MAGNIS / MAGNA

Stanegate Fort and Settlement

Carvoran, Northumberland

NGRef: NY622665 OSMap: Hadrian's Wall, OL43, LR86. Type: Stanegate Fort, Minor Settlement, Marching Camps.	View of the Carvoran Fort From the Roman Army Museum Car-Park
Roads
Stanegate: E (7) to VINDOLANDA (Chesterholm, Northumberland) via Haltwhistle Burn Stanegate: W (4½) to Nether Denton (Cumbria) via Throp Maiden Way: S (10) to EPIACVM (Whitley Castle, Northumberland)

Magnis - The Rocks

In the Notitia Dignitatum of the 4th/5th century Carvoran appears as Magnis, between the entries for Aesica (Great Chesters, Northumberland) and Camboglanna (Birdoswald, Cumbria). The seventh century Ravenna Cosmology also lists Carvoran as Magnis (R&C#130), between the entries for Luguvalium (Carlisle, Cumbria) and again, Birdoswald.

The Epigraphy of Roman Carvoran

There are 69 inscriptions on stone recorded in the R.I.B. for the Carvoran fort, comprising; 34 altars and religious stones, 18 building inscriptions (including centurial, cohort and legionary stones), 9 tombstones and 8 other undefined inscriptions. Despite all this epigraphic evidence there are only four dateable inscriptions, all produced during the early/mid-second century.

The Dateable Inscriptions

The Carvoran Fort

The fort at Carvoran was set to guard the junction of the Stanegate with the Maiden Way, the road south through the Pennines. The remains now visible date to the late-Hadrianic times (c.AD136-138; vide RIB 1778 infra), but the same site was occupied by several earlier, timber-built encampments.

Aerial photography has revealed a large (3.2ha) enclosure lying below the visible defences, which may be late-Flavian in date, perhaps belonging to the campaigns of Gnaeus Julius Agricola. In support of this Carvoran has also produced the famous modius or corn-measure (vide infra), which has been dated to the reign of Domitian, and this has been taken as proof of first-century occupation during Agricolan times.

A Roman Gladius or Short Sword recovered from the Carvoran fort

It is possible that Carvoran was abandoned when the vallum was built, only to be reoccupied by the early-Antonine period c.AD136/137, whereupon the fort's defences were rebuilt in stone. Further rebuilding is attested during the governorship of Sextus Calpurnius Agricola at the end of the reign of Antonine. After the withdrawal from the Antonine wall, the Carvoran fort was reoccupied by the same garrison unit that it formerly held in Hadrianic times.

	> (centuria) SILVANI • VALLAVIT • P[edes] • CXII • SVB FLA[vio] • SECVNDO [pr]AEF[ecto] •
	"The century of Silvanus built 112 feet of rampart under (the command of) Flavius Secundus the prefect."
	(RIB 1820)

1. The title of the commander of a legion or of an auxiliary cavalry Ala was praefectus, likewise the commanders of the irregular Numeri of the later empire. In these cases it is almost certain that Secundus was a legionary prefect.

An inscription recovered from the interior of the fort (RIB 1809) records building work undertaken during the governorship of Sextus Calpurnius Agricola (AD163-166) who was legatus augusti pro-praetore in Britain during the early reign of emperor Marcus Aurelius.

1. Sextus Calpurnius Agricola governed Britain from AD163/4 until c.166.

The Legionary Units

Although there is evidence which records the presence of Roman legions at Carvoran, particularly the Twentieth which is mentioned on two stones, the role of the legions was not to garrison the frontier but to maintain it. The Roman citizens which comprised the legionary manpower were possessed of a wide variety of engineering and manufacturing skills, and their main occupation, aside from providing the mainstay of the Roman fighting machine, was the planning, construction, and maintenance of the forts, roads, signal-stations, and other trappings of the Roman frontier system.

A late-first/early-second century tombstone of a soldier of the Twentieth legion uncovered at Carvoran (RIB 1826 supra) suggests that there may have been a legionary presence at some time, perhaps of a century or two in support of the First Cohort of Hamian Bowmen who formed the late Hadrianic garrison. This is a supposition only, and cannot be proven.

