The late-Roman fort at South Shields and its early-medieval afterlife: the results of a 40-year project
Lecture
Nick Hodgson
Lecture Room 2, Herschel Building, Newcastle University
Description
Between 1983 and 2007 an eighth of the interior of South Shields Roman Fort (Arbeia), was excavated, revealing a complete sequence of prehistoric, Roman, and post-Roman activity. Hundreds of staff and volunteers had key roles in the dig, many of them members of the Antiquaries. This lecture will explain what was revealed about the late-Roman fort, as re-planned c. AD 300 for a unit of boatmen from the Tigris region of Mesopotamia. The sumptuous house of their commanding officer was excavated in detail and is one of the best understood Roman houses anywhere in the empire.
The excavations revealed the violent circumstances in which Roman rule came to an end; but the fort remained the seat of a fifth-century community. Early-medieval finds show that the old Roman fort (the reputed birthplace of King Oswin) had an enduring importance before its final abandonment probably in the ninth century. The final report on this remarkable sequence of activity will be published later this year, and in this talk the Antiquaries will get the first public summary of the results.
The flyer for this event, including the Zoom details for those joining online, is now available in the Members' Section.