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Banna
Location in Cumbria
Known also as	Birdoswald Roman Fort
Founded	c. 112 AD
Abandoned	c. 500 AD
Place in the Roman world
Province	Britannia
Location
Coordinates	54°59′22″N 2°36′08″W / 54.9894°N 2.6023°W / 54.9894; -2.6023
County	Cumbria
Country	England
Website	Birdoswald Roman Fort

Birdoswald Roman Fort was known as Banna ("peak, horn" in Celtic) in Roman times, reflecting the geography of the site on a triangular spur of land bounded by cliffs to the south and east commanding a broad meander of the River Irthing in Cumbria below.

It lies towards the western end of Hadrian's Wall and is one of the best preserved of the 16 forts along the wall. It is also attached to the longest surviving stretch of Hadrian's Wall.

Cumbria County Council were responsible for the management of Birdoswald fort from 1984 until the end of 2004, when English Heritage assumed responsibility.

History

This western part of Hadrian's Wall was originally built using turf starting from 122 AD. The stone fort was built some time after the wall, in the usual playing card shape, with gates to the east, west and south. It was 7.5 miles east from Camboglanna (Castlesteads) fort and 6.5 miles from Aesica (Great Chesters).

The fort was occupied by Cohors I Aelia Dacorum and by other Roman auxiliaries from approximately AD 126 to AD 400.

The two-mile sector of Hadrian's Wall either side of Birdoswald is also of major interest. It is currently the only known sector of Hadrian's Wall in which the original turf wall was replaced, probably in the 130s, by a stone wall approximately 50 metres further north, to line up with the fort's north wall, instead of at its east and west gates. The reasons for this change are unclear, although it has been plausibly suggested that it was the result of changing signalling requirements, whilst Stewart Ainsworth of Time Team suggested it was a response to a cliff collapse into the river. At any rate, this remains the only area in which both walls can be directly compared.

As of 2005, it is the only site on Hadrian's Wall at which significant occupation in the post-Roman period has been proven. Excavations between 1987 and 1992 showed an unbroken sequence of occupation on the site of the fort granaries, running from the late Roman period until possibly 500AD. The granaries were replaced by two successive large timber halls, reminiscent of others found in many parts of Britain dating to the fifth and sixth centuries. Tony Wilmott (co-director of the excavations) has suggested that, after the end of Roman rule in Britain, the fort served as the power-base for a local warband descended from the late Roman garrison, possibly deriving legitimacy from their ancestors for several generations.

Layout

Inside were built the usual stone buildings, a central headquarters building (principia), granaries (horrea), and barracks. Unusually for an auxiliary fort, it also included an exercise building (basilica exercitatoria), perhaps reflecting the difficulties of training soldiers in the exposed site in the north of England.

Geophysical surveys detected vici (civilian settlements) of different characters on the eastern, western and northern sides of the fort. A bathhouse was also located in the valley of the River Irthing.

Other remains

Approximately 600 metres east of Birdoswald, at the foot of an escarpment, lie the remains of Willowford bridge which carried Hadrian's Wall across the River Irthing. The westward movement of the river course over the centuries has left the east abutment of the bridge high and dry, while the west abutment has probably been destroyed by erosion. Nevertheless, the much-modified visible remains are highly impressive. Until 1996, these remains were not directly accessible from the fort, but they can now be reached by a metal footbridge over the Irthing.

The Vicus (civil settlement) was immediately south-west of the fort and a cemetery was south-east of the fort near the edge of the Irthing escarpment.

The fort at Birdoswald was linked by a Roman road to the outpost fort of Bewcastle, seven miles to the north. Signals could be relayed between the two forts by means of two signalling towers.

History of excavations

The fort has been extensively excavated for over a century, with twentieth century excavations starting in 1911 by F.G. Simpson and continuing with Ian Richmond from 1927 to 1933 . The gateways and walls were then re-excavated under the supervision of Brenda Swinbank and J P Gillam from 1949 to 1950.

Extensive geophysical surveys, both magnetometry and earth resistance survey, were conducted by TimeScape Surveys (Alan Biggins & David Taylor, 1999 & 2004) between 1997 -2001. These surveys established that the sub-surface remains in the fort were well preserved.

An area between the fort and the escarpment was excavated by Channel 4's archaeological television programme Time Team in January 2000. The excavation detected signs of an extramural settlement (vicus), but the area is liable to erosion and the majority of the vicus could have fallen over the cliffs.

In 2021 Newcastle University, Historic England, and English Heritage launched a major new archaeological excavation at the site.

Birdoswald Roman Fort today

Today the fort's site is operated by English Heritage as Birdoswald Roman Fort. The visitor centre features displays and reconstructions of the fort, exhibits about life in Roman Britain, the site's history through the ages, and archaeological discoveries in the 19th and 20th centuries. Visitors can walk outside along the excavated remains of the fort.

