Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths

Last updated

Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths
Roman wall in Caerleon - geograph.org.uk - 1252561.jpg
Newport UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Museum location in Newport, Wales
United Kingdom adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths (the United Kingdom)
Europe blank laea location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths (Europe)
Location Caerleon, Newport, Wales
Coordinates 51°36′36″N2°57′19″W / 51.61005°N 2.95529°W / 51.61005; -2.95529
TypeArchaeological museum
Owner Cadw
Website Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths

Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths encompass the archaeological ruins and sites of the Legionary Fortress of Isca Augusta spread across the town of Caerleon, near the city of Newport, South Wales. Notable for being one of only three permanent legionary fortresses from Roman Britain (the others being York and Chester), Caerleon has provided a unique opportunity to study the archaeology of a Roman Legionary fortress, less affected by the medieval and subsequent urban activity of most such fortresses. Having attracted the attention of eminent archaeologists throughout the 20th century it now has four major public archaeological venues, including the museum run by Cadw, called 'Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths' (Welsh : Caer a Baddonau Rhufeinig Caerllion), featuring the excavated fortress bath-house. Also open to the public is the most complete excavated amphitheatre in Britain, a series of barracks and the National Roman Legion Museum. The fortress and its surrounding civil settlement have been the subject of continuing major archaeological investigations into the 21st century.

Contents

Background and history

Roman Wales was the farthest point west that the Roman Empire in Roman Britain extended to, and as a defence point, the fortress at Caerleon built in AD 75 was one of only three permanent Roman Legionary fortresses in Roman Britain. It was occupied and operational for just over 200 years.

Invisible Square.svg
Mapscaleline.svg
200m
220yds
R
i
v
e
r
U
s
k
T
H
E
C
A
N
A
B
A
E
T
H
E
C
A
N
A
B
A
E
SOUTHERN
CANABAE
24
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
Invisible Square.svg
Map of modern-day Caerleon, showing the line of the walls of the Roman Legionary Fortress of Isca Augusta. [1]
Red dots are sites open to the public, blue dots are other scheduled monuments within the fortress. Green dots are scheduled sites of the civil settlement (canabae). [2]
1
Roman Fortress Baths (Museum)
2
Caerleon Amphitheatre
3
National Roman Legion Museum
4
Area of excavated Roman Barracks
5
Barracks in the area of Myrtle Cottage
6
Barrack Blocks in the former Garden of The Firs
7
Area behind Caerleon House: site of the Porta Praetoria, the main entrance to the fortress.
8
Area off White Hart Lane: Officers quarters and SW Barrack Blocks
9
Area between Priory Hotel and Priory Lodge, identified as Tribune Houses and military warehouses
10
Back Garden of No 4 Museum Street, with a Tribune's house, section of road and the north end of the Bath complex
11
Site of the residence of the primus pilus, the senior centurion of the legion, in the grounds of the Endowed School.
12
Site of domestic structures identified as Tribunes' houses, fronting onto the road now called Broadway
13
Large building thought to be iron-working workshops under the Primary School playing fields
14
Old Vicarage Garden: site of the central courtyard and basilica of the headquarters (principa) of the Roman fortress
15
Town Hall Park: possible location of the Praetorium, the residence of the legate
16
Barracks block site in the grounds of the Health Clinic
17
Goldcroft Common Barracks block site
18
Grounds of the Nursing Home: Continuation of the NE Barracks buildings
19
Grounds of St Cadoc's Church: unexcavated site probably with workshops or graneries
20
Part of the canabae at the former Ambulance Station Field
21
Canabae (Caerleon Civil Settlement)
22
Caerleon Civil Settlement: Area under Broadway Playing Fields
23
Roman extra-mural baths under the bailey of the medieval castle
24
Caerleon Civil Settlement: Site of Roman Building SE of Castle Street

