Alchester Roman Town

This article is about Alchester in Oxfordshire. It should not be confused with Alcester in Warwickshire.

Alchester is the Old English and modern toponym for a small town in the Roman province of Britannia. Its name in Latin is Ælia Castra. It is about 2 miles (3 km) south of Bicester, in the northwest corner of the civil parish of Wendlebury in the English county of Oxfordshire.[1]

Alchester had a strategic location in Roman Britain, sited at a crossroad on the Silchester–Dorchester–Towcester road and the Cirencester–St Albans road (Akeman Street).

The site has been the subject of investigation since 1996, first under the auspices of Oxford University Archaeological Society, then under those of Leicester, Oxford and Edinburgh Universities.[2]

History

Archaeology has shown an Iron Age settlement close to the later Roman town, and that Roman occupation of the site began in the Claudian period soon after the invasion of Britain in 43 AD in the form of a fort.

Miltary Phase

In 1990, playing-card-shaped enclosures with ditches was discovered on aerial photographs taken in 1943–45.[3] Excavation focussed initially on the Roman miltary enclosure near and under the later Roman town, and then on its fortified annex. This proved that the larger enclosure was indeed surrounded by an army-style V-shaped ditch characteristic of a fort.[3]

The spread in time and frequency of early objects and the buildings shows that the fort was more substantial than a vexillation camp and existed for a longer time than a temporary camp for use only during the invasion.

Alchester, soon to be at a road junction, was in a strategic position. Situated in the border region of the Catuvellauni and Dobunni tribes, it was in an ideal position to exercise control over wide areas and to obtain sufficient food supplies for the winter.[3]

The smaller enclosure, with its U-shaped ditch and square corners was atypical for Roman forts, and was interpreted as a parade ground. Parallels for this have been found associated with legionary fortress of Lambaesis (Algeria), as well as at Tomen y Mur (Gwynedd).[3] The presence of this would also support the idea of a fairly permanent military base.

Investigation of the gate of the annex revealed two wooden gateposts preserved in waterlogged conditions for which Dendrochronology gives both of them felling dates of between October AD 44 and March AD 45.[4] The main fortress must have been built earlier and probably in the year of invasion, 43 AD.

The discovery in 2003 of smashed fragments of the tombstone of Lucius Valerius Geminus, a veteran of the Legio II Augusta[2] is significant in that it shows he retired from the legion while stationed at Alchester even though he came from north-west Italy and lived in the vicinity until his death. The fortress must have been well-established and probably associated with a nearby vicus.

The inscription reads:

Dis Manibus/ L(ucius) Val(erius) L(uci filius) Pol(lia tribu) Gemi/nus For(o) Germ(anorum)/ vet(eranus) Leg(ionis) [I]I Aug(ustae)/ an(norum) L h(ic) s(itus) e(st)/ he(res) c(uravit)/ e(x) t(estamento)
"To the souls of the departed: Lucius Valerius Geminus, the son of Lucius, of the Pollia voting tribe, from Forum Germanorum, veteran of the Second Augustan Legion, aged 50(?), lies here. His heir had this set up in accordance with his will."

The size of the fort at 14-15ha including the annex is larger than that estimated for the previous fortress of Legio II Augusta at Strasbourg. Other finds also support the conclusion that this was its legionary fortress soon after invasion of Britain and before it moved to Exeter, and that its commander Vespasian was located here rather that in southern England at this time.[2]

Evidence from coins found at the site suggest abandonment was likely to have taken place before the death of Emperor Nero in AD 68[4]

Walled town

Excavations in 2003 of the town wall near the west gate showed this had been robbed of building stone in post-Roman times, except for two stones that were found in situ and the wall's rubble foundations.[2]

The area bounded by defences, about 10 hectares (25 acres), is almost square, with the earliest defences consisting of a gravel rampart and one or more ditches; later, a stone wall was added to the rampart. The dating of these two phases is obscure.[5]

The planning of streets approaches a rectangular grid, uncommon in smaller Romano-British towns. Along the main street, aerial archaeology has revealed a number of narrow, rectangular strip buildings. Near the centre of the town lay a building with a central court, surrounded by a portico on three sides. Outside the western defences, excavation in 1766 of what was then a prominent mound known as the Castle uncovered a sizable Roman bath.[5]

After the 5th century the place was deserted.[5]

References

  1. ↑ http://roman-britain.co.uk/places/alchester.htm
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sauer, E (2005). "Alchester: In search of Vespasian" (pdf). Current Archaeology. 196: 168–176.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Sauer, E; Crutchley, S (1998). "Alchester: A Roman fort and parade ground?". Current Archaeology. 157: 34–37.
  4. 1 2 Sauer, E (2001). "Alchester Roman fortress". Current Archaeology. 173: 189–191.
  5. 1 2 3 Stillwell, Richard, ed. (1976). "Alchester, Oxfordshire, England". Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites.

Further reading

Coordinates: 51°52′42″N 1°10′10″W / 51.87833°N 1.16944°W / 51.87833; -1.16944

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