An investigation into a cemetery at a Roman fort turns up more than was expected
Birdoswald, Hadrian's Wall
30 January 2000

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First occupied by Roman troops in around 122 AD and completed in 138, Birdoswald is the eleventh fort (out of 17) from the east end of Hadrian's Wall and part of the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site. Set on a spectacular escarpment overlooking the River Irthing, it has the best-preserved gateway on the wall. A magnetronomy survey in 1998 revealed the main Military Way leading from this main west gate, together with a track heading towards a cemetery area some distance from the fort on the edge of the escarpment.

The cemetery area was first identified in 1959, when the tenant farmer unearthed a number of Roman pots while ploughing his fields. These pots, some of which were complete, contained the remains from cremation burials. Further ploughing in 1961 uncovered a high-quality third-century tombstone. The 1998 magnetronomy survey also found evidence of stone structures and other anomalies in an elliptical area to the west of the main gate.

Time Team were given a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity to investigate at Birdoswald because the cemetery area had already sustained serious damage as a result of ploughing. It was also feared that erosion along the line of the escarpment, due to the unstable nature of the underlying boulder clay, may further threaten the site. Although it turned out not to be the case, it was thought that part of the cemetery may already have been destroyed by landslips in the area. The task the Team set itself was to examine and excavate parts of the cemetery and to find out what those structures were outside the west gate. Could they be mausolea or monuments relating to the burials of Roman soldiers?

Surprisingly perhaps, although we know a great deal about Hadrian's Wall and its archaeology, no one had ever excavated a Roman cemetery here before. Since soldiers occupied the fort at Birdoswald for the best part of three centuries, from 122 to 400 AD, it was hoped that this investigation could provide new insights into life at this far outpost of the Roman empire. What was discovered was to surpass expectations.

Time Team's geophysics survey of the elliptical area to the west of the fort both confirmed the findings of the earlier survey and suggested new evidence of structures or anomalies. As well as the trenches dug in the cemetery area, therefore, three trenches were also excavated here. The first of these soon produced a range of finds: Roman coins, a glass intaglio from a ring seal, Samian pottery sherds and various evidence of habitation, including flagstones and walls. Further finds were to follow from the other trenches. Among them was a large and beautiful cut-glass bead. There was an intaglio depicting a charioteer with four horses. And, perhaps most appropriate of all for a place occupied by soldiers, there was one featuring Achilles, the archetypal soldiers' hero.

Various coins also emerged from the wet earth (it rained and it rained while Time Team excavated at Birdoswald). There was a Trajanic coin from around 115-117 and, glorious in the detail it contained in its inscriptions, a silver coin from the reign of Domitian. One inscription (TRPXV) told us that he was in his 15th year of Tribunician power. And reading around the rim on the other side, the lettering IMPXXII revealed that he was in his 22nd year as emperor, COSXVII that he was in his 17th year as consul, and yet more that he was Censor in Perpetuity and Father of the Nation. With such detail, there was no difficulty in dating it precisely to 96 AD.

But the finds had created something of a mystery. The more the Team investigated the elliptical area beyond the west gate, the more it became clear that this was probably the site of a previously uninvestigated vicus, or settlement, associated with the fort. Yet none of the finds dated from later than about 200AD, even though we know that Birdoswald fort was occupied for another two centuries.

It was left to Stewart Ainsworth, the Team's expert in reading the landscape, to suggest the reason. The escarpment was probably about 100 metres further away from the fort when Birdoswald was first built, but erosion and landslips had brought it much closer. Could a particularly precipitous collapse have caused the abandonment of the western vicus during the second century, which would explain the absence of finds from later than that date?

Whatever the answer, the discovery of the extent of the western vicus, possibly the biggest Roman settlement between Carlisle and Corbridge, had re-written our knowledge of Birdoswald. And, to cap a remarkable three days for Time Team, the final day yielded another thrilling find. An anomaly identified by the geophysics surveys of the cemetery area turned out to be an undisturbed Roman burial, containing not only a complete pottery urn with the cremated ashes of the person buried there, but also an exquisite third-century drinking vessel that had been buried with it. Had it been used by mourners to toast the spirit of the deceased or had it contained wine to speed the spirit on its way to the afterlife? This was one question that would have to be left to the imagination.

