FOR years experts believed that 17 altars uncovered in pits at a Roman fort had been buried as part of a religious ritual.
But now a dig by a team from Newcastle University has revealed that there is a more down-to-earth answer.
They have shown that, far from being given reverential treatment, the altars were rammed into the pits as supports for huge posts which were part of an enormous wooden building.
The dig at the Roman Maryport site in Cumbria, owned by Hexham-based Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd, is in advance of £10.7m plans to turn the location into a major visitor draw. The excavations are being led by archaeologists Tony Wilmott, who is site director, and excavation director Prof Ian Haynes, who is head of archaeology at Newcastle.
The altars were found in 1870 by Humphrey Senhouse at Camp Farm in Maryport, under whose pasture lay the remains of the Roman fort and a large civilian settlement.
Maryport was part of the Roman frontier coastal defences extending from Hadrian’s Wall, and is now part of the 150-mile Hadrian’s Wall world heritage site.
The 17 altar stones is the largest group of Roman military altars and inscriptions from any site in Britain.
Before the dig, Prof Haynes said: “The Maryport altars have been at the centre of international debate about the nature of religion in the Roman army for decades now.”
But yesterday he said: “This is a world-class collection of altars and people wanted to see their burial as part of a ritual deposition.
“But the Romans weren’t squeamish about using them for later building work after the altars had served their purpose.”
Visit the excavation blog for more on the project.
Author: Tony Henderson | Source: The Journal [July 19, 2011]
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| Site Director Tony Wilmott with an altar fragment from the Maryport dig [Credit: Newcastle University] |
They have shown that, far from being given reverential treatment, the altars were rammed into the pits as supports for huge posts which were part of an enormous wooden building.
The dig at the Roman Maryport site in Cumbria, owned by Hexham-based Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd, is in advance of £10.7m plans to turn the location into a major visitor draw. The excavations are being led by archaeologists Tony Wilmott, who is site director, and excavation director Prof Ian Haynes, who is head of archaeology at Newcastle.
The altars were found in 1870 by Humphrey Senhouse at Camp Farm in Maryport, under whose pasture lay the remains of the Roman fort and a large civilian settlement.
Maryport was part of the Roman frontier coastal defences extending from Hadrian’s Wall, and is now part of the 150-mile Hadrian’s Wall world heritage site.
The 17 altar stones is the largest group of Roman military altars and inscriptions from any site in Britain.
Before the dig, Prof Haynes said: “The Maryport altars have been at the centre of international debate about the nature of religion in the Roman army for decades now.”
But yesterday he said: “This is a world-class collection of altars and people wanted to see their burial as part of a ritual deposition.
“But the Romans weren’t squeamish about using them for later building work after the altars had served their purpose.”
Visit the excavation blog for more on the project.
Author: Tony Henderson | Source: The Journal [July 19, 2011]