1. The numeral II appears to be missing from here; neither the Sixth nor the Twentieth were titled Augusta.

Another inscribed stone, an altar dedicated to the goddess Fortune (RIB 1779 supra), appears to lend support to the theory that legionary forces were once stationed at Carvoran, but it must be remembered that legionary centurions were highly experienced fighting men, whose skills often found them seconded to temporary service in an auxiliary unit. These postings could involve the training of troops, the provision of tactical knowlege to the command staff, or the engineering skills required to build a new granary, but sometimes an experienced centurion may be placed in overall command of an entire auxiliary regiment.

The Garrison Units of the Magnis Fort

1. The inscriptions RIB 1823 & 1824 occur on opposite faces of the same stone.

A building stone found in the immediate area of the Carvoran fort is inscribed on two sides with the name of the unit which possibly formed the original garrison. Cohors I Batavorum Equitata were a five-hundred strong mixed regiment of cavalry and infantry, originating from an island in the Rhine Delta. This unit was moved westwards to Banna (Castlesteads) during the second century, then to eastwards along the Wall to Brocolitia (Carrawburgh) in the third.

Altar of Cohors I Hamiorum (RIB 1778; translation above)

Perhaps the most notable inhabitants of the Carvoran fort were Cohors I Hamiorum Sagittariorum, a unit of bowmen from Syria, the only Regiment of Archers known to have been stationed in Britain. This regiment very likely took part in the Claudian invasion of AD43 and is known to be the late-Hadrianic garrison of Magnis.

1. This is a known pseudonym of the goddess Ceres.
2. Sextus Calpurnius Agricola governed Britain from AD163/4 until c.166, during the early reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius.

The unit was moved to Bar Hill on the Antonine Wall during this barrier's second occupation period (c.AD158), and returned to Magnis during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (vide RIB 1792 supra). They were very likely stationed at the Vercovicium (Housesteads) fort on the Wall, though the occupation period there is unknown.

1. The imaginifer was a senior standard-bearer in units of the late empire. They bore a painted likeness of the Emperor suspended from a standard.

The third century garrison of Carvoran was Cohors II Delmatarum Equitata, another mixed regiment of cavalry and infantry, recruited from among the Delmatian tribes who occupied the area which is now modern Yugoslavia. Their presence is attested on an undated inscription (RIB 1795), which may be of the third century as this unit is also placed here by the Notitia Dignitatum.

It seems that a small force named the Numerus Magnesium was stationed at the Carvoran fort, perhaps sometime during the late-second/early-third century when this type of unit first became recognised. This is based solely on the damaged inscription RIB 1825, which reads ...AVG... NVMERI... MAGNES... LE.... It is possible that a unit known simply as the 'Company of Magnis' were recruited from the tribesmen and villagers living in the countryside in the immediate area of the Carvoran fort, in order to bolster the Second Cohort of Dalmatians which had become depleted through natural wastage (death, retirement, secondment, etc.). As no further mention of this Numerus has been found, it would appear likely that, over time, this irregular unit became incorporated within the ranks of the Dalmatian regiment, as this unit is later named in the Notitia.

Unfortunately there is nothing to substantiate these claims other than the inscription RIB 1825.

The Gods of Roman Carvoran

A number of altars dedicated to both Roman and native goddesses have been recovered from the Carvoran area. The god who is best represented is Vheterus with thirteen stones (RIB 1792-1805), all but one of which are altarstones, the only god coming anywhere close to this total is the war god Belatucader with three stones, one of which is shared with Mars (RIB 1775/6 & 1784). There are only four other gods with more than one dedication, in each case represented on two stones; Jupiter Best and Greatest (altarstones RIB 1783; 1782, not shown), Fortuna (altarstones RIB 1778, dated: AD136-138; 1779), Mercury (1786, with Num Aug; 1787, altarstone) and another two to the 'Syrian Goddess' or Ceres (RIB 1791; 1792, altarstone, dated: AD163-166).

There are single altarstones to a number of deities from a variety of theologies; a slab with an altar in relief bearing an inscription to Regina Caelesti (RIB 1827), an altar to Epona (RIB 1777), another to the 'Hamian Goddesses' (RIB 1780, altarstone), an altar to the Nymphs (RIB 1789), one to Silvanus (RIB 1790, altarstone) and another to the 'God of the Armoury' (1806, altarstone). All of these stones appear somewhere on this page.

In addition to the abovementioned dedications there are other interesting single stones; DO ERCL "To the god Ercl[us?]" (RIB 1781), which may contain either the name of a god or a devotee, and another stone to another unknown deity inscribed EX VOTO... POSVERVNT L M "As the result of a vow [...] this has been placed willingly and deservedly." (RIB 1807, altarstone), also the damaged stone dedicated either to Minerva or to Neptune (RIB 1788) and a mutilated altar to the Mother Goddesses (RIB 1785, altarstone), neither of which are shown here.

