When Were Roman Military Roads Built

[jkaler48]

I suspect that some of the Iron age "Roman" roads in Britain were in part native British built and simply improved and incorporated into the larger Roman road network built to accommodate the greater traffic demands of the empire. The British tribes while not possessing a unified Government were not just a bunch of Neolithic hunter gathers sulking thru the brambles when the Romans arrived on the scene and were certainly capable of local road construction suited to their needs.

[Vindex]

John 1 wrote:Marix Evans has suggested that Legio II was based on Akeman Street at Bicester for a period before their move SW.

This is definitely a different view when it has been assumed that the Second went to Silchester and then down to Chichester and across the South and West....

I am wondering if after the initial invasion that forts not on the front line were manned by veterans.

Is now a good time to mention there is evidence of Legio III Augusta in Britannia? :evil: There's a fragment of inscription in Colchester which has been adjusted from II to III...

[Nathan Ross]

It is a good point but by AD60 Bath probably had a small fort (it is on the Fosse Way and is an important link to Sea Mills at Bristol

You're quite right! I never knew there was an established Roman military presence at Bath... What with that and II Augusta at Alchester and now III Augusta at Colchester I'm learning a lot from this thread.

[Vindex]

Pretty pictures...the measure is at 1m on both photographs. The first ditch (?) is 12 metres away from the agger and the second and larger ditch (?) is well over 15m from the front "lip" to the agger.

EDIT: Hmmm...well they were there...

Try this...

http://s1253.photobucket.com/albums/hh58...ng%20Dyke/

[PhilusEstilius]

[attachment=4939]excav105Small.jpg[/attachment]
[attachment=4938]SEBywellTyne121Small.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=4939]excav105Small.jpg[/attachment]
Here is an interesting feature of the excavation that the late Raymond Selkirk did of the junction of the Dere Sreet and the Stanegate roads at Bywell some years back.

It shows what he refered to as a clapper bridge taking the Dere Street over a stream with simply a revetment on the sides with a wall of stone in the midstream and heavy flags layed ontop. It is interesting that all who traveled from Eboracum to Scotland had to cross that small bridge but the larger one that was on the river had these bridge piers up until the 19th century.
This excavation at Bywell is some four miles east of Corbridge and a few hundred yards above the river Tyne.

[PhilusEstilius]

[attachment=4941]excav105Small.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=4940]SEBywellTyne121Small.jpg[/attachment]
Here is an interesting feature from the excavation carried out by the late Raymond Selkirk of the cross roads of the Dere Street and the Stanegate at Bywell four miles east of Corbridge.
It is known as a Clapper bridge taking the Dere Street over a stream it has two revetments and a wall of stone midstream that carry large flags. It is interesting that all who traveled from Eboracum to Scotland would have crossed that little bridge.

However the larger bridge that carried the Dere Street over the Tyne is just a few hundred yards below the excavation, this old painting shows the bridge piers that were still there in the 19th century.

[D B Campbell]

Is now a good time to mention there is evidence of Legio III Augusta in Britannia? :evil: There's a fragment of inscription in Colchester which has been adjusted from II to III...

Remind us please, Moi -- which particular inscription is this? :?

[66kbm]

Re Moi's link to the the pics...the second pic reminded me of this found last year.
Kevin
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/a...s-ago.html

[Vindex]

Is now a good time to mention there is evidence of Legio III Augusta in Britannia? :evil: There's a fragment of inscription in Colchester which has been adjusted from II to III...

Remind us please, Moi -- which particular inscription is this? :?

Hope that's clear - I'm afraid my camera isn't quite itself :roll:

The accompanying note said it was from a tombstone for a centurion who was in III Aug and XX VV...so I know what you're going to say... :wink: :mrgreen:. That's why I added the :evil: .

[Robert Vermaat]

I suspect that some of the Iron age "Roman" roads in Britain were in part native British built and simply improved and incorporated into the larger Roman road network built to accommodate the greater traffic demands of the empire.

Amen to that. Also, Roman roads were not always the heavy constructions with aggers and layer upon layer of material. Here in The Netherlands the Limes road was found to be a sometimes very thin layer of gravel - no doubt due to the terrain which along the Lower Rhine can be very thin. Small wonder archaeologists searched for it for a long time. But such a thin layer of gravel would have been very easy to get in place. maybe the 'improvement' of earlier Iron Age roads would have been easy and quickly done, before the 'real' roadbuilding took off.

[Vindex]

I suspect that some of the Iron age "Roman" roads in Britain were in part native British built and simply improved and incorporated into the larger Roman road network built to accommodate the greater traffic demands of the empire.

Amen to that. Also, Roman roads were not always the heavy constructions with aggers and layer upon layer of material. Here in The Netherlands the Limes road was found to be a sometimes very thin layer of gravel - no doubt due to the terrain which along the Lower Rhine can be very thin. Small wonder archaeologists searched for it for a long time. But such a thin layer of gravel would have been very easy to get in place. maybe the 'improvement' of earlier Iron Age roads would have been easy and quickly done, before the 'real' roadbuilding took off.

Quite agree! Depends on the materials available in a geographical area.