Caerleon's archaeological history

The earliest description of Caerleon's Roman ruins is in Gerald of Wales's 12th century Itinerarium Cambriae . He was fully aware of the Roman historical significance of Caerleon and also gives extensive archaeological detail. Much may be fanciful or drawn from other locations however, and the features were certainly not apparent by later centuries. But his description confirmed Caerleon as a notable historical site:

Caerleon means the city of Legions, Caer, in the British language, signifying a city or camp, for there the Roman legions, sent into this island, were accustomed to winter, and from this circumstance it was styled the city of legions. This city was of undoubted antiquity, and handsomely built of masonry, with courses of bricks, by the Romans. Many vestiges of its former splendour may yet be seen; immense palaces, formerly ornamented with gilded roofs, in imitation of Roman magnificence, inasmuch as they were first raised by the Roman princes, and embellished with splendid buildings; a tower of prodigious size, remarkable hot baths, relics of temples, and theatres, all inclosed within fine walls, parts of which remain standing. You will find on all sides, both within and without the circuit of the walls, subterraneous buildings, aqueducts, underground passages; and what I think worthy of notice, stoves contrived with wonderful art, to transmit the heat insensibly through narrow tubes passing up the side walls. [3]

There are further indications that significant ruins or building survived into the medieval period. The vast stone complex of the fortress baths are thought to have been destroyed in the 13th century, [4] and the ditch at 10 Mill Street was identified as still standing open in the Middle Ages. [5] An engraving of 1783 shows a crumbling tower and roman stonework. [6]

The Antiquarians

Through the 1840s some ad hoc excavations were made, which, along with finds from construction works culminated in the foundation of the Caerleon Antiquarian Association in October 1847, with the twin aims of carrying out excavations and providing a museum to house the finds. An early project, possibly even predating the new Association was an excavation of the extramural bathhouse. This was alongside the medieval castle motte, within its bailey, on land owned by John Jenkins and it was undertaken by John Edward Lee, who became the secretary and initial driving force of the Association. [7]

New finds from Lee's excavation along with finds from construction work on a (never completed) railway cutting gave urgency to the idea of a museum. An early plan was to lease an old market building owned by Sir Digby Mackworth, 4th Baronet and the first chairman of the Association. The building incorporated 4 Roman pillars and when this building was deemed an impracticable location it was demolished and the pillars given for re-use inside a new building on a new site. The museum opened to the public in the summer of 1850, to display the recently-found artifacts along with many items donated by the townspeople. It would eventually be expanded and become the National Roman Legionary Museum. Limited resources and structural difficulties meant all the society's efforts were rapidly taken up with the museum leaving little energy for further archaeological work. [7]

Lee also produced a catalogue of the museum contents, and added a first attempt at a history of the fortress. [8]

In the 1890s the Bristol-based Clifton Antiquarian Club began excavating at nearby Caerwent and this had the effect of raising the profile of Roman archaeology in Monmouthshire as a whole. [7]

In the 1900s, another outside body, the 'Liverpool Committee for Excavation and Research in Wales and the Marches' began a program of excavations led by Robert Carr Bosanquet, including a corner turret of the fortress walls, a building near the Church, and in 1908 a preliminary excavation of the Amphitheatre, revealing some well-preserved walls and buttresses. [7]

The Archaeologists

1926-27: Amphitheatre. Since 1913 there had been a ‘Caerleon Amphitheatre Fund’, although it is unclear if this was a local initiative to try and get national funds or an external initiative to circumvent local inaction. [7] However, after the 1914-18 war it reformed as the ‘Caerleon Excavation Committee’ and gained momentum under the dynamic leadership of Mortimer Wheeler, recently appointed director the National Museum of Wales. It was able to acquire the amphitheatre site, and in 1926 work began on removing 30,000 tones of soil. Over 14 months, and under three different supervisors, they were able to expose the whole of the original flooring, entrances, retaining walls and banks of seating areas. First supervisor was V. E. Nash-Williams, who had worked with Mortimer Wheeler at Segontium. Mr Myers took over for 4 months, and for the remaining 8 months it was supervised by Mrs TC Wheeler, Mortimer's wife. When the work was completed the site was presented to the Office of Works for preservation as a national monument. [9]