The Altarstones of the Warrior God Veteris

There are thirteen stones dedicated to this god, or perhaps a triad of gods, and there is confusion not only as to the deities plurality, but also about the correct spelling of the gods name. Nine of the altarstones are addressed to the god in the dative singular, but a further three altars and another undesignated stone all use the dative plural form of address. There are five stones which name the god Veteris, four naming him Vitiris, and there are single stones which use the names Vetiris (RIB 1796) and Viteris (RIB 1804), even Vetirius (RIB 1797) and Viterinus (RIB 1798).

The confusion seems to be compounded when a single devotee, one Necalames, who is known to have dedicated at least three altarstones to the god, seems himself to have been undecided as to the correct spelling, on two stones using the name Veteris and on another Vitiris. It is also noted that on the third stone the devotee has changed the spelling of his own name to Necalimes.

Altarstones of the War God Mars / Belatucader

Other Deities of Roman Carvoran

1. Epona is a Celtic goddess so this altar would not have been erected by the Hamians; the dedicator would most likely have been from the third century garrison unit, the Second Cohort of Delmatians, who were of Celtic origin.

1. Although the name of the dedicators unit is not recorded, this epithet suggests that Donatianus was the prefect of the First Cohort of Hamian Archers, who hailed from Syria.
2. The poem was apparently in honour of Julia Domna, the Syrian wife of the emperor Septimius Severus who ruled between AD193-211 and died in Britain at York.
3. English translation taken from Ireland (1986) p.206.

The Civil Settlement

Tombstone of Aurelia Faia (RIB 1828; translation on left)

A number of inscribed tombstones have been recovered from the area to the south of the fort, some of which indicate extended families living - and indeed dying - in the vicus attached to the garrison. One tombstone (RIB 1829) was erected by a Lucius Senofilus to his niece Lifana, whose parents were evidently already deceased when she died. Another (RIB 1830) was dedicated by Aurelia Pusinna to the "memory of a most devoted and very much missed sister".

Tombstone of Aurelia Faia

Roman Milestones from Carvoran

1. The Christian emperor Constantine was acknowledged as Caesar sometime in AD306, taking the name Pius 'Dutiful' and the rank of Augustus the following year.

1. Aurelian came to power after the emperor Claudius II died of the plague at Sirmium in August AD270, hailed emperor by the Roman armies on the Danube frontier. He forced Claudius' son Quintillus, acclaimed emperor by the praetorians, into suicide after a reign of as little as 17 days. Aurelian was later murdered by the praetorian guard at Coenofrurium during September or August 275 and his body quickly buried.

The Carvoran Modius

The following passage by Joan Liversidge is quoted in full because it accurately gives all the pertinent information in a concise and readable form, therefore leaving no scope for paraphrase:

If you would like further information on Roman weights and measures, have a squint at the RBO Roman Appendix.

Excavations and Investigations at Carvoran

Magnis/Carvoran Today

Facsimile Plaque of Legio II Augusta recording work done at Benwell/Condercum now displayed at the Roman Army Museum, Carvoran

LEG II • LEG II AVG "The Second Legion • Legio II Augusta [made this]." (RIB 1341; Building Stone from Benwell)

The Roman Army Museum
Although nothing much remains of the Carvoran fort to interest the casual observer, the field being used to graze sheep, the Roman Army Museum on site makes the visit worthwhile. In addition, the walk along Walltown Crags to Turret 45a and Milecastle 45 is served by a public car park just to the north of the R.A.M.

See: Britannia xxxii (2001) pp.330/1 & fig.10 p.332;
Britannia xxxi (2000) p.391;
Hadrian's Wall Map and Guide by the Ordnance Survey (Southampton, 1989);
Roman Britain - A Sourcebook by S. Ireland (Routlege, New York, 1986);
Hadrian's Wall in the Days of the Romans by Ronald Embleton and Frank Graham (Newcastle, 1984) pp.187-192;
Britain in the Roman Empire by Joan Liversidge (London, 1968) p.177;
The Roman Inscriptions of Britain by R.G. Collingwood and R.P. Wright (Oxford 1965).
Except where noted, all English translations, including any inherent mistakes, are my own.

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