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H E R I TAG E Romans Conquering Europe The ancient Roman Empire stretched over 5,9 million square kilometers of Europe and the Mediterranean. As such, Romans considerably influenced numerous nations – especially their language, religion, architecture, philosophy, law, as well as government system. The remains of the extensive empire can be found all over Europe. Why not to have a close look on some of them? Come and visit Colchester, Swiss Augusta Raurica, Roman villas on the Isle of Wight, or Spanish Aragon. Don’t worry we will not omit the Hadrian’s Wall. H eritage : R oman s C onqu e r ing Europ e COLCHESTER: BRITAIN’S FIRST ROMAN CITY of invasion and when the Roman army did arrive in AD43, the capture of Camulodunum was its primary objective. Roman Life in Colchester The Roman Emperor Claudius spent just sixteen days in Britain, long enough to lead his troops and his elephants into Camulodunum and receive the submission of several British kings. The Roman army then built a legionary fortress on the highest ground inside Camulodunum, the site of the present town centre. The High Street still follows the central axis of the original fortress while the intersection of Head Street and North Hill marks the main cross-roads of the subsequent Roman town. As the Roman army moved north to conquer the rest of Britain, new military bases were built on the way. By AD49 the fortress at Camulodunum had been turned into a civilian settlement named Colonia Claudia after the Emperor and this became the first capital of the new Roman province of Britannia. The colonia was home mainly to retired soldiers whose role was to spread Roman civilisation and keep an eye on the natives. Many of the military i The Romans: They Came, They Saw, They Conquered Colchester is famous as a Roman town, but its origins pre-date the Romans. Two thousand years ago much of the area surrounding Colchester was occupied by the Trinovantes tribe. Towards the end of the first century BC the Trinovantes created Febr u a r y, 2008 a settlement on the River Colne which became known as Camulodunum, meaning ‘Fortress of Camulos’, a Celtic war god. The Romans were well aware of the growing importance of Camulodunum and referred to its powerful ruler Cunobelin as King of the Britons. Cunobelin’s death around AD40 rekindled thoughts —5— B ritai n ’ s Ol de s t R ec or de d Tow n The earliest record of the town’s existence is a reference by the Roman writer, Pliny the Elder in AD77. In describing the island of Anglesey, he wrote that ‘it is about 200 miles from Camulodunum, a town in Britain’. Camulodunum being the pre-Roman name for Colchester. This is the first known reference to any named settlement in this country. Pliny died in AD79, one of the victims of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius which destroyed Pompeii. H eritage : R oman s C onqu e r ing Europ e buildings were retained and converted, but the legionary defences were dismantled leaving the town fatally unprotected. Large public buildings were built, including a theatre, part of which can be seen today in Maidenburgh Street, and a senate house. Grandest of all was the Temple of Claudius, built to worship the Emperor after his death in AD54, when he was made a god. The foundations of the temple still survive beneath Colchester Castle and can be visited on guided tours in the Castle. Roman Colchester was virtually destroyed only a few years after the town was founded. In AD60 Queen Boudica of the Iceni tribe, led a major rebellion against Roman rule ad the Romans had refused to accept her status after the death of her husband Prasutagus. A revolt erupted and Boudica led her followers and joined with the Trinovantes tribe to attack the Roman capital at Camulodunum, which was undefended. Despite the scale of the destruction, Colchester was quickly rebuilt but this time enclosed by a substantial defensive wall. Some two-thirds still stands; the oldest town wall in Britain. Of particular interest is the Balkerne Gate, the original main entrance Febr u a r y, 2008 to the town, which probably began as a triumphal arch celebrating the conquest by Claudius. Roman Colchester lasted at least 400 years. The distinction between conquerors and conquered faded. To be Roman was to be civilised and this is well illustrated at Gosbecks on the south-western edge of the modern town. Nearby the largest of the five known Roman theatres in Britain was built with seating for up to 5,000 people. There was also an impressive RomanoCeltic temple complex. The discovery nearby of the Colchester Mercury, the finest bronze figure from Roman Britain now on display in the Castle Museum, shows that even native religion was becoming Romanised. Gosbecks is now preserved as an Archaeological Park and its various historic features are explained on site. Roman Discoveries Still Taking Place Archaeological excavations over the last 80 years have revealed a town of importance and sophistication. Artifacts from these excavations can be seen i C ol che s ter : Di d You K n ow ? • It was the capital of Roman Britain when London was just a trading post • It has the largest surviving Roman gateway in Britain. • It has 1½ miles (2½ km) of Roman wall, the oldest town wall in Britain. • Colchester Castle is the largest surviving Norman keep in Europe. • Colchester Castle pre-dates the Tower