References

1. "Research History". Birdoswald Project. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
2. Rivet, A. L. F.; Smith, Colin (1979). The Place-Names of Roman Britain. London: B. T. Batsford. pp. 261–262. ISBN 0713420774. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
3. "Birdoswald Roman Trail Hadrian's Wall". English Heritage. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
4. Hogan, C.Michael (2007) Hadrian's Wall, ed. A. Burnham, The Megalithic Portal
5. Spaul, John COHORS 2 (2000)
6. Woolliscroft D.J., "Hadrian's Wall from the air", Tempus, ISBN 0-7524-1946-3
7. "BBC Two - Digging for Britain, Series 9, Episode 6". BBC. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
8. "Last chance to see Birdoswald Hadrian's Wall Roman bathhouse". BBC News. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
9. "Research on Birdoswald Roman Fort | English Heritage". English Heritage. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
10. Gillam, J. P. (1950). "Recent excavations at Birdoswald" (PDF). Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society: 63, 64. doi:10.5284/1062766.
11. "Partnership aims to transform research on Hadrian's Wall". Press Office. Retrieved 16 February 2024.

• Biggins, J. A. and Taylor, D. J. A., 1999, A Survey of the Roman Fort and Settlement at Birdoswald, Cumbria. Britannia. 30. 91–110.
• Biggins, J. A, and Taylor, D. J. A., 2004, Geophysical Survey of the Vicus at Birdoswald Roman Fort, Cumbria, Britannia 35, 159–178.
• Gillam, J. P. (1950). "Recent excavations at Birdoswald" (PDF). Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society: 63, 64. doi:10.5284/1062766.
• Hogan, C.Michael (2007) Hadrian's Wall, ed. A. Burnham, The Megalithic Portal
• Wilmott, Tony (2001), Birdoswald Roman Fort, Tempus, ISBN 978-0-7524-1913-8
• Wilmott, Tony; English Heritage (2005), Birdoswald Roman fort, English Heritage, ISBN 978-1-85074-956-1
• Woolliscroft D.J.(2001), "Hadrian's Wall from the air", Tempus,ISBN 0-7524-1946-3

External links

• Visitor information : English Heritage
• Time Team 2000 excavation
• Interactive tour
• Visit Cumbria information on Birdoswald, including aerial photograph
• Review of English Heritage booklet
• iRomans Website showing Birdoswald objects at Tullie House Museum and the forts position on the wall
• Birdoswald at www.Roman-Britain.co.uk

v t e Forts and structures of Hadrian's Wall
Wall Forts (East to West)	Segedunum Pons Aelius Condercum Vindobala Onnum Cilurnum Procolita Vercovicium Aesica Magnis Banna Camboglanna Uxelodunum Aballava Coggabata Maia
Outpost Forts	Habitancum Fanum Cocidi Castra Exploratorum Blatobulgium
Stanegate Forts	Corstopitum Newbrough Vindolanda Haltwhistle Burn Magnis Throp Nether Denton Castle Hill Boothby Brampton Old Church Luguvalium
Supply Forts	Alauna Arbeia Coria Vindomora
Cumbrian Coast Forts (North to South)	Bibra Alauna Burrow Walls Gabrosentum
Milecastles	0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 50TW 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
Milefortlets	MF 1 MF 2 MF 3 MF 4 MF 5 MF 9 MF 10 MF 11 MF 12 MF 13 MF 14 MF 15 MF 16 MF 17 MF 18 MF 19 MF 20 MF 21 MF 22 MF 23 MF 24 MF 25
Other structures on Hadrian's Wall	Portgate Planetrees (Hadrian's Wall section) Chesters Bridge Limestone Corner Knag Burn Gateway Peel Gap Tower Willowford Bridge Pike Hill Signal Tower
Regular and linear features	Vallum Military Way Hadrian's Wall Path Turrets

v t e Roman visitor sites in the UK
Villas	Bignor Brading Chedworth Crofton Dover Painted House Fishbourne Great Witcombe Littlecote Lullingstone Newport North Leigh Piddington Rockbourne Sparsholt Wroxeter
Forts & military	Ambleside Roman Fort Arbeia Banks East Turret Binchester Birdoswald Burgh Castle Caerleon Chesters Derventio Dover Castle Eboracum Hardknott Roman Fort Housesteads Lancaster Lunt Carvoran Roman Army Museum Over Burrow (Lancaster) Pevensey Castle Portchester Castle Ribchester Richborough Segedunum Venta Icenorum Vindolanda
Towns	Aldborough Roman Site Chichester Colchester Corbridge Silchester Venta Icenorum St Albans Wroxeter
Museums	Canterbury Roman Museum Carvoran Roman Army Museum Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths Colchester Castle Museum Corinium Museum Jewry Wall Museum National Roman Legion Museum Ribchester Senhouse Roman Museum Trimontium Trust (Melrose) Verulamium Museum
Other sites	Bath Roman Baths Benwell Roman temple Caerleon Roman Baths Chester Roman Amphitheatre Jewry Wall, Leicester Welwyn Roman Baths York Roman Baths

54°59′22″N 2°36′08″W / 54.9894°N 2.6023°W / 54.9894; -2.6023

• 110s establishments in the Roman Empire
• History of Cumberland
• History of Cumbria
• English Heritage sites in Cumbria
• Roman sites in Cumbria
• Forts of Hadrian's Wall
• Former populated places in Cumbria
• Museums in Cumbria
• Museums of ancient Rome in the United Kingdom
• Tourist attractions in Cumbria