Clausentum

Clausentum was a small town in the Roman province of Britannia. The site is believed to be located in Bitterne, which is now a suburb of Southampton.

Contents

Identification

Antonine Itinerary VII[1] documents the Roman settlement of Clausentum as being 20 miles (32 km) west of Noviomagus Reginorum (Chichester)[1] and 10 miles (16 km) from Venta Belgarum (Winchester).[1] In about 1770,[2] John Speed[2] claimed that Clausentum was in the area that is now known as Bitterne Manor.[2][3] In 1792,[2] the Rev. Richard Warner[2] investigated those claims and found a ditch, a bank and some Roman coins.[2][4] Since then, this site has been investigated further and is generally accepted as the site of Clausentum,[2] but there is no universal agreement.[2] Reference to modern maps show Bitterne Manor to be 25 miles (40 km) from Chichester. Wickham is at the junction of two Roman Roads and is a better fit to the distances documented in Antonine Itinerary VII.[1] The case for Clausentum being situated at Bitterne Manor is based on archaeological evidence,[5] and the geography of the site (nestled inside a sharp bend in the River Itchen) which clearly allowed it to be turned into a good defensive position.[5] The fact that there was a Roman settlement at what is now Bitterne Manor is not disputed.[5]

Site

The settlement is located on a promontory jutting into the River Itchen.[6] It was the site of a small town in the 1st and 2nd centuries.[6] At a later date a stone defensive wall was erected around the site. Early excavators dated the erection of this wall to around 370, but later evidence showed that the walls were erected around 280/90, at about the same time as the fort at nearby Portchester (Portus Adurni).[6] Traces of a Roman Road on a line running from Bitterne Manor to Wickham have also been found.[5]

Today all that is visible are the framentary remains of a small 2nd-century bath house, and a fragment of the 3rd-century fortified walls.[6] The baths consist of four rooms, later converted into a two-roomed structure.[7] They were demolished when the fortified wall was built at the end of the 3rd century.[7] The remains are located on private property, at Bitterne Manor House, and permission is needed to see them.[7]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Rance (1986). Southampton. An Illustrated History. Milestone. pp. 19. ISBN 0903852950. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Rance (1986). Southampton. An Illustrated History. Milestone. pp. 13. ISBN 0903852950. 
  3. ^ History and Antiquity of Southampton. John Speed. Circa 1770
  4. ^ Attempt to Ascertain the Situation of the Ancient Clausentum. Rev Richard Warner. 1792
  5. ^ a b c d Adrian Rance (1986). Southampton. An Illustrated History. Milestone. ISBN 0-903852-95-0. 
  6. ^ a b c d Roger Wilson, (2002), A Guide to the Roman Remains in Britain - 4th edition, page 152. Constable.
  7. ^ a b c Roger Wilson, (2002), A Guide to the Roman Remains in Britain - 4th edition, page 655. Constable.

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