of London and was in fact the blueprint for it. • Colchester Castle was the first Royal Castle outside of London. • Colchester Castle is built on the massive foundations of the Roman Temple of Claudius. —6— in the internationally important archaeological collections in Colchester Castle Museum. One of the most important recent excavations was the discovery of a Roman Circus in 2004. Built around 3AD it had a seating capacity of around 15,000. It is hoped that a funding bid will enable visitors in 2011 to view some archaeological remains of the circus, see a virtual reality film about what it would have been like to spend a day at the races and follow a trail around most of the perimeter of the circus. By Karen Turnbull http://www.visitcolchester.com If you would like to find out more about Colchester please contact the VisitColchester Information Centre on +44 1206 282920 or email: [email protected]. You can also plan your visit by using the official tourism website: www.visitcolchester.com H eritage : R oman s C onqu e r ing Europ e AUGUSTA RAURICA: OFF TO ANTIQUITY! 2000 years ago, 20,000 people lived in Augusta Raurica. Today, more than 140,000 visitors a year stroll through the ancient ruins, the museum and the domestic animal park. This is no surprise, because the ample grounds are an ideal destination for a full-day excursion, which offers a lot while costing very little. A considerable portion of the remnants left by the indigenous Celtic population and the immigrants from the Mediterranean in the former Roman town have now been excavated and are on show in the largest archaeological open-air complex in Switzerland. More than 30 monuments from the ancient town can be viewed here. For instance, one can take a seat in the best-preserved ancient theatre of Central Europe; one can explore 100m of sewage canal or be enchanted by the atmosphere in an underground well house. Finds from the excavations are exhibited in the Museum, including the famous silver treasure from Kaiseraugst. It is one of the most important Late Antique treasures ever found. Further exhibitions on Roman themes, such as early Christianity, Roman bathing customs or crafts in Augusta Raurica, are located in the outdoor areas of the open-air museum. One element of the Museum, which is particularly popular with children, is the reconstructed Roman © Susanne Schenker Why not embark on an exciting journey to an ancient city? The Colonia Raurica in today’s Switzerland was founded in 44 BC and is the earliest colony settlement on the Rhine. The site developed into a cultural centre with fora, theatres, baths and temples. After a lot of damage had been caused by warfare during the 3rd century AD, the Roman army Febr u a r y, 2008 erected an impressive fort near present day Kaiseraugst on the Rhine. During the Early Middle Ages it evolved into a settlement that was the region's Episcopal see for a while. Basle, situated further down the Rhine, began to gain importance during the 7th and 8th centuries while the formerly thriving Roman colony town of Augusta Raurica turned into a small fishing village. —7— i On Yo ur Ow n or Acc om pa n ie d by a n E x p ert Take a seat in the best-preserved Roman theatre north of the Alps. Discover the workings of the waste water system of an ancient city. Ponder the toilet in the kitchen in the Roman house. Make sure you do not miss the largest silver treasure from Late Antiquity exhibited in the museum. H eritage : R oman s C onqu e r ing Europ e © Susanne Schenker House. As in Roman times, the rooms are furnished and painted colorfully. There is a kitchen, a banquet hall, bathrooms and a bedroom. The workshop contains a butcher’s, a smithy and a bronze foundry. Both the workshop and the tavern overlook the street. An exact replica of a Roman carriage is parked in the entrance area and inspires much discussion about how uncomfortable travelling must have been in Roman times. Animal breeds, known to Roman husbandry and cuisine, are kept in the Animal Park. Among others, there are domestic guinea fowl, grey lag geese, peacocks, woolly grazing pigs and a breed of small cattle. Numerous activities for families with children and schools invite visitors to spend a whole day roaming through the ancient city in order to experience firsthand what it was like in Roman times. Some of the highlights from our varied programme include real archaeological excavations for everyone to participate in, baking bread in a Roman wood- Febr u a r y, 2008 © Intes Horisberger burning oven, restoring sherds, and theatre plays for school children. Particularly popular with both young and old is the annual Roman Festival, held in Augst at the end of August. This conveys various researched aspects of Roman life in a popularized manner. The colorful festivals have become famous far beyond the region and attract thousands of visitors, who are delighted to let themselves be transported back to Roman times. Food is available in the Augusta Raurica Snack Bar beside the theatre (summer months only) or in one of the restaurants in the area. Or why not have a barbeque in the Roman amphitheatre? By Karin Kob http://www.augusta-raurica.ch Our visitor service is happy to provide further information and take bookings for individual activities, particular group programmes and guided tours (phone +41 (0)61 816 22 22 or [email protected]). —8— H eritage : R oman s C onqu e