Transcript - Roman Roads Research Association

Some thoughts from the North …
Pete Wilson
Rarey Archaeology
(Key spoken points in blue)
‘The North’
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
What we think we know …
(and don’t!)
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
They were all the same ….
(No they weren’t)
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
West Heslerton
© Landscape Research Centre
(Kilometres of ladder settlement along 30m contour)
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Imposition
From I Roberts, D Berg, & A Deegan (2010)
Archaeological Cropmark Landscapes of the Magnesian Limestone
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Now a commonplace that
‘routes’ often come before roads
NAA A1(M)
excavations
at Scotch Corner
2016
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Rethinking the conquest …
(Carlisle fort established by AD 72-3)
?
?
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
North-West
England Claudian
copies
(Evidence of early
military activity)
D Shotter Romans and Britons
in North-West England (1997) figure 1
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
East Yorkshire - friendly territory?
(Roman military occupation from the AD 60s?)
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Strategic role?
‘New’ fort at Staxton– controls a road across the Vale found in excavations near Seamer village
M817
Staxton
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Crossing the Vale
M817 and other ‘island hopping routes may exist
Staxton
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Wade’s Causeway
a road to nowhere …?
Extract from the Ordnance Survey Map of Roman Britain (1978)
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Wade’s Causeway
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
From R Knox, 1855 Descriptions Geological,
Topographical and Antiquarian in Eastern Yorkshire
From R H Hayes and J G Rutter, 1964 Wade’s Causeway
A Roman Road in North-East Yorkshire
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Excavations by Blaise Vyner & Steve Sherlock
for North York Moors National Park 2012
Produced C14 dates
demonstrating a Late Bronze
Age or Iron Age date for Wade’s
Causeway – it is not a Roman
road!
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Malton
Extract from the Ordnance Survey Map of Roman Britain (1978)
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Malton the Roman fort
Controls a key crossing of the River Derwent
Photograph courtesy Prof D Powlesland
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Providing links
Allowing the army, officials and goods to move)
Dere Street
NAA A1(M)
excavations at
Scotch Corner 2016
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Vindolanda – the Candidus letter
Octauius Candido fratri suo
salute …
mi mitte coria que scribis
esse Cataractonio scribe
dentur mi et karrum de quo
scribis et quit sit cum eo karro
mi scribe iam illec petissem
nissi iumenta non curaui uexsare
dum uiae male …
Octavius to his brother Candidus,
greetings. …
The hides which you write are at
Cataractonium - write that they be
given to me and the wagon about
which you write. And write to me
what is with that wagon. I would
have already been to collect them
except that I did not care to injure
the animals while the roads are
bad. ….
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Who maintained the roads?
Deae
Suriae ara(m)
G(aius) N(…) O(…)
b(ene)f(iciarius
To the goddess Suria Gaius
N(…) O(…), beneficiarius,
(set up this) altar
Civitates in the South? The army in the North
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Across whole swathes of the North?
North & west of Aldborough
Extract from the Ordnance Survey Map of Roman Britain (1978)
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Bainbridge to Greta Bridge
Roman road at Askrigg
recorded by Hugh Toller
Lidar imagery
© The Environment Agency
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Lidar imagery
© The Environment Agency
Ribchester to Catterall
route to replace M704
recorded by David Ratledge
see http://www.romanroads.org/gazetteer/lancspages.html
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
With thanks to:
Dr Andrew Birley, Vindolanda Trust
English Heritage/Historic England
Highways England/Carillion–Morgan Sindall JV
MAP Archaeological Practice
Northern Archaeological Associates
Prof Dominic Powlesland
David Ratledge
Hugh Toller
Blaise Vyner & Dr Steve Sherlock
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016
and
‘Thank you’
Roman Roads Research Association Portsmouth,
Saturday 3rd September 2016