Banna - The Peak

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 itinerary you used. The name now favoured by Roman historians is Banna, a Celtic word meaning 'peak' or 'horn', related to the Old Welsh word ban and the Old Irish word benn. This topic is discussed further on the RBO page for Castlesteads.

The Epigraphy of Banna

There are sixty-two inscribed stones recorded in the RIB for Birdoswald, comprising: forty-four altars and other votive stones, ten building inscriptions, cohort and centurial stones, four tombstones and four other indesignated texts. These include fifteen inscriptions all dateable to the third century.

The Dateable Latin Inscriptions from Birdoswald

Among the dateable inscriptions from Birdoswalds is the heavily damaged stone RIB 1922, which reads ...CM... ...IMVS DI... ...ES A SOLO FEC... MAXIMINO ET AFRICANO COS, and was evidently erected during the consulship of Imperator Caesar Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus Augustus and Marcus Pupienius Africanus, who were consules ordinarii for the year AD236, a.u.c.989.

Numismatic Evidence from Birdoswald

Of the 58 coins recovered from Birdoswald, the majority (51) were recorded during excavations in 1929, the rest (7) are casual finds recorded either in 1860, 1931 or 1934. The coins range from 5 coppers of Trajan (inc. R.I.C. 489) to 3 copper coins dating post-375. The most notable are; 6 of Antoninus Pius (inc. a single R.I.C. 417 silver issue), 3 coppers of Constantinian and 3 of Constantius II also 3 'Fel Temp Reparatio'. Other coins were recovered during excavations 1987-1990 but details are not known.

The Fort(s) at Birdoswald

In 1928 it was found that the Vallum which curves round the southern side of the Birdoswald fort has a circuit which suggests that it was so shaped as to avoid a fort placed on the Wall which was considerably smaller than the later fort whose outline can nowadays be seen. This probably means that the fort was expanded in size sometime after the Vallum was built, during the construction of which, the Vallum appears to have been back-filled. This seems to have occurred very soon after the Vallum was originally completed.

Centurial Stone from the Birdoswald Fort

Although the dimensions of the original cavalry fort at Birdoswald is unknown, the later infantry fort measures some 580 by 400 feet and covered an area of almost 5½ acres. The fort was placed on a prominent ridge looking across the Irthing Gorge towards the Stanegate in the south, and across the Midgeholme Moss to Fanum Cocidi (Bewcastle) in the north. The garrison was placed here to protect the Roman bridge across the River Irthing which lay only half a mile (0.8km) to the east.

Building Inscription of Severus and Caracalla

1. The emperor Septimius Severus and his eldest son Caracalla. Severus came to power in April AD193 and Caracalla joined him in power in January 198, whereupon he took the rank Augustus and later that year the title Pius. Both emperors adopted the victory title Britannicus Maximus in 209, which would surely have been included on a stone erected within the subject province. On this basis the stone is dated between AD198 and 209.

Altarstone Dedicated to the Emperor Caracalla

1. The emperor Caracalla became joint emperor with his younger brother Geta following the death of their father Septimius Severus at Eburacum in north-east England on 4th February AD211. Geta is not mentioned on this stone so it must have been erected after his murder in December 211, and obviously before the murder of the fratricidal older brother Caracalla in April 217.
2. The bottom of this stone is heavily damaged, and no attempt has been made to expand or translate this text.

The first fort in this area was built astride the turf wall and was itself of turf-and-timber construction, intended to house a force of 500 cavalry. By the time the Wall in this area was replaced in stone, the garrison had been changed to a cohort of infantry, and in consequence the Wall was realigned to incorporate the northern defences of the fort, to conform to the usual plan for an infantry fort on the Wall. This divergence from the original line has meant that a section of the original turf wall has been preserved for about 1½ miles (2km) to the west of Birdoswald.

Record of the Reconstruction of the Praetorium, Principia and Balneum

1. The emperors Diocletian and Maximian ruled jointly from April AD286 until Diocletian's abdication in May 305. Constantius I and Galerius were appointed to the rank of Caesar in March 293.
2. Based on the expansion PR[aeses], 'governor'. Publius Aurelius Arpagio is known only from this single inscription. He governed Britain between AD297-305.
3. Collingwood prefers ballistaria 'catapult-platforms' to balneum 'bath-house' (The Archaeology of Roman Britain, p.25, fn.2).

A building inscription recovered from the interior of the fort in 1929 records restoration work undertaken at the turn of the fourth century by an unknown unit (vide RIB 1912 supra). This is a very important find because it provides conclusive evidence that the praetorium or commanding officer's house in an auxiliary fort was a separate and distinct entity from the principia or headquarters building.