r ing Europ e ROMAN VILLAS REVEALING HISTORY agricultural land and valuable metal resources such as iron and lead. Villas in Brading & Newport T here are several reasons why the Romans invaded Britain in AD43, one of the major motivations was that Claudius had been recently installed as Emperor by the army following the assassination of Caligula, and needed a military victory to impress the Roman people and cement his position. South East Britain was an attractive target. It had good Febr u a r y, 2008 On the Isle of Wight the first signs of social and economic change were the construction of villa farms at Brading and Newport, on or near to late Iron Age settlements. These were the country homes of wealthy Romano-British farmers and in contrast to the native round house, they had rectangular ground plans. A villa also included a range of functional buildings such as barns, granaries and workshops, and an estate incorporating other settlements. Over 700 villas have been found, mostly in southern England, which formed the agricultural heartland of Roman Britain. They formed part of a market-orientated economy, and developed in response to the growth of new towns and the needs of the army. All the materials for the construction of the villas on the Isle of Wight could be obtained locally. Clay for bricks and tiles was widely available. Walls were made of flint gathered from arable fields, chalk and greensand from the downs, and Bembridge limestone from coastal outcrops. Timber for supports, floors and roofs was available from the northern woodlands. Newport Roman villa was built to a winged-corridor design. It consisted of three parts: a long rectangular house with several rooms; a projecting room on each end; and an entrance corridor in front. The villa lies close to an important ford- —9— ing point across the river Medina and pottery found at the site dates from the late 1st Century AD. The villa we know today was not built until the late 3rd Century AD, and seems to have been built in one operation. The whole of one end formed a superb bath range with mosaic floors, baths and sweat rooms. The dining room had a red tessellated floor with a chequerboard design at the centre. The wing at the other end of the house also had a hypocaust (an under-floor heating system), suggesting it was a special room. The villa at Brading is an example of a courtyard villa which consisted of a series of buildings around a square courtyard. These were the largest type of villa and were owned by the wealthiest RomanoBritons. The Villa you can see today probably developed from a small stone building occupied by a British or Romano-British farmer. These were usually modest wooden crofts of two or three rooms in a row. Later they were often rebuilt in stone with additional rooms, as appears to be the case at Brading. Life at Villa By the mid 2nd Century AD the farm had developed into an impressive villa with stone and wooden buildings on three sides of a central courtyard or garden. Brading Roman Villa was sited to take full advantage of Brading harbor situated between Sandown and Bembridge the main port of the Isle of Wight. Produce farmed at the villa may have been shipped to other parts of Britain and the Roman Empire in H eritage : R oman s C onqu e r ing Europ e twenty-eight year reign of Emperor Honorius began in AD395. In the chequered corridor of the main house, a deep stokehole was dug for a corn-drying furnace. Most of the magnificent mosaics survived, possibly buried and protected by stored grain. How long occupants continued to live in this sub-Roman style is difficult to tell. Once a building was abandoned, anything useful would have been scavenged. In the 5th Century the Villa collapsed and was covered by a deep blanket of soil and leaf mould. By the time the undergrowth was eventually cleared for agriculture, the name and position of Brading Roman Villa was lost to sight and memory. The Villa Resurrected exchange for Samian ware from southern France, quernstones from Germany and wine and olive oil from Italy and Greece. Calm waters around Brading Haven provided good fishing, including oysters, cockles and mussels the shells of which have been found around the Villa. The forest that covered the northern land of the Isle of Wight was a rich source of food. Storks and cranes were hunted. The forest floor provided a home for wild boar, red and fallow deer (the tusks and antlers of which have been found at the Villa). The sheep that grazed on Brading Downs provided wool and food. The peasant farmers tended both the sheep and crops such as wheat, barley, rye, oats and beans. Several ards and iron shoes, which formed wooden ploughs, have been found at the Villa and are now on display. Highs and Lows Probably no more than waist high, the stone walls of the Villa would have supported a stout timber Febr u a r y, 2008 frame, infilled with wattle and daub. Some walls were built with large boulders carried straight from the beach. Corners, doors and windows were constructed from blocks of Bembridge stone. The roof was tiled with limestone and clay tiles. Inside, the walls were finished with brightly painted plaster. Surviving fragments show floral and woodland scenes, a hanging basket of flowers and a peacock. Windows either often had iron grills, or small panes of misty green glass and heavy wooden shutters. The front door of the Villa had a grand lock