The perils of archaeological misidentification

Not everything went straightforwardly in terms of the identification of finds during the excavation at Birdoswald. A piece of 'typically Roman' bluey-green glassware, discovered at an early stage of the dig in the cemetery area, turned out probably to have been 17th century in origin. And several pieces of well-preserved timber that were unearthed from beneath an apparent clay 'floor' provided a puzzle for the archaeologists that was not resolved until the final day.

The wood had been discovered below a layer of readily dateable Roman material, and was accompanied by the remains of a cremation burial. The fact that it was so well preserved in conditions that did not seem to lend themselves to the preservation of organic material raised doubts which were later resolved with a disappointingly modern – and mundane – explanation. The timbers, it was decided, had in fact been laid down by a farmer within the last 20 years or so in order to improve access at the muddy entrance to his field. The clay 'floor' had simply been the result of mud being compacted against the timbers, while the associated Roman remains had been scattered over the top as a consequence of the disturbance of the surrounding soil by ploughing and heavy farm vehicles.

At one stage Phil also produced what he proudly declared to be a well-preserved piece of Roman tiling. It turned out to be part of a Victorian field drain. A lesson, if it was needed, that you can never take things at face value in archaeology and that first impressions are often misleading.

Reconstruction of an intaglio find – a glass seal worn on a ring – depicting the archetypal soldier's hero, Achilles.
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A second intaglio find, this time a ring seal depicting a charioteer with four horses.
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The Roman funeral urn found by Carenza.

Victor Ambrus's impression of what the vicus, or settlement, to the west of the Birdoswald fort might have looked like.

Quiz

A silver coin found at Birdoswald dating from the reign of the Emperor Domitian. Its inscriptions leave no doubt that it was minted in 96AD, the year in which he was assassinated.
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Resources

Birdoswald Roman Fort and Study Centre

Birdoswald Roman Fort
Gilsland, Carlisle
Cumbria
CA6 7DD
Tel: 016977 47602 Fax: 016977 47605

Visitor Centre Opening Times

Located at one of the most spectacular sites for a Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall, Birdoswald is one of the wall's leading visitor attractions. The site boasts a fascinating interactive visitor centre, complete with a full-scale replica of a piece of the wall and a unique life-size model of Tony Wilmott, the English Heritage archaeologist responsible for directing most of the recent excavations at the site, who featured in the Time Team programme.

The fort itself has the best-preserved gateway on the line of Hadrian's Wall. The outside walls clearly define the playing-card shape of a standard Roman fort. Recent excavations have uncovered a unique basilica or drill hall, granary buildings and the west gateway with its magnificent masonry, as well as evidence of Dark-Age occupation and beyond.

Guided tours are offered for pre booked groups.

Birdoswald Study Centre

The study centre provides accommodation for groups within the walls of the Birdoswald Roman fort and offers conference facilities and education services. A two-night Roman extravaganza for schools incorporates a stay within the fort, during which children meet Jefficus the Roman soldier, eat Roman food and signal to other soldiers along the wall. Limited availability.

Websites

This website contains links to other websites which are not under the control of and are not maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.

Peter Green's website dealing with the Roman army in Britain (www.morgue.demon.co.uk), maintained to an exceptionally high standard, provides a comprehensive guide to its forts, watchtowers, temporary camps, depots and industrial sites, with photographs and other background material on the army and military history of Roman Britannia. The site includes a gazetteer, regional maps and a search facility for places and army units. There is a useful introduction to the organisation of the Roman army; explanations of some of the more common Roman military terms and unit names from the British garrison; descriptions of the types of Roman military sites with plans of typical forts and camps; and a summary of military events in Britannia and their relationship to military sites. The site's general reading list of the history of Roman Britannia and its Roman military bibliography of Britain are both very good, as are its links to other Roman-related websites.

