I remember seeing a picture of a Roman stone fort that had it's walls still intact but now had a town inside it. Can anyon eplease enlighten as to which town this might be?
Assuming you are recalling a UK site, maybe you are thinking of Caerwent, South Wales? It was an urban site rather than military, but the walls are strong, well-preserved and broadly playing-card shaped in form, while the modern settlement is contained within the perimeter.
I was struggling to think of any military sites where the complete perimeter still exists, but a modern town overlays the interior. Chester is another possibility, but in common with "successful" settlement sites (i.e. ones which have thrived and become modern cities rather than suffered abandonment), the walls were built upon and adapted in the middle ages, and what is visible today is a mixture of Roman and later development:
Caerleon still has fortress wall but not a huge amount of it (in the North Western area, by the amphitheatre) as does Colchester (but probably civilian as its a Colonia) and York.
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Quote:No, not UK but is just like Portchester in that all the walls seem to be intact. I had downloaded the picture and will try to attach.
I'm curious to see the photo, but I will take a last guess: this one is not Roman, rather medieval, walls completed c1300 I think, but bears a strong resemblance to Portchester with buildings, Aigues Mortes in Provence. It was the scene of St Louis' departure for the 7th Crusade and it is possible to walk all around the walls today:
I've always liked the look of Aigues Mortes, and fancied going there one day. Does anyone know whether the walls and gates are at all similar to (late) Roman styles? There seems to be at least a resemblance, from the aerial photos...
Aigues Mortes it is then - I have tried to attach the image.
General configuration is not a million miles away from late Roman, especially the overall shape, but the details look clearly medieval as I recall, e.g. no red brick courses, towers are circular or quadrilateral rather than "projecting semi-circular", and the stonework I think is faced with ashlar blocks. (It's been a few years since I visited, so memories may be a little rusty.) It is however a lovely site and definitely worth a visit.
I always recall that one of the towers is called La Tour des Bourguignons because during the Hundred Years War, the locals massacred the Burgundian garrison. They were too numerous to bury quickly, so the story goes, to avoid any public health risk they salted them and stored them in the tower. This unappetising story comes back to me every time I hear the mention of Boeuf Bourguignon!