1927-29: Prysg Field was purchased by the Caerleon Excavation Committee and digs over three summers under V. E. Nash-Williams revealed the western corner ramparts and extensive barracks blocks. Following the example of the amphitheatre, the Barracks footings (and reconstructed ground plans) were laid out as public parkland on completion of the excavations. [10]

1929: 'The Mount': C Hawkes (also a veteran of the Segontium dig) began an excavation at ‘The Mount’, acquired that year by Col Atwood Thorne, and made available to the Excavation Committee. This revealed the ramparts at the eastern corner [11]

The two 1920s digs confirmed what was until then considered to be a conjectural line for the fortress walls and established a construction sequence of a 75AD ditch with clay rampart, which was faced with stone 25 years later and had a continued occupation until the end of the third century. The Western Barracks buildings had been exposed and showed that the original timber barracks were replaced by stone, around 115 AD. [7]

In 1930 the Caerleon Antiquarian Association agreed to lend, and subsequently hand over, their museum to the National Museum of Wales, having devoted 80 years to keeping the troublesome roof repaired. [7] In 1987 the museum building was almost entirely demolished, retaining just the classical portico. In its place, and built of glass, steel and concrete, is the new and significantly expanded National Roman Legion Museum. In 2018 the building had to close for 13 months while essential roof repairs were carried out. [12]

Post-war archaeology

The 1970s saw a new wave of archaeological activity, culminating in the 1977 to 1981 excavation of the fortress baths by J. David Zienkiewicz. [13] It is believed that the baths complex was the only stone-built building in the new fortress of 75 AD, which was otherwise timber-built initially. Although initially a rescue dig, significant parts of the Baths site were preserved in situ, and were first opened to the public in 1980 in the care of Cadw as a public archaeological attraction. [4]

In the years 1984-90 the focus shifted outside the walls of the fortress to excavate areas of the canabae, the civil settlement that had grown up around the fortress. There had long been an awareness of extramural buildings, and some of the earliest excavations had looked at the medieval castle site, near the south-east gates. Property developments at an extensive site alongside Mill Street, on the north-east side of the fortress, provided an opportunity for more up to date archaeological methods to investigate the area and consider the status of the canabae as a whole. Led by Edith Evans, it demonstrated that the civil settlement was more extensive and varied than once thought. With the nearby town of Caerwent, plus civil settlements at Usk and Bulmore it was part of a settled romanised landscape, and over several centuries became a substantial garrison town. It was not promoted to regional capital status, as happened at York, but from the limited evidence available at both British and other examples, Caerleon's civil settlement in the 2nd and 3rd centuries would have looked recognisably comparable to most such fortress canabae. [14]

In a long-established chronology for the fortress it was assumed the military had departed by the end of the third century. Mounting evidence of fourth century occupation was considered by Edith Evans in a wide-ranging review of 2004. She suggested a case for a reformed and reduced legionary presence into the fourth century, [5] but stressed that the three options (Smaller fort, Smaller garrison or Civilian use only) were all possible explanations of the limited archaeological evidence.

From 2007 to 2010 Andrew Gardner of UCL and Peter Guest of Cardiff University led joint summer research and training excavations on Priory Field, in the south-west section of the fortress alongside a geophys survey of the open ground south and west of the fortress. The excavations focussed on a large square building fronting onto Broadway, that appears to have had Legionary storage functions. [15] Built early in the fortress's history, it collapsed or was demolished around 350, and the 2010 excavation unearthed thousands of finds including entire sets of Roman armour. A stone inscription was found that recorded that the building had been constructed by Flavius Rufus, possibly a first-generation Roman citizen who had risen to be Primus Pilus, the first ranked centurian of the II Augustan Legion. [16] Cottages subsequently built on the same site were then occupied from 400 to 650 AD, revealing more of Caerleon's post-Legionary occupation. [17]

