Sheepen cauldron - Colchester Archaeological Trust

Contents
"treasure trove'
2
Co-op dig pays dividend
results
of the
excavation
4
on
the
Co-op
premises
W h a t ' s i n a n a m e ? M a r k H a s s a l l investigates
a name scratched on some pots
6
Founding Colchester's Co-op
7
by Andrew Phillips
How old is Colchester?
why
Colchester
may
be
8
even
older than
we
think
Places to visit by the coast
plan
a
day
out
by
the
9
waterside
Spotlight on Lexden...
archaeology
of
modern
10
Lexden
The Colchester Vase by Paul Sealey
a
remarkable
pot
found
150
years
12
ago
in
Lexden
Digging to the end by James Fawn
Schoolmaster
A
F
Hall's
lifelong
13
passion
Down at the riverside
a
Roman
landing
14
area?
Ancient pollen by Patricia Wiltshire
the
countryside
around
Colchester
2,000
15
years
ago
In Search of Colchester's Siegeworks of 1648
latest
work
of the
to
commemorate
the
350th
16
anniversary
siege
Gosbecks Archaeological Park
T h e puzzle of t h e R o m a n w a t e r - m a i n
18
Latest discoveries
20
Michael W o o d in conversation
22
an interview with TV historian Michael Wood on his work
and his travels in the footsteps of Alexander the Great
gladiators! by David Hill
Famous
Roman
24
gladiators
Stepping back into the Past
by Adrian Clark
'Reconstructing'
Roman
buildings
T o w n life in old Essex
by Archaeology Section,
26
by
computer
28
Essex C o u n t y C o u n c i l
Stately home detectives
Archaeology
for
Solve
murder in
the
young
People
a
30
by
historic
Mike
Corbishley
house
The Friends of the Trust
32
Essex Society for Archaeology and History
33
1
'treasure
trove'
Former Poultry M a r k e t
A large R o m a n f o u n d a t i o n was revealed during a limited
a r c h a e o l o g i c a l i n v e s t i g a t i o n b y t h e T r u s t o n a b u i l d i n g site n e x t
t o N o r t h B r i d g e . T h e s i t e i s o n t h e n o r t h s i d e o f t h e river, o n
N o r t h Station R o a d , w h e r e various earlier discoveries including
a mosaic p a v e m e n t show the area to have been a large suburb
in R o m a n times. T h e recent find appears to be too wide for an
ordinary house f o u n d a t i o n . It m a y have been part of a R o m a n
bridge where N o r t h Bridge is n o w (unlikely) or it m a y have
f o r m e d part of a public b u i l d i n g such as a t e m p l e .
Award from
t h e Essex
Heritage Trust
T h e Essex H e r i t a g e
Trust has given a
grant towards publication of t h e results o f t h e e x t r a ordinary
Stanway
site,
where
finds
included the f a m ous g a m i n g b o a r d
a n d surgical instruments in the 2,000
y e a r - o l d g r a v e of a
British d o c t o r . T h e
g r a n t f r o m t h e Essex H e r i t a g e T r u s t
will f u n d t h e initial c a t a l o g u i n g o f
the finds a n d other discoveries.
T r u s t e e Rory W a t s o n is p i c t u r e d
above e x a m i n i n g an Italian copperalloy p a n f r o m the 'doctor's' grave.
Longinus
It used to be t h o u g h t that
Colchester's
magnificent
tombstone of the Roman
soldier Longinus was carved
o u t of B a t h s t o n e , b u t it is
questionable
if the
Bath
quarries were operating as
early a s A D 4 3 - 5 0 w h e n i t
seems Longinus died. O n e
of the hundreds of chips
f r o m the stone which were
discovered in
1997 along
with
the
face
(see
The
Colchester
Archaeologist,
10) has b e e n t h i n - s e c t i o n e d
a n d identified by geologist
R W S a n d e r s o n as b e i n g L i n c o l n s h i r e l i m e s t o n e
f r o m quarries at either Ancaster or Great
Casterton. This would m e a n that the stone was
transported f r o m the quarry by road starting on
E r m i n e Street w h i c h was n e a r b o t h quarries
( a s s u m i n g Ermine Street h a d been built t h e n ) or
it was taken to the Wash and brought to
Colchester a r o u n d the coast.
Four-thousand-year-old arrowhead
People lived, farmed and hunted in the Colchester area long before the
Romans arrived. One of the latest finds which shows this claim to be true is
this fine flint arrowhead. (See further on pages 8-9.) It is about 4,000 years
old which means that it was made about 2,000 years before the Roman
invasion of Britain in AD 43.