The Legionary Builders of the Birdoswald Fort

Legio Secundae Augusta - The Second Augustan Legion

The Second Legion is mentioned on only two stones from Birdoswalds, a building inscription shared with Leg VI Victrix (vide RIB 1916 supra), and on an altar to Iupitter Optimus Maximus dedicated by Coh I Aelia Dacorum and a centurion of the Second (vide RIB 1880 etiam supra). It is probable that centurion Marcellinus was seconded to the Birdoswalds garrison in order to provide initial training or in some other advisory capacity, but the evidence of this altarstone to Jupiter, usually placed by the commander of the regiment, suggests the possibility that Marcellinus was placed in temporary command of the fort and it's garrison unit Cohors Primae Aelia Dacorum.

Legio Sextae Victrix - The Sixth Victorious Legion

The Sixth Legion receives mention on three stones from Birdoswalds; on a damaged altarstone to an unknown god (vide RIB 1907 supra), on a building inscription shared with Legio II Augusta (vide RIB 1916 etiam supra), and finally, on the tombstone of a soldier (vide RIB 1929c infra).

Tombstone of a Soldier of the Sixth

1. Hippo Regius was a town on the north-west coast of the Roman province of Africa west of Carthage, close to the border with Numidia. The Roman town now lies in ruins near Annaba, a major city of Algeria near the border with Tunisia.

The Garrison Units of Camboglanna

The identity of the cavalry regiment which garrisoned the original turf fort is not known, and likewise, the infantry regiment who first occupied the replacement stone fort, although it has been suggested that the latter may have been a detachment of the First Cohort of Tungrians, a one-thousand strong mixed-unit of cavalry and infantry who are known from building inscriptions at Camboglanna (Castlesteads, Cumbria; vide RIB 1981 et al.). This unit is too large to be housed either at Birdoswalds or the nearby fort at Castlesteads, though it is possible that the unit was divided between these two forts during the Hadrianic period.

Cohors Primae Thracum - The First Cohort of Thracians

1. The emperor Septimius Severus and his sons Caracalla and Geta. The youngest son Geta was named Caesar in AD205 and became Augustus in 209.
2. The title CR Civium Romanorum would seem to indicate that the unit had been granted Roman citizenship for some unrecorded exploit sometime prior to the date of the Birdoswald inscription.
3. Lucius Alfenus Senecio was consular governor of Britain between AD205/207 and c.208/209.

The first positively dateable evidence recording the name of a Birdoswald garrison unit is a building inscription recovered from the interior of the fort (RIB 1909, dated: AD205-208), which places Cohors Primae Thracum Civium Romanorum here at the beginning of the third century. This unit was a mixed regiment of infantry and cavalry recruited from amongst the war-like tribes of the Roman province of Thrace (modern Bulgaria). The building inscription is shared with the third-century garrison unit Cohors I Aelia Dacorum and perhaps indicated building repairs conducted immediately prior to the fort changing hands.

Venatores Banniensis - The Hunters of Banna

An altar to Silvanus the God of the Forest (RIB 1905 supra) uncovered at Birdoswald, was dedicated by a group calling themselves the Venatores Bannienses, or the 'Hunters of Banna'. These men may have been posted to the Birdoswald fort sometime during the fourth century from the neighbouring fort at Castlesteads in Cumbria. Some controversy still exists, however, and is discussed in the RBO page for Camboglanna (Castlesteads).

Cohors Primae Aelia Dacorum - The First Cohort of Aelian Daci

Dedicatory Inscription of Governor Modius Julianus

	SVB MODIO IVLIO LEG[atus] AVG[usti] PR[o] • PR[aetore] COH[ors] I (primae) AEL[ia] D[a]C[orum] CVI PRAE[fectu] EST M[arco] CL[audio] MENANDER TRIB[unus]
"Under Modius Julius,¹ legate of the emperor with pro-praetorian power, the First Aelian Cohort of Dacians (built this), under the command of the tribune Marcus Claudius Menander."
(RIB 1914; dated: c.AD219)

1. Modius Julianus was governor of Britain c.AD219.

The third and fourth century garrison of Birdoswald was undoubtedly Cohors I Aelia Dacorum Milliaria, a one-thousand strong infantry regiment from Dacia, a Roman province on the north bank of the Lower Danube. Their presence is confirmed by epigraphic evidence recovered from the interior of the fort itself (vide infra).

