Frontier policy: consolidation and retrenchment AD 85-c.128 Flashcards
Where and when was the Inchtuthil fort built?
North of the river Tay in Scotland, c. 82AD
who refers to ‘Britain conquered, then allowed to slip from our grasp’ in a summary of the Flavian period.
Tacitus
Suetonius on Domitian’s reason to reduce military involvement in Britain?
He had other significant expenses, so he decided to cut down the military establishment
Who was the Inchtuthil fortress intended for and what happened to it?
The Twentieth Legion Valeria Victrix
- presumably was meant to keep control of Caledonia, and with auxiliary forts further north was intending to close off the glens of the highlands
When was the Second Legion Adiutrix withdrawn from Britain to serve in Romania as part of the First Dacian War?
Around 87AD
Possible reason’s for Domitian’ retrenchment?
- maybe felt controlling the highlands of Caledonia was unnecessary or unprofitable
- London was becoming a suitable capital for the province
- problems elsewhere in the empire
What two forts demonstrate that land just below the Forth-Clyde line had not been abandoned by the start of the second century AD.
Dalswinton and Newstead
By the start of the second century both these forts had been reconstructed and expanded to allow room for detachments of the legions and auxiliary cavalry
Caerleon stone of Trajan significance? (100AD)
Shows Trajan’s campaigns in Britain
Domitian - Trajan power shift
Domitian was killed in 96, then Nerva was emperor, died in Jan 98 leaving Trajan to take over
Commemorative tablet from York (107-108AD) significance?
shows evidence of Trajan’s rebuilding of York
What was the first ‘frontier’ of the post-Agricola period?
The Stanegate road, which went from Carlisle to Corbridge
Significance of the Vindolanda tablet inviting a sister to celebrate a birthday c.100AD?
Shows that it was peaceful enough to be able to travel safely
Examples of forts that seem to have been burnt around the beginning of the second century? Possible explanations?
Forts around the Stanegate line including Newstead, Dalswinton and Corbridge
- either they were attacked or they were abandoned and destroyed by Romans
Around how far apart were the forts on the Stanegate frontier under Agricola?
1 days march
How was the distance between forts on the Stanegate frontier changed around the early 2nd century?
Extra forts added so they were closer to half a days march apart
What soldiers were at Vindolanda?
auxiliaries
How many Vindolanda tablets have been found?
Over 700
Significance of Vindolanda military strength report tablet from the 90s?
Lists the exact number of soldiers and where they were e.g 456 total are away at other places, 31 are at the fort but unwell, and so there are 265 fit men at the fort
What does the Vindolanda military strength report tablet from the 90s allow use to infer?
Since the First Cohort of an auxiliary unit was normally 800 and there were a total of 752, with only 6 centurions instead of 10, we can see that there was probably a limited threat of attack at this time
Domitian withdrew to the Forth-Clyde line. What line did Trajan withdraw to?
The Tyne-Solway line
When did Hadrian become emperor?
117AD
What source mentions trouble in Britain around the time that Hadrian became emperor?
the Scriptores Historiae Augustae (SHA)
‘the Britons could not be kept under Roman control’
Significance of the inscription on the tombstone of Titus Pontius Sabinus c.119?
Shows the large number of troops needed in Britain, Sabinus had commanded large numbers of men showing that the emperor had needed a fairly large military intervention to the mysterious troubles of Hadrian’s early rule
What legion replaced the Ninth Legion?
the Sixth Legion Victrix Pia Fidelis
By when had Hadrian settled the troubles in Britain and what evidence is there for this?
By 119AD, as shown on an As commemorating the swiftness of Hadrian’s campaign in Britain
What is the only literary source that tells us Hadrian ordered the building of the Wall?
SHA
When does the SHA tell us that Hadrian visited the province? Who was the new governor he brought with him?
121 or 122. ‘he was the first to build a wall, eighty miles long to separate the barbarians and the Romans’
The governor was Nepos
How long was Hadrian’s wall?
80 Roman miles
How many milecastles on Hadrian’s wall?
80
How often was there a turret on Hadrian’s wall?
every 1/3 mile
Additional defensive feature of Hadrian’s wall?
A ditch was dug to the north of the wall where possible, unless natural terrain was better
How many soldiers could fit on a milecastle?
about 10 for sentry duty
What suggests that the original wall had signalling towers to the forts on Stanegate?
The turret at Peel Gap only has a southward vantage point
What type of wall were the foundations? How wide?
Archaeology shows they were 10ft wide - a ‘broad wall’ but this seems to have been abandoned
How wide was most of the wall? What does this indicate?
6-8ft. Since this is narrower than some of the foundations, it is clear there was either a scarcity of resources or a need to increase the speed of building
Halton Chesters dedication slab significance?
Dated to 122-125, this shows that the Sixth Legion Victrix Pia Fidelis were building forts on the wall under Nepos around 3 years after initial construction began
Change to the positioning of forts built along Hadrian’s wall?
first 3/4 had been built to the north in an offensive position, but after that they were built behind the curtain wall in a defensive position
How do we know that forts on Hadrian’s wall were being built behind the curtain wall after around 128AD?
An inscription at Great Chesters refers to Hadrian as Pater Patriae which was a title he hadn’t received until 128
vallum
the ditch running south of Hadrian’s wall. It had raised earth mounds either side
How deep and wide was the vallum?
10ft deep, 20ft wide
Where were crossing points on the vallum?
Originally was every Roman mile, but then was reduced to only 12 - crossing from each fort
How many miles of the western part of Hadrian’s wall were turf before the late 120s?
around 30 miles
Possible reasons for the western 30 miles of wall to have been turf?
- lack of building material in Cumbria
- 3 outpost forts north of the wall here suggest there may have been a threat from the north in this early part, hence quick construction with the usual materials of turf and timber was necessary
Likely reason for Hadrian’s wall, compared to the SHA’s given reason?
SHA says it was to separate the romans from the barbarians, but it would be more obvious to view it as the creation of a controlled military zone which could monitor movement and maybe trade
Who manned Hadrian’s Wall? Who constructed it? How do we know?
auxiliary units manned it, after detachments of the three legions had built it. There are many inscriptions testifying that it was the auxiliaries who manned it
Evidence that Hadrian felt that he had vanquished Britannia, with the Tyne-Solway line and wall the final and obvious place to cease expansion?
A sestertius from c.134-138 depicts Britannia with her right foot resting on a rock, with a shield resting beside her. Clearly demonstrating the change to a defensive nature