The arrrowhead is of the 'barbed-and-tanged' type. The
central lower projection is the tang, which was slotted and
fixed on to the shaft of the arrow. There were two barbs,
one to either side of the tang, but the left-hand barb has
snapped off and is missing. The barbs made it difficult
for the arrowhead to work loose when completely
embedded in the animal's body.
The arrowhead was found by James Fawn of the
Colchester Archaeological Group in 1998. It comes
from the site in Beverley Road where the
gravestone of Roman soldier Longinus was found,
(see above)
R o m a n baths
Part o f a n apsidal R o m a n b a t h
(left) w a s recently u n c o v e r e d o n
a H e a d Street site in C o l c h e s t e r .
T h e b a t h w a s first f o u n d i n 1 9 3 4
(right) during the archaeological
dig which preceded the building
of the post office (now closed).
A l t h o u g h structures such as
these are normally referred to as
'plunge baths', they are usually
t o o shallow to dive into. Instead,
bathers
would
simply
have
stepped
into the water a n d
either paddled a b o u t or sat
down. The water in the bath
would have been cold. T h e
recent excavation was carried
o u t by A O C .
2
R o m a n b u r i a l rite
A decapitated body was one of three
burials carefully uncovered by t h e Trust
during building works for an extension
for the Trust's auditors,
Beaumont
Seymour a n d Co in Butt Road. T h e
head had been placed above one of
t h e legs of t h e b o d y . In cases s u c h as
this elsewhere, w h e r e t h e b o n e s are
well preserved, it has b e e n s h o w n t h a t
the heads were d e t a c h e d w i t h a scalpel
so as not to cut into any of the neck
vertebrae. O n e of t h e other burials
i n c l u d e d a g r o u p of five i n t e r - l o o p e d
copper-alloy bracelets.
Essex B o o k A w a r d s 1 9 9 6 / 7
City of Victory, t h e Trust's b o o k on t h e
history a n d a r c h a e o l o g y of Colchester,
won
an
award
for
the
best
c o m m e r c i a l l y - p u b l i s h e d b o o k o n Essex
f o r t h e years 1 9 9 6 a n d 1 9 9 7 . T h e
award
ceremony
was
held
at
Ingatestone Hall, and the awards were
sponsored by the Friends of Historic
Essex,
Waterstones
Booksellers of
C o l c h e s t e r , a n d Essex C o u n t y C o u n c i l
L i b r a r i e s . C o p i e s a r e still a v a i l a b l e i n
paperback for £ 9 . 9 5 f r o m bookshops
or
direct
from
the
Colchester
Archaeological Trust.
R o m a n pottery v o l u m e
T h e Trust's major technical volume on
R o m a n pottery f r o m Colchester will be
available in April 1 9 9 9 . It was written
by Robin Symonds a n d Sue W a d e a n d
edited by Paul Bidwell a n d A l e x a n d r a
C r o o m . T h e 5 0 0 - p a g e report includes
a C D - R O M f o r site d a t a . T h e v o l u m e
can be obtained from the Trust for £ 3 9
plus post a n d p a c k i n g .
Gifts
T h e Trust was delighted to received
various donations in 1998 including
two substantial sums of m o n e y a n d
runs of a r c h a e o l o g i c a l periodicals for
its v e r y m o d e s t ' l i b r a r y ' . T h a n k y o u
a g a i n t o all c o n c e r n e d .
G r o u n d p r o b i n g Park survey
Colchester's Castle Park is a r g u a b l y the
most archaeologically-rich municipal park
i n t h e c o u n t r y . I t i n c l u d e s t h e c a s t l e a n d its
defences, the T e m p l e of Claudius, the
town wall, a gate, a n d the remains of
Roman
streets,
houses,
and
other
buildings. This m e a n s that, a l t h o u g h the
setting a n d a t m o s p h e r e of t h e park are
e n r i c h e d b y t h e r e m a i n s , its d a y - t o - d a y
m a n a g e m e n t and long-term developm e n t are m o r e complicated t h a n n o r m a l ,
e s p e c i a l l y s i n c e it is a p r o t e c t e d a n c i e n t
m o n u m e n t . T h e position o f n e w trees a n d
other plantings needs to be considered in
relation to the buried archaeology, as
would any groundworks or new building.
The Borough Council commissioned a
review of t h e p a r k possibly l e a d i n g to
Ben H u r Colchester-style
Plans have b e e n a n n o u n c e d b y Patrick M u r p h y o f M e d i e v a l T o u r n a m e n t s Ltd t o
b u i l t a R o m a n circus on a site on t h e outskirts of C o l c h e s t e r . It is to h a v e a c a p a c i t y
o f 1 , 2 0 0 . T o p o f t h e b i l l , six d a y s a w e e k , w i l l b e R o m a n c h a r i o t r a c i n g .
