NY6166 : Remains of Roman Fort, Birdoswald
taken 12 years ago, near to Gilsland, Northumberland, England
Birdoswald Roman Fort, is one of the best preserved of the 16 forts along Hadrian's Wall. The fort is situated towards the western end of the Wall in a commanding position on a triangular spur of land bounded by cliffs to the south and east overlooking a broad meander of the River Irthing in Cumbria. In Roman times, the fort was known as Banna* (Latin for "spur" or "tongue"), reflecting the geography of the site.
The fort was occupied by Roman auxiliaries from approximately AD 112 AD to 400. Excavations between 1987 and 1992 showed an unbroken sequence of occupation on the site of the fort granaries, running from the late Roman period until possibly 500AD.
Today the fort's site is operated by English Heritage as Birdoswald Roman Fort. The visitor centre features displays and reconstructions of the fort, exhibits about life in Roman Britain, the site's history through the ages, and archaeological discoveries in the 19th and 20th centuries. Visitors can walk outside along the excavated remains of the fort.
*The name of the Birdoswald fort has been in dispute for some considerable time, the argument being compounded by discrepancies in the Roman maps of the period. The name of this fort was either Banna or Camboglanna, depending on which map you used.
Link English Heritage Birdoswald Roman Fort – Hadrian’s Wall
Link Banna, Hadrian's Wall Fort and Settlement, Roman-Britain.org
Link Banna (Birdoswald), Wikipedia
Hadrian's Wall or 'Vallum Aelium' is the remains of a large Roman fortification. The wall extended west from Segedunum at Wallsend on the River Tyne to the shore of the Solway Firth, ending a short but unknown distance west of the village of Bowness-on-Solway. Construction probably started some time in AD 122 and was largely completed within six years.
The remains were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.