 paces Miles Current Name
Durobrivis xxvii 31 Rochester
Duroverno xxv 28 Canterbury
Ad portum Dubris xiiii 18 Dover

146. Along the Way
• Mansiones, inns, every 30 miles or so
– A bed for man and horse
– Food ” “
– A hot bath
– Storage of government goods
– Postal and police services
• Mutationes, changing stops

147. Chelmsford Mansio

148. Godmanchester
Mansio
Baths
80’
Dining
room

149. Abandonment of Antonine Wall
• Under Governor Julius Verus the wall was
abandoned (c. 154-8 CE)
• Hadrian’s wall was refurbished
• “Military Road” to supply Hadrian wall forts
• Outpost forts north of Hadrian’s Wall
abandoned by 185 CE

150. Maintenance

151. Breach of Hadrian’s Wall?

152. Victory in Britain

153. Commodus
• Breach of Hadrian's Wall
• C. 180 Governor Ulpius Marcellus
sent to put down rebellions
• 184-5 Victory in Britain
• 185 Protest by British legions
against prefect, Perennis

154. Numeri
• Non-citizens
• Small units
• Legionary officers
• Identified with nations
• No entitlement to citizenship
• Less-well armed than regulars
– Exploratores - scouts

155. Sarmatians
• 175 Brought to Britain by Marcus Aurelius
• Brougham cemetery
– Sword and belt fittings
– Horses
– Unusual burial - women
Archaeology • May/June 2005

156. Sarmatian Treasure - Gaul

157. Pertinax
• 126 Son of freeman and clothmaker
• c. 150 Teacher of literature
• 161 Volunteers for military, commander of
auxiliary cohort, successful in battles in Asia
• 165 Legionary tribune in York, raised to
equestrian rank
• 168 Procurator in N. Italy, Dacia
• Commander of units against Germans

158. Pertinax
• Made Senator and legionary commander
• 175 Consul
• 176 Series of governorships of provinces
– 185-187 Governor of Britain
• 189 Mayor of Rome
• 192 Consul
• Emperor
1/1/193 to 3/28/193

159. Clodius Albinus
• c.140 Born near Carthage, Senatorial rank
– 175 Governor of Bithynia
– 187 Consul
– 189 Governor fo Germany
• 191-2 Governor of Britain
• 193 Made Caesar by Septimius Severus
• 195 Severus names his own sons successors, forcing out
Albinus
– Supported by legions on German frontier and from Spain
– Defeated near Lugdunum (Lyon); suicide?

160. Lugdunum - Severus
Severus
• Pannonia
– XIIII Gemina
• Moesia
– XI Claudia
• Germania Superior
– XXII Primigenia
• Germania Inferior
– I Minerva
– XXX Ulpia Traiana
Albinus
• Britannia
– II Augusta
– VI Victrix
– XX Valeria
• Hispania
– VII Gemina