More information : (Previously recorded by the Ordnance Survey as NZ 16 NW 11.1 and NZ 16 NW 37)
(NZ 11182 67304) ROMAN CISTERN (G.S.C.) (1)
Some 90yds south of the SW angle of the Fort (Vindovala) is a cistern, 12ft long, 5ft wide and 2ft deep, carved from rock, and known as the "Giant's Grave". It is generally regarded as Roman and, apart from the Mithraeum, is the only surviving structure of the vicus. (2)
The "Giant's Grave" (NZ 11183 67404) was discovered in the late eighteenth century. It is a unique survival in the northern frontier zone; a rock-cut cistern, it measures 3.9m by 1.5m internally and is at least 0.5m deep. It has a drainage hole in the NW corner. (3-4) |