Altar to the Celtic War God Cocidius

Altar to Signis et Numini Augusti

Dedications by the Tribune Ammonius Victorinus

The unit with the most epigraphic evidence at the Birdoswalds fort is Cohors Primae Aelia Dacorum, which is attested on thirty-one inscribed stones out of a total of sixty-two which have been recovered to date. These texts may be broken down as follows; there are twenty-four altars dedicated to Iupitter Optimus Maximus (RIB 1874-1894, 1896, 1929a/b), nine of which can be dated to the third century, two building inscriptions (RIB 1909, dated: AD205-208, shared with Cohors I Thracum; 1914, dated: c.AD219), a statue base dedicated to the 'Standards' (RIB1904), an altar to Cocidius (RIB1872), another altar to an unknown god (RIB1906), a single centurial stone (RIB1918) and the tombstone of a soldier (RIB1921). This evidence all points to extended residence of the unit at the fort over several generations, with sons following in their father's footsteps serving as soldiers in the First Cohort of Dacians.

Centurial Stone of Cohors Primae Dacorum

Tombstone of a Former Soldier

1. The restoration of this man's first (or middle) name is entirely conjectural.

The Birdoswald Notitia Dignitatum Entry

In this reference we see that Cohors Primae Dacorum is identified as the late-4th century garrison of Camboglanna, which returns us to the problem outlined at the start of this web-page. There are two solutions here; either the First Cohort of Dacians were moved to the fort at Castlesteads, for which we have no corroborative epigraphic evidence, or there has been a scribal error at sometime in antiquity, perhaps made when making a copy of an earlier master document.

The Martial Gods of Roman Birdoswalds

The forty-four altars and other votive stones are mainly dedicated to the martial gods: there are twenty-four dedications to Iupitter Optimus Maximus the chief deity of the Roman pantheon (I O M; RIB 1874-1896 inclusive, and 1929a/b), many of which are dateable and are discussed below, four more altars are devoted to the Roman war god Mars (altarstones RIB 1898-1900; undefined stone 1901) and another two to the Germanic war god Cocidius (RIB 1872; 1885, shared with I O M, dated: AD270-273). There is also a very interesting statue base dedicated to Signis or 'The Standards' (RIB 1904 supra), which proves that the Roman soldiers actually worshipped thier military colours.

Altarstones Dedicated to the War God Mars

1. Based on the expansion S[acrum] S[umpto] S[uo].

Iupitter Optimus Maximus

The long-standing garrison unit of Birdoswalds, Cohors Primae Aelia Dacorum, seemingly had the regimental tradition of dedicating a new altar to the god Jupiter Best and Greatest every time a new commander was appointed. The unit also declared itself loyal to the emperor of the time by adopting the emperor's name as a regimental title. A by-product of this is that many of the Birdoswald Jupiter altarstones may be dated.

The Dateable Jupiter Altarstones

1. Lucius Marius Perpetuus was ordinary consul for the year AD237 (a.u.c.990), with Lucius Mummius Felix Cornelianus his junior colleague.

1. Imperator Caesar Marcus Cassianius Latinius Postumus Pius Felix Invictus Augustus, was the rebel Roman general who formed the breakaway 'Gallic Empire' in Autumn AD260, which he ruled until his murder in February 269.

1. Imperator Caesar Gaius Pius Esuvius Tetricus Felix Invictus Augustus, was another ruler of the Gallic Empire who came to power in Spring AD271 and appointed his like-named son Caesar in Summer 273. They were both killed in battle against the true-emperor Aurelian in Spring 274.

1. The Gallic emperor Postumus. See RIB 1883 above.

1. Antoninus is a common short version of the name of both emperor Caracalla, whose sole rule began in December AD212 and lasted until his death in April 217, also his successor Elagabalus, who ruled from May 218 until March 222.

1. The short-lived Gordian dynasty lasted from the accession of Gordian I in January AD238 until the murder of Gordian III in February 244.

1. The evocati were former veteran soldiers who were recalled to service (from Latin evoco 'to call-out, summon'). Alternately, Maximianus may have been a former recruitment officer, an evocator. The reason for his recall was evidently his loyalty to the emperor, of whom he may have been a client or former freedman, hence the name Maximianus 'of Maximinus'.
2. Imperator Caesar Gaius Iulius Verus Maximinus Pius Felix Invictus Augustus, nicknamed Thrax ('the Thracian'), ruled the Roman empire from February/March AD235 until his murder by his own troops at Aquileia in April 238.

1. Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Probus Pius Felix Invictus Augustus, was emperor from July AD276 until he was murdered by his own soldiers near Sirmium in September 282.