In 2011 Peter Guest led a follow-up investigation of the area ('the Southern Canabae') between the Amphitheatre and the river Usk. The earlier geophysical survey had identified substantial structures south of the amphitheatres, which were examined using test trenches. They confirmed the location of a port fronting (and in places eroded by) the River Usk - only the second Roman Port known in Britain, the other being London. They also found three huge public buildings arranged around vast central courtyards. The largest was 150 metres (490 ft) by 120 metres (390 ft) with a central courtyard bigger than the area of the amphitheatre. The dig was featured in an episode of Timeteam (series 19 episode 9, 23 March 2012). [18] The 'southern canabae' area appears to have been abandoned much earlier than the fortress. By the end of the 2nd century buildings were just being used to dump rubbish, so whatever its early functions, they ceased to be relevant within 125 years of the troops first arriving. [1] Analysis of the finds and excavations is still ongoing, but interim suggestions on the nature and purpose of these buildings indicate they could have been built in the very earliest phase of the fortress, although on a different alignment than the fortress walls. The test trenches leave most of the site unsampled, so the interpretation is necessarily uncertain. Amongst the possibilities considered, the buildings may have related to the administration of the legion or the area, and the courtyards might have been assembly yards for troops and animals arriving at the port. [1]

Interior of the Roman Baths Museum Caerleon bain2.JPG
Interior of the Roman Baths Museum
The Roman Baths museum, Caerleon - geograph.org.uk - 1155322.jpg

The Roman Baths

The Roman Baths Museum lies within the fortress walls, close to the National Roman Legion Museum, and were the principal baths for the legion. The baths museum has a covered walkway over part of the remains of the military bath house. There was a frigidarium, tepidarium and caldarium, as well as an open-air swimming pool. [19] The baths museum is administered by Cadw and includes projected imagery to re-create the scenes of Roman bathers.

Within a short walk of the baths museum are:

There were over 40,000 visitors to the Baths in 2012. [20]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caerleon</span> Town and community in Newport, Wales

Caerleon is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Newport city centre, and 5.5 miles (9 km) southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta, and an Iron Age hillfort. Close to the remains of Isca Augusta are the National Roman Legion Museum and the Roman Baths Museum. The town also has strong historical and literary associations: Geoffrey of Monmouth elevated the significance of Caerleon as a major centre of British history in his Historia Regum Britanniae, and Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote Idylls of the King (1859–1885) while staying in Caerleon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Novae (fortress)</span> Roman legionary fortresses in northern Bulgaria

Novae was initially one of the few great Roman legionary fortresses along the empire's border, forming part of the defences along the Danube in northern Bulgaria. The settlement later expanded into a town in the Roman province of Moesia Inferior, later Moesia Secunda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isca Dumnoniorum</span> Roman legionary fortress in Devon, England

Isca Dumnoniorum, also known simply as Isca, was originally a Roman legionary fortress for the Second Augustan Legion in the Roman province of Britannia at the site of present-day Exeter in Devon.

Julius and Aaron were two Romano-British Christian saints who were martyred around the third century. Along with Saint Alban, they are the only named Christian martyrs from Roman Britain. Most historians place the martyrdom in Caerleon, although other suggestions have placed it in Chester or Leicester. Their feast day was traditionally celebrated on 1 July, but it is now observed together with Alban on 20 June by the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venta Silurum</span> Historic site in Wales, UK

Venta Silurum was a town in Roman Britain (Britannia). Today it consists of remains in the village of Caerwent in Monmouthshire, south east Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aileen Fox</span> English archaeologist, 1907–2005

Aileen Mary Fox, Lady Fox, was an English archaeologist, who specialised in the archaeology of south-west England. She notably excavated the Roman legionary fortress in Exeter, Devon, after the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deva Victrix</span> Roman fort, Mid 70s AD

