camp naming convention

[Arminius Primus]

Ave,

Holiday greetings to all. With less work due to the holiday down time , the mind wanders, to projects, issues , questions.

We have the roman names for the permanent legionary camps (fortresses) but was there a convention for naming the marching camps or the camps used for short duration during a campaign?

Seems everything inside was named, from the streets to the gates to the command center. Tried to search RAT on this camp name preoccupation and didn't find anything,...also tried a variety of web searches and still the same result. (No info) I can suggest some modern used conventions, such as: commanders name, holiday, day of the week, famous member of the unit, etc.

Any info on how the Romans did it ??

Regards from a cold and snowy Scupi , Arminius Primus aka Al

[D B Campbell]

We have the roman names for the permanent legionary camps (fortresses) but was there a convention for naming the marching camps or the camps used for short duration during a campaign?

Temporary camps are never named in our sources, probably because they were ... temporary. As you noted, fortresses and forts were named, presumably to facilitate directing people, mail, supplies to these permanent installations. There probably wasn't the same requirement where temporary camps are concerned. If you were a courier chasing after a campaigning army, I imagine it would have been fairly straightforward to follow the trail of devastation!

[jkaler48]

Speculation;
Temporary camps were probably known by the unit, unit nickname or unit commanders name if named at all:
Camp of Justinius, Camp of Legio V etc

[PhilusEstilius]

I would have to agree with Duncan on this for almost all marching camps were infact temporary structures, many may have been used over again at certain periods. However that would have been when some sort of route had been established in the true Roman fashion of A...to...B It is only with more permanently manned structures we begin to get names for them, one of the best I like to think of is Trimontium in Scotland where one realy gets to know just why it is called what it is for the three mountains hit you right in the face as you get nearer to it.