faced with a large brass plate, and its key was later found in the remains of this once great house. The Villa suffered a disastrous fire in the 3rd Century AD. Despite this the site was still used for farming purposes for another 100 years. The decline of Brading Roman Villa started after about AD340, when estates in southern Britain suffered frequent raids by barbarian pirates. Life and trade were both at risk; yet Roman coins excavated at the site indicate human activity continued at Brading until the — 10 — In 1879 Captain Thorp of Yarbridge began searching for Roman antiquities in the fields of Morton Farm. Mr. Munns, a local farmer, also became interested. One evening whilst using an iron bar to make holes for a sheep pen, he struck the Bacchus mosaic floor. The following morning he and Captain Thorp had uncovered the Gallus panel. By spring 1880, half of the Roman villa had been excavated on farmer Munns’ land. The remainder of the site extended beyond the field and onto the Oglander estate. Lady Louisa Oglander then purchased the entire site so that excavations could continue. Now as a registered charity, the Oglander Roman Trust is continuing the story of Brading Roman Villa and its unique mosaics into the 21st century, and a series of archaeological digs led by Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe of Oxford University hope to expand the story of Roman life at Brading and on the Isle of Wight as a whole. By Adam Watson, Brading Roman Villa www.islandbreaks.co.uk H eritage : R oman s C onqu e r ing Europ e SPAIN: THE ROMAN HERITAGE IN ARAGON Nowadays we can follow the trace of the Roman streets and the remains of its walls, theatre, baths, forum and its river port (there is four archaeological museums that belong to the town hall of Zaragoza and an archaeological section in the Provincial Museum of Fine Arts). There are also some paleochristian remains from the 4th century. The Roman history of this territory is linked to the figure of Augustus in various ways. Modern scholars indicate that when Augustus came back ill from the Cantabric wars, he took a medicinal bath in the A ragon, one of the 17 Spanish autonomic communities, is divided into three provinces, Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel. However, in the Roman Age, this territory belonged first to the Hispania Citerior and later to the Provincia Tarraconensis. In addition, under the Augustus’ empire, Hispania was divided into conventus iuridicus, i.e. administrative districts. The capital city of one of them was Caesaraugusta, the modern Zaragoza. The main city from the time of Augustus was Caesaraugusta, a strange and exceptional name in the Roman empire, because it contained the names of Iulius Caesar as well as Octavius Augusus. It was founded in 14 BC as a new city with a Hippodamic urban pattern near a pre-Roman city called Salduba. Febr u a r y, 2008 — 11 — sanctuary of Silbis, a local deity of the Health, and he quickly recovered. He thus founded the sanctuary of Salus that eventually became the sanctuary of Minerva. This took place in the ancient Turiaso, a pre-roman city now called Tarazona. In the sanctuary the archaeologist discovered one of the most important busts of Augustus, made of a semi-precious stone, exposed in the Provincial Museum of Zaragoza. Also, there is a small archaeological museum in Tarazona, under the bishop palace. Another important Roman city here was Bilbilis Augusta, where the poet Marcus Valerius Martialis was born. It was founded under a Celtiberian city and it is possible now to visit its archaeological sites including a theatre, forum, baths, some houses, walls, and the Archaeological Museum of Calatayud (Bilbilis was abandoned during the crisis of the Roman empire and it was re-founded by the Muslims with the new name of Calatayud, 5 km away from the Roman setting). H eritage : R oman s C onqu e r ing Europ e An important event that took place in this area were the Roman wars against the Celtiberians. The war against Numantia and the Numantines is quite well known, but many people are now aware that the modern calendar starts on the first of January thanks to a Roman war against Segeda and the Segedians, neighbours of the Celtiberian Bilbilis. In 154 BC it was necessary that the Romans elected their consules not on the normal date, the first day of every year, i.e. the Idus of March (March, 15th), but several days earlier. In this way one of the consules could take the command of the Roman army against the Segedians. Thus they were elected in the Kalendas of January (January, 1st). As the consules could be in charge only one year, in the following years they were always elected on January, 1st. Unfortunately, we only have a few remains of the Celtiberian city of Segeda, that extended on an area of 17 hectares. In the Roman time, during the Civil Wars, a preRoman city, that later was re-founded by the RoFebr u a r y, 2008 mans as Osca (in honour to the Oscan soldiers that served in the Roman Army), had an important role. Here Quintus Sertorius, the follower of Pompeius, had his headquarter for his operations against Iulius Caesar and his generals and army. In a similar way, only a few remains of the Roman time have been preserved in Huesca (the ancient Osca). Finally, it is possible to visit one of the most important Roman dams in the western empire, in Almonacid de la Cuba. You can walk