Spear b l a d e f r o m a n East M e r s e a
beach
Paul Sealey writes:
Some
years
ago
the
sharp
eyes
of
Terry
Butcher noticed a spear
blade on the foreshore on
Mersea Island. Terry had
no idea how old it was
but he took it h o m e and
p u t i t i n his t o o l b o x .
T h e r e it r e m a i n e d until
his f r i e n d M o n t y B u s h
saw
the
weapon
and
r e a l i s e d - to his c r e d i t what
it
was.
Terry
generously donated the
spear
to
Colchester
Museum
and
Monty
himself proudly brought it
to the M u s e u m Resource
Centre. So anyone w h o
cares a b o u t the past has
good
reason
to
be
grateful to both of t h e m .
But h o w did t h e spear e n d up on a
b e a c h a t East M e r s e a ? B e c a u s e o f sea
level c h a n g e s , t h e r e i s a s u b m e r g e d
prehistoric landscape off parts of the
Essex c o a s t . M u c h o f i t i s B r o n z e A g e .
T h e spear will have c o m e f r o m this
landscape and been washed up on the
b e a c h by sea a c t i o n . T h e proof is
inside t h e hollow socket of t h e spear.
T h e r e o n e c a n still m a k e o u t p a r t o f
t h e w o o d t h a t s e c u r e d t h e b l a d e t o its
shaft. Normally of course w o o d that
old would have decayed long ago, but
t h e w a t e r - l o g g e d conditions preserved
it.
We already know enough about
prehistoric w e a p o n s to date t h e M e r s e a
Island spear to t h e m i d d l e Bronze A g e ,
t o a b o u t 1 6 0 0 - 1 2 0 0 BC. A l o n g t h e
sides o f t h e s o c k e t o f t h e spear Terry
f o u n d t h e r e a r e t w o side loops. It has
been suggested they were used to hold
textile ribbons or streamers in place.
Obviously this w o u l d not affect t h e
effectiveness of t h e spear b u t it gives a
clue t o h o w people felt a b o u t w e a p o n s
and
fighting
in the
Bronze A g e .
W e a p o n s of the period are often
finished with an elegance that is
unnecessary
if
judged
on
purely
utilitarian
grounds.
This
had
not
h a p p e n e d before i n h u m a n history a n d
suggests that people did not always
f i g h t a s a l ast d e s p e r a t e r e s o r t b u t
positively revelled in w a r f a r e . W e a p o n s
l i k e t h e M e r s e a s p e a r tell u s t h a t t h e
society t h a t created t h e m was b e g i n n i n g
to see w a r f a r e as a l e g i t i m a t e a n d
g l o r i o u s activity a n d t h e scene w a s set
for the conflicts t h a t have plagued
h u m a n k i n d ever since.
m a j o r i m p r o v e m e n t s , a n d , as part of this
process, the Trust was asked to carry o u t
a g e o p h y s i c a l survey. H o w a r d Brooks
used a m a g n e t o m e t e r (right) of the kind
m a d e f a m o u s b y T i m e T e a m . T h e results
were limited, the only new information
of substance being some ditch-like
features in t h e Lower Castle Park.
In general, the remains proved to be
t o o d e e p , a n d t o o heavily m a s k e d b y
m e t a l objects such as park fittings a n d
discarded bottle tops. There are m o r e
sensitive m a c h i n e s o n t h e m a r k e t w h i c h
c a n be tried, a n d a sample area has
been
tested
using
an
alternative
technique unaffected by buried metal.
B u t f o r n o w , i t l o o k s a s if, f o r t h e P a r k a t
least, t h e r e is no substitute f o r a g o o d o l d
fashioned hole or two.
3
household g o d . O n e of the pots h a d a
pottery lid, a n d a n o t h e r was covered by
a piece of tile. T h e r e was n o t h i n g over
the
third
one
(see
back
cover)
suggesting that it had been covered
with something organic such as w o o d
or cloth.
Offerings
of
this
sort
have
occasionally been found before in
Colchester. Generally the pots are
empty, any organic or liquid contents
having long disappeared, although
there was one under the floor of a
One of the votive pots being uncovered. The
photograph shows the lid and the empty pot
below.
What's in a
name?
Roman pots occasionally have words
or numbers of various sorts
scratched on t h e m . M a r k Hassall, an
expert on Roman graffiti, reviews the
significance of a name carved on the
outer surface of bits of t w o broken
bowls f r o m the Co-op site.
