Birdoswald Roman Cemetery |
| Hob Uid: 14026 | |
Location :
Cumbria
Carlisle
Waterhead
|
| Grid Ref : NY6116065980 |
| Summary : The site of a Roman cremation cemetery associated with Birdoswald Roman fort. The cemetery lies beyond the western extra-mural settlement, on an elevated point on the edge of the river escarpment. The site was discovered in 1959, and comprised seven cremation burials represented by complete urns, some with surviving bone, and iron nails. The pottery indicated a broadly third century date. Geophysics in 1997-8 identified anomalies believed to be further cremation burials, and also identified an area heavily disturbed by farming machinery in the east of the site. Excavation of eight evaluation trenches was undertaken by Time Team in 2000. Three further cremation burials were recorded. Two of these were heavily disturbed by ploughing, and the third is the only complete cremation burial to have been excavated from any cemetery on the line of Hadrian's Wall. Many pieces or worked bone were retrieved from the pyre debris within the urn, and were identified as deriving from biers rather than smaller boxes. |
More information : (NY 612662) Some 200 yards west of the fort of Camboglanna (Birdoswald) a cremation cemetery was found during ploughing in 1959. It contained several pots of types assignable without question to the first half of the 4th c. (1)
Unpublished notes on the discovery of a cremation cemetery in 1959 (mentioned by authority 1) have been found in Tullie House Museum, Carlisle. A number of Roman cinerary urns containing the calcined bones from cremation burials were found during deep ploughing by Mr John Baxter in New Field (see plan). In the area surrounding the urns, the plough turned up 40-50 patches of black charred matter scattered over an area measuring 35m E-W by 25m N-S. Mr Baxter recollects that a child's stone sarcophagus was also found and reburied (2a). From the plan in 2a, the site of the cemetery is centred at NY 6116 6598 in a field under pasture. (2)
Scheduled (3)
The site of a Roman cremation cemetery associated with Birdoswald Roman fort. The cemetery lies beyond the western extra-mural settlement, on an elevated point on the edge of the river escarpment. The site was discovered in 1959, and comprised seven cremation burials represented by complete urns, some with surviving bone, and iron nails. The pottery indicated a broadly third century date. Geophysics in 1997-8 identified anomalies believed to be further cremation burials, and also identified an area heavily disturbed by farming machinery in the east of the site. Excavation of eight evaluation trenches was undertaken by Time Team in 2000. Three further cremation burials were recorded. Two of these were heavily disturbed by ploughing, and the third is the only complete cremation burial to have been excavated from any cemetery on the line of Hadrian¿s Wall. Many pieces or worked bone were retrieved from the pyre debris within the urn, and were identified as deriving from biers rather than smaller boxes. (4-6)
Located on the English Heritage map of Hadrian's Wall 2010. (7)
Description and interpretation of investigations undertaken by English Heritage and the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in 2009. (8) |