Other Deities Attested at Camboglanna

Statue of Fortuna recovered from the
Birdoswald praetorium. The original
measures 3'7" x 1'7" (c.1 x 0.5 metres).

Altar to Fortune

Aside from the military gods discussed above, there are single altarstones dedicated to a range of household deities; to the goddess Fortuna (1873), the goddess Latis (1897), the 'Mother Goddesses' (1902), the rural god Silvanus (1905), the sea god Neptune (1929d), to the otherwise unknown god Daeratis (1903), also to the emperor's Health (1911). There are, in addition, six more votive stones which cannot be assigned either because the dedication is damaged (1906-8, 1923) or there was no inscription recorded (1928/9).

Altar to the God Neptune

Altar to the Celtic/Germanic? Goddess Latis

Altar to the Mother Goddesses

Altar Dedicated to the Goddess Ratis

1. It is possible that this is the patron goddess of the City of Leicester, which in Roman times was known as Ratae. If so, it would be reasonable to assume that this altarstone was placed here by someone from that city, although the connection that the dedicator had with the Birdoswald fort remains unknown.

The Vicus or Civil Settlement

A large civil settlement has long been known to exist in the area to the immediate south-west of the fort. The burial ground at Birdoswald has also been identified in the area to the south-east of the fort, close to the edge of the Irthing escarpment. The reason why the burial ground lay so far away from the vicus had been a complete mystery for quite some time, until in 1999, the site was visited by a group of archaeologists operating under the electronic eyes of Channel-4's The Time Team, a British commercial TV channel's award-winning history program.

Tombstone of the Infant son of a Tribune

They were able to ascertain that the civil settlement at Birdoswald had started out on the eastern side of the fort, and the burial ground was sited just to the south of this initial community. After a fairly short amount of time had passed the civilians were moved from one side of the fort to the other, possibly after a substantial land-slip had threatened the south-eastern part of the site, and probably by order of the military. Whatever the reason for the relocation, it did not seem to effect the siting of the burial grounds, which continued in use at its original position on the opposite side of the fort.

Tombstone of Young Brothers

Geophysical Survey of Birdoswald

A geophysical survey utilizing a number of geophysical techniques was carried out between May and October 1997. A preliminary Earthwork Survey of the entire site was followed by a Close-Contour Topographical Survey conducted within the fort's defences using a Wild TC1010 Total Station.

A Resistivity Survey using a GeoScan RM15 resistivity meter was conducted only within the confines of the fort due to both cost and time considerations. This survey revealed details of the Roman drainage system and also located a number of kilns. Finally, a Magnetometer Survey using a GeoScan FM36 fluxgate gradiometer was conducted both within the fort and outside the defences for a distance of 80m to the west and 120m to the east. Evidence of an extensive civil settlement was seen along the line of the Roman Military Way to the east and the west of the fort usin this technique.

Other Military Sites in the Area

A Roman watch-tower or signal station lies just south of the Birdoswald fort at Mains Rigg on the Stanegate.

Banna Today

Birdoswald Roman Fort, Cumbria
The defences of this fort though incomplete still stand to an impressive height sporting large double gateways but no buildings remain in the interior. The nearby lengths of Hadrian's Wall are very impressive, that to the west running arrow straight to the foreshortened horizon, its last visible stretch running hidden beneath the modern road, that to the east running somewhat less than straight across the fields to the Willowford Roman bridge. The site is under continual excavation, and the old farm buildings originally constructed using material from the fort have been converted into a visitor centre. The views across the Irthing valley from the southern edge of the site are superb.

Banna Bibliography

See: Britannia xxxii (2001) pp.332/3 & fig.11 p.334;
A Survey of the Roman Fort and Settlement at Birdoswald, Cumbria by J.A. Biggins & D.J.A. Taylor in Britannia xxx (1999) pp.91-110;
Roman Coins from North-West England by David Shotter (Lancaster, 1990) pp.50-52;
Hadrian's Wall Map and Guide by the Ordnance Survey (Southampton, 1989);
Hadrian's Wall in the Days of the Romans by Ronald Embleton and Frank Graham (Newcastle, 1984) pp.234-242;
Hadrian's Wall History Trails Guidebook II by Les Turnbull (Newcastle, 1974);
The Roman Inscriptions of Britain by R.G. Collingwood and R.P. Wright (Oxford, 1965).
All English translations, including any inherent mistakes, are my own.

Banna Related Lynx

Birdoswald Roman Fort from WallNet
BirdoswaldRomanFort.org.uk