Sabine scratched her n a m e on a
couple of rather undistinguished bowls
a n d 1 7 0 0 years later, H o w a r d Brooks
a n d his t e a m f o u n d t h e b r o k e n b i t s
d u r i n g e x c a v a t i o n s o n t h e site o f t h e
C o - o p in L o n g W y r e Street.
W h o was Sabina? We d o n ' t know,
b u t if s o m e o n e offers to b e a m y o u b a c k
to Rome in
t h e first c e n t u r y A D , d o n ' t b e o v e r h e a r d
whispering her n a m e in the corridors of
Nero's Golden House, or you might
just find yourself having to a n s w e r
s o m e pretty searching questions f r o m a
centurion of the Praetorian Guard:
Poppaea Sabina was the beautiful and
licentious mistress - a n d later w i f e - of
Nero. Her mules were shod with gold
a n d she was reputed to take a daily
b a t h i n t h e m i l k o f 5 0 0 asses ( y u k ) . S o
w a t c h y o u r t o n g u e . A n d w a t c h i t t o o if,
half a c e n t u r y later, y o u f i n d yourself
cracking
jokes
with
the
imperial
biographer, Suetonius, at the court of
H a d r i a n . If he starts telling y o u t h e
latest gossip a b o u t S a b i n a , y o u ' d better
remember something you'd forgotten
pretty fast a n d m a k e your apologies:
Sabina was Trajan's great niece a n d
Hadrian's wife and he couldn't stand
t h e w o m a n , but this d i d n ' t excuse
insolence, a n d Suetonius got the sack
because he said s o m e t h i n g out of
order.
Whose wife was Co-oppaea Sabina?
W a s she b e a u t i f u l like N e r o ' s mistress
or d i d she h a v e a t e m p e r like H a d r i a n ' s
other half? W e d o n ' t know. W e d o
k n o w t h a t she h a d a ' c o u p l e of b l a c k
burnished type bead rim bowls' - a n d
t h a t she c o u l d write. She c a n ' t have
b e e n t h e mistress of a very w e a l t h y
household - you wouldn't catch
your
Roman
Hyacinth
Bucket
scratching
her n a m e on those
black burnished type thingies in the
kitchen - well w o u l d you?
O n the other h a n d , she probably
w a s n ' t a slave either. For o n e t h i n g
she c o u l d w r i t e - t h o u g h slaves
could
often
write
too
but
statistically it's a l s o u n l i k e l y . C I L ,
the corpus of Latin Inscriptions
f r o m a l l o v e r t h e e m p i r e {Corpus
Inscriptionum
Latinarum),
includes
5 1 2 occurrences of the n a m e
Sabina of which 4 9 6 were the
names
of
'free'
women,
as
6
c e l l a r a t t h e L i o n W a l k site w h i c h
contained the bones of three puppies.
O n e o f t h e pots a t t h e C o - o p site w a s
particular interest, because s o m e cattle
b o n e s lay next to it s h o w i n g t h a t t h e
original deposit included parts of a
butchered a n i m a l . T h e bones consisted
of
a
scapula
(shoulder
blade),
vertebrae, and ankle bones, showing
t h a t only p o o r cuts h a d been sacrificed.
The Colchester Archaeological Trust gratefully
acknowledges the support of the Colchester and
East
Essex
Co-operative
Society
who
commissioned and funded the excavation and
the preliminary dig which preceded it.
o p p o s e d t o only 3 2 o f slaves o r exslaves. T h e figures f o r m e n a r e 7 4 2 a s
a g a i n s t 3 3 . See h o w t h e m e n are
mentioned
more
times
than
the
w o m e n . W h a t does t h a t tell u s a b o u t
R o m a n society? Is it t h e s a m e with
slaves a n d f r e e d m e n ? A r e t h e y u n d e r represented? Yes probably, b u t if one
c o m p a r e s the Sabinus/Sabina figures
w i t h s o m e o t h e r n a m e s y o u c a n see
that certain ones were proportionately
more
popular
with
slaves.
That
Eutyches n o w - n a m e m e a n s Lucky in
G r e e k of course - b u t he's no G r e e k y o u c a n tell a slave a m i l e off - c h e e k y
sod
- watch
it!
You'll
drop the
b l o o m i n g t h i n g ! W h i c h brings us back
t o t h o s e b r o k e n bits o f ' b l a c k b u r n i s h e d
t y p e b e a d r i m b o w l s ' . W h a t c a n w e say
a b o u t t h e m ? Better ask H o w a r d , but I
c a n tell y o u o n e t h i n g - t h e y certainly
belonged to Sabina.
