Tower blocks and togas

South Shields is well known for the Roman fort of Arbeia at the end of Hadrian's Wall. A few tombstones and burials have been found here in the past hundred years, but these account for only a small fraction of the legionaries and others who must have been buried on this site. Somewhere there must be a large Roman military cemetery – or cemeteries.

Unfortunately, the most likely location for any burial ground is under a large 1960s housing estate. So, for this programme Time Team had to investigate every spare piece of open space; seek out the scraps of undisturbed stratigraphy among developments both Victorian and modern; dig in the gaps between services; take a look under the occasional pavement; and enlist as much local help as possible, young and old, in the hunt for the site.

It was three days of head-scratching mayhem before the answer emerged.

Time Trail

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This was Time Team's second excavation in the current series on the site of a Roman fort. The first was the site at Drumlanrig, Dumfries. Previously unexcavated, little is known about this isolated – and relatively short-lived – outpost located at the northernmost limits of Roman control in Britain. In contrast, we know quite a lot about the role played in Roman military defences by the fort of Arbeia, in what is now South Shields. Visitors to the site are able to see dramatic reconstructions of the fort's gatehouse and other buildings, as well as the excavated remains and finds in the onsite museum.

Situated four miles from the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall, the mighty stone fort guarded the entrance to the river Tyne. Originally built around 160 AD to house a garrison, it subsequently became the main military supply base for the 17 forts along the wall. These included the fort at Birdoswald, the eleventh fort from the east end of Hadrian's Wall, where Time Team also investigated the Roman cemetery, as well as the fort's vicus, or associated civilian settlement, as part of the 2000 series.

The military played a huge part in Roman Britain, with up to one tenth of the entire Roman army stationed here. So it is not surprising that they figure so highly in the many Time Team digs dating from the Roman occupation. Another Roman military stronghold investigated by the Team was at Castleford, during the 2002 series, while the dig at Sedgefield, during the 2003 series, uncovered Roman pottery and metal industry that probably served the supply base at Arbeia.

The reconstruction cameo for this programme saw Time Team Digger Matt Williams train as a raw recruit to the Roman legions. The legionaries' lot in the Roman army was a tough one, as Matt discovered.

Watched the programme, exhausted the web pages? Now try our quick Time Trial quiz to see how much you know.

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