through an impressive aqueduct dug in the rocks between Albarracin and Cella (Teruel). You can find in Fabara the best Roman mausoleum preserved in Spain; the remains of a Roman city of unknown name (Tarraca?) in Los Bañales, near Uncastillo, with aqueduct, baths and mausoleums; and much more. By Roberto Lérida Lafarga For further information and photographs you can visit http://catedu.es/aragonromano/index.html and http://aragonromano.blogspot.com. — 12 — H eritage : R oman s C onqu e r ing Europ e WALKING THE ROMAN WAY The Romans certainly appreciated dramatic scenery when they marched into northern Britain. As they advanced they set up defences against the local inhabitants (Picts) of Caledonia (Scotland) and indeed they had to on more than one occasion retreat back to the safety on the south side of Hadrian’s Wall. Febr u a r y, 2008 This wall stretching from the west coast at Bowness on Solway to the east coast at Wallend was a major engineering undertaking but that was far from all they built. The Romans continued north extending Dere Street as far as the Firth of Forth close to present day Edinburgh. All along this route they established further forts, one of the most ex- — 13 — tensive being at Trimontium just below the Eildon Hill next to Melrose. It would be possible to talk about a lot more of the Roman occupation of Caledonia and the more northerly forts and walls, such as the Antonine Wall, but we are going to focus on an area bounded by Hadrian’s Wall in the south to Trimontium Fort some 55 miles further north. In this “T” shaped area there are countless Roman structures, fort sites, signalling stations and now modern day exhibitions dedicated to the Roman occupation. But rather than encouraging the growth of touring buses and car loads of visitors, we focus on the active visitors, the ones who will walk the walls and military roads that the Roman’s built, and who will walk through the expansive and sometimes wild countryside that rang out to the sound of Centurions some 2000 years back. The Roman Heritage walking route is 100 miles (160 km) in length and takes the average walker 7 days to complete. The route offers the walker two principal options, either starting from the western corner of Hadrian’s Wall on the Solway Firth and concluding at the Trimontium Fort by the banks of the world renowned River Tweed or starting at the eastern end at Segedunum on the River Tyne close to its mouth with the North Sea and again ending at Trimontium. Both options give the visitor the thrill of walking half of the World Heritage designated Hadrian’s Wall, ascending all the way from the sea to its central point close to the Roman Fort at Housesteads. Especially in this centre portion of the wall the visitor will see extensive remains of this defensive stone wall and forts build on the edge of the crags. But regardless of which half you walk, there are roman forts to visit and marvel at and several very well presented Roman Museums to enjoy. Passing across the Wall between Cuddy’s Crag and Hotbank Crag the Roman Heritage Way is now common to both route options as it tracks north H eritage : R oman s C onqu e r ing Europ e into north Northumberland and then Scotland. The countryside becomes more varied and the hills more frequent and high although it should never be that strenuous to deter the walker. In reality we think the hills and changing scenery only add to the enjoyment. The Roman history is never far removed from the walk but at times it is off to the east in the Redesdale Valley as the walking route gradually converges with the line of Dere Street. The walker can look onto the sites of Habitanovm, Dargnes and Brigantium before arriving at the small community of Byrness. The walk is now into the Cheviot range of hills and Febr u a r y, 2008 soon arrives at the remains of the remote Roman Fort of Chew Green. This is adjacent to the Scottish English border and for the next mile or so the walking route is directly on the border, shortly picking up another section of the Roman Dere Street. For the next day and a half the trail sticks very closely to the line of the Roman road passing the Roman camps at Woden Law, Pennymuir and Cappuck. In the distance the Eildon Hills are distinctive and signal the end point of the walking route. The North Hill was used by the Romans as a signalling station and below and close to the River Tweed are the extensive fields that housed the Trimontium — 14 — Fort, one of the largest forts in all of Scotland. All that remains of Trimontium is now below soil level but archaeological work over the last 100 years has unearthed a large amount of detail that has allowed interested individuals to know in detail the nature and workings of the Fort. From the Trimontium Fort there is now only a miles walk along the Tweed valley and past the ruined remains of Melrose Abbey to the centre of this beautiful Border Town, famous for its Abbey and the Founding of Rugby Sevens. In the square the walker can stop and visit a wonderful Museum run by the Trimontium Trust where yet further Roman treasures are to be found. Even if the interest in things Roman is not all consuming, this walking route takes the visitor across some very varying and beautiful countryside. By John Henderson of Walking Support http://www.romanheritageway.com To access much more on the Roman Heritage Way visit the website www.romanheritageway.com.