More information about Hadrian's Wall, together with details of visitor facilities, opening times and tourist accommodation and transport can be found at www.hadrians-wall.org, while the Newstead Project at www.brad.ac.uk/acad/archsci/field_proj/newstead/intrep93/intrep93.html offers a detailed report on the excavation of a Roman fort in Scotland.

Time Team has also carried out a number of other investigations into Roman sites in Britain, details of which can be found in the Archive section of this website. These include the 1997 Live dig on the site of a Roman villa at Turkdean, in Gloucestershire. As well as a detailed report on the dig, our special live website included a chronology of Roman Britain, a range of Roman recipes and other links and resources. Time Team returned to Turkdean as part of its 1999 series, which also saw a search for another vicus, or settlement, next to a Roman fort at Papcastle, in Cumbria. The 2000 series also includes an excavation of Roman remains at Cirencester. All of these pages contain further information and links to Roman-related websites.

Further reading

Hadrian's Wall in the Days of the Romans by Ronald Embleton and Frank Graham (Frank Graham, 1984) hardback £10.95
This book receives full marks for its vivid evocation of military and civilian life on a Roman frontier. Crammed full of inspired colour and black-and-white reconstructions, it proceeds along the wall from South Shields to Carlisle.

Hadrian's Wall: History and Guide by Guy de la Bédoyère (Tempus, 1998) paperback £9.99
This guidebook is the perfect companion to an exploration of the wall. As well as providing details of each site and an overview of its social and military history, the author gives practical details of visible remains, their opening times and accessibility.

Life and Letters on the Roman Frontier by Alan K Bowman (British Museum Press, 1994) paperback £9.99
Many aspects of daily life on Hadrian's Wall have been revealed by the incredible stock of writing tablets found at Vindolanda. This compelling book discusses the context of the letters and reproduces 38 of them with translations, allowing us a glimpse of life on a frontier post in the 1st century AD.

Roman Forts in Britain by Paul Bidwell (English Heritage, 1997) paperback £15.99
A readable but detailed study of the legionary fortresses from the 2nd century AD onwards. The author, who has excavated all along Hadrian's Wall, discusses the function of forts, military buildings, supply systems, trade and everyday life.

Roman Forts in Britain by David Breeze (Shire, 1994) paperback £4.99
A concise introduction to the Roman legionary fortress, with a select gazetteer of sites to visit.

An Atlas of Roman Britain by Barri Jones and David Mattingly (Blackwell, 1993) paperback £15.99
An amazing accumulation of archaeological evidence has been used to map every aspect of Roman life on a countrywide scale, including the distribution of Roman forts, towns, villas, potteries and quarries. Lots of additional plans and useful descriptions on each topic.

The Finds of Roman Britain by Guy de la Bédoyère (Batsford, 1989) paperback £14.99
Written in non-specialist English, this is a well-illustrated guide to the various Roman finds from sites across the country, placing them within their social context.

Roman Britain by T W Potter (British Museum Press, 1983) paperback £6.95
The four centuries during which the Roman presence in Britain rose, flourished and declined changed every aspect of life: industry, trade, government, the arts and learning. This book gives an illustrated outline of the period.

Roman Britain by Tim Potter and Catherine Johns ('Exploring the Roman World' series, British Museum Publications, 1992) hardback £19.95
A survey of the effects of Roman culture on Britain and its people, by two British Museum curators. Includes evidence from the latest archaeological discoveries, including the Vindolanda writing tablets and the Thetford and Snettisham treasures, as well as a gazetteer of noteworthy sites to visit.

The Landscape of Roman Britain by Ken and Petra Dark (Sutton Publishing, 1997) paperback £10.99
A history of Roman Britain, considering the effects of human activity on the landscape, with particular attention paid to the Iron-Age background.

Roman Britain by Martin Millett (English Heritage, 1995) paperback £15.99
Making full use of the archaeological material available, this introductory study of four centuries of Roman presence in Britain explores the central themes of daily life, laying particular emphasis on the social, economic and cultural history.

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