Deva Victrix, or simply Deva, was a legionary fortress and town in the Roman province of Britannia on the site of the modern city of Chester. The fortress was built by the Legio II Adiutrix in the 70s AD as the Roman army advanced north against the Brigantes, and rebuilt completely over the next few decades by the Legio XX Valeria Victrix. In the early 3rd century the fortress was again rebuilt. The legion probably remained at the fortress until the late 4th or early 5th century, upon which it fell into disuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isca Augusta</span> Former Roman site in Caerleon, Wales

Isca, variously specified as Isca Augusta or Isca Silurum, was the site of a Roman legionary fortress and settlement or vicus, the remains of which lie beneath parts of the present-day suburban town of Caerleon in the north of the city of Newport in South Wales. The site includes Caerleon Amphitheatre and is protected by Cadw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabum</span> Former roman fort in south Wales

The rectangular enclosure that defined this Roman fort was built in the 70s AD as part of the campaign to integrate southern Wales into the Roman province of Britannia Superior. It lay on a key road, now known as the Sarn Helen (RR69), from the legionary fortress of Isca Augusta (Caerleon) that ran north west across Wales to Bremia and on to North Wales. It also sat on a road running from Moridunum (Carmarthen) across to eastern Wales at Castell Collen. It thus held an important crossroads along with a bridging point over the River Towy, and the town that grew up near the fort retained its significance and became Llandovery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Roman Legion Museum</span> Archaeological museum in Newport, Wales

The National Roman Legion Museum (Wales) is a museum in Caerleon, near Newport, south-east Wales. It is one of three Roman sites in Caerleon, along with the Baths museum and the open-air ruins of the amphitheatre and barracks. It is part of the wider network of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirebeau-sur-Bèze</span> Commune in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France

Mirebeau-sur-Bèze is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gobannium</span>

Gobannium was a Roman fort and civil settlement or Castra established by the Roman legions invading what was to become Roman Wales and lies today under the market town of Abergavenny, Monmouthshire in south east Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trawscoed fort</span> Historic site in Ceredigion, Wales

Trawscoed fort is a Roman auxiliary fort in Ceredigion, Wales, located near the modern settlement of Trawsgoed and is cut through by the modern B4340 road. It was first built in the 70s AD. and was occupied until around 130 AD, housing up to 800 infantry in rows of barracks within the 2.1 hectares banked enclosure. At its height it could have had a total population of around 2,000 people living at the fort and its extramural vicus. It overlooks the Roman bridge over the River Ystwyth, which is where the road from Pen-Ilwyn to Llanio crosses. In 1959, this site was initially identified via aerial photography revealing a series of parchmarks covering an area of around 20,000 square metres (2 ha). Later explorations increased the knowledge of this site.

<i>Canaba</i> Settlement surrounding a Roman legionnary fortress

A canaba was the Latin term for a hut or hovel and was later used typically to mean a town that emerged as a civilian settlement in the vicinity of a Roman legionary fortress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hen Gwrt Moated Site</span> Site in Llantilio Crossenny, Monmouthshire

Hen Gwrt,, Llantilio Crossenny, Monmouthshire is the site of a thirteenth century manor house and a sixteenth century hunting lodge. Originally constructed for the Bishops of Llandaff, it subsequently came into the possession of the Herberts of Raglan Castle. The bishops constructed a substantial manor house on the site in the thirteenth century, which was moated in the fourteenth. The building was then adapted by the Herberts to create a lodge within their extensive hunting grounds. The lodge continued in use until the slighting of Raglan Castle in the English Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Bath, York</span> Grade II* listed pub in York, England

The Roman Bath is a public house in St Sampson's Square, in the city of York, in England. It is built above an ancient Roman bath house. The remains were uncovered during building work when the present pub was erected in 1929–31 replacing an inn. The exterior has Tudor Revival features including applied half-timbering. The pub is however more notable for the Roman remains which can be viewed inside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tour de Gwent</span> Welsh 6-route bicycle racing event

