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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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© 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]).
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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-
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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
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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
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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-
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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
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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
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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
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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.