The Tour de Gwent is an annual 6-route cycling event which begins in Caerleon, and follows a route through Newport and Monmouthshire. The event takes place in April each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mynde (Caerleon)</span> Historic site and property in the former Roman fortress of Caerleon, South Wales

The Mynde is a historic site and property located in Caerleon on the northern outskirts of the city of Newport. The town is the historic site of the Isca Augusta Roman Fortress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archaeology of Wales</span> Study of human occupation in Wales

The archaeology of Wales is the study of human occupation within the country of Wales which has been occupied by modern humans since 225,000 BCE, with continuous occupation from 9,000 BCE. Analysis of the sites, artefacts and other archaeological data within Wales details its complex social landscape and evolution from Prehistoric times to the Industrial period. This study is undertaken by academic institutions, consultancies, charities as well as government organisations.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Guest, Peter; Luke, Mike; Pudney, Caroline (2012). Archaeological evaluation of the extramural monumental complex ('the Southern Canabae') at Caerleon, 2011. Cardiff Studies in Archaeology: Specialist Report (Report). Vol. 33. Cardiff School of History, Archaeology and Religion, Cardiff University.
  2. ↑ "Archwillio: Search the Historic Environment Record". Welsh Archaeological Trusts. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  3. ↑ Gerald of Wales (Giraldus Cambrensis) (1191). Itinerarium Cambriae: The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales (tr 1912) – via Project Gutenberg.
  4. 1 2 David Standing (3 October 2011). "The Fortress Baths at Isca". MonasticDave.
  5. 1 2 Evans, Edith (2004). The Roman fortress of Caerleon and its environs: A framework for research (Report). Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust.
  6. ↑ "The Roman tower at Caerleon, Monmouthshire (engraving)". The National Library of Wales. 15 August 1783. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Andrew Green (2018). "The Monmouthshire and Caerleon Antiquarian Association". gwalter.com. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  8. ↑ Lee, John Edward (1862). Isca Silurum; or an Illustrated Catalogue of the Museum of Antiquities at Caerleon. Longman, Green, Longmans & Roberts, Paternoster Row.
  9. ↑ "Excavation of the Amphitheatre - 1926 – 27". caerleon.net. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  10. ↑ Nash-Williams, V.E (1931). "The Roman Legionary fortress at Caerleon in Monmouthshire: Excavations in the Prysg Field, 1927-9". Archaeologia Cambrensis. 86: 99–157.
  11. ↑ Hawkes, Christopher (1929). "The Roman Legionary fortress at Caerleon in Monmouthshire: Excavations in the eastern corner in 1929". Archaeologia Cambrensis. 85: 144–196.
  12. ↑ Brooke Boucher (22 October 2019). "National Roman Legion Museum re-opens after a year". South Wales Argus.
  13. ↑ J. David Zienkiewicz (1986). The Legionary Fortress Baths at Caerleon: The buildings. National Museum of Wales.
  14. ↑ Evans, E (2000). The Caerleon canabae: excavations in the civil settlement 1984–90 (PDF) (Report). London: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies.
  15. ↑ Gardner, Andrew; Guest, Peter (2008). "Exploring Roman Caerleon: New excavations at the legionary fortress of Isca". Archaeology International. 12: 47–49. doi: 10.5334/ai.1211 .
  16. ↑ Guest, Peter (2014). ""They came, they saw, they conquered". The Roman Legionary Fortress at Caerleon". History Magazine.
  17. ↑ Peter Guest. "Roman Caerleon: Priory Field". Vianova Archaeology Services. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  18. ↑ "Timeteam, S19, E9: Caerleon, South Wales". IMDB. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  19. ↑ "Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths". Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  20. ↑ "Caerleon's Roman baths get record visitor figures". South Wales Argus. 15 December 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.