The former County Nuclear war Headquarters
(Near Colchester] set in a vast concrete bunker
filled with original artefacts.
Daytime visits or group Evening Tours throughout
the year. Films videos and special presentations
bring alive this Secret World and as a finale the
'Nuclear Bomb' presentation really brings home
what might have happened.
A totally different place for a group visit,
please telephone for full details.
These tours are very popular and advance
booking is essential.
Minimum 10 persons maximum 30.
(larger groups by arrangement).
Tel: 01206 395680. 24 r/r infoline: 01206 392271
tOCATED at Mistley near Manningtree Essex.
Brown tourist signs from A12/A120
shares, a n d rented an e m p t y shop in
Culver Street, selling b r e a d a n d f l o u r on
t h r e e e v e n i n g s a w e e k . T h e first w e e k ' s
takings were under £5.
The infant Co-op was fortunate in
t h e a b i l i t y o f s e v e r a l o f its f o u n d e r s ,
notably John Castle himself, whose
moving
autobiography
appears
in
A r t h u r B r o w n ' s b o o k 'Essex People
1750-1900'.
Also
significant were
James Paxman, founder of the firm
which eventually b e c a m e the town's
largest e m p l o y e r a n d James Goodey,
architect and
builder of the ' N e w
Town'
estate,
that
home
of the
upwardly mobile, which he planned as
an
experiment
in
socially
mixed
housing. In 1 8 6 1 , both Paxman and
G o o d e y w e r e still f o r e m e n o f o t h e r
m e n ' s businesses.
Goodey
designed
and
Paxman
supervised t h e C o - o p ' s first b u i l d i n g
on t h e site of a d e c r e p i t b u t c h e r ' s
shop in w h a t is n o w Culver Street
East, a site w h i c h u n t i l r e c e n t l y still
housed the m a i n C o - o p grocery store.
As well as a s h o p , t h e r e w a s a b a k e r y ,
for the Co-op
produced
its o w n
bread.
It
was
also
a
cardinal
principle, then as now, that the Co-op
should offer a social a n d e d u c a t i o n a l
p r o g r a m m e . The 'upstairs' at Culver
Street rapidly b e c a m e the centre for a
rising l a b o u r m o v e m e n t in t h e t o w n .
At this stage, it was loosely a l i g n e d
w i t h t h e Liberal Party, but by t h e
1890s it was actively p r o m o t i n g trade
unionism a n d , in a defining m o m e n t
in 1918, it voted to back the Labour
Party's c a n d i d a t e at the General
Election t h a t year.
FOUNDING
COLCHESTER'S CO-OP
by Andrew
T h e C o l c h e s t e r & E a s t Essex C o - o p ,
t o d a y a multi-million p o u n d success,
b e g a n i n 1 8 6 1 w i t h 2 8 s h i l l i n g s , a sack,
of flour a n d a b o r r o w e d pair of scales.
It was o n e of those epics of w o r k i n g
c l a s s self h e l p w h i c h e p i t o m i s e o u r v i e w
of the 'respectable' artisan. It flourished
o n t h e rising living s t a n d a r d s a n d l o w e r
f o o d prices of late V i c t o r i a n E n g l a n d .
The
called
idea for it c a m e f r o m a m a n
Dand
(we don't
know
his
Phillips
Christian n a m e ) w h o seems to have
lived in C o l c h e s t e r f o r o n l y a brief w h i l e .
He urged a n d finally persuaded John
C a s t l e , f o r e m a n o f a s m a l l l o c a l silk
factory, to f r o n t the m o v e m e n t . Eleven
working
men,
chosen
for
their
perceived
business
ability,
were
summoned
to
Thompson's
Coffee
H o u s e in W y r e Street a n d over t h e next
t w o m o n t h s t h e y d r e w u p rules, invited
a public m e e t i n g to buy o n e shilling
T h e e a r l y C o - o p h a d its p r o b l e m s .
N o n - g r o c e r y business was difficult to
get going, but eventually a flourishing
clothing department was born, with the
Co-op
operating
its
own
clothesm a k i n g unit. Shoe shop, drapers a n d
c h e m i s t were also established in Wyre
Street. I n d e e d , the present rebuilding
p r o g r a m m e is carefully preserving the
facade
of
yet
another
'Goodey'
building a n d one of the society's
beehive logos. T r a d i n g was especially
boosted by the opening of branch
stores i n G o o d e y ' s i n f a n t N e w T o w n ,
on North Station Road, at Lexden, at
R o w h e d g e - all b e f o r e 1 9 0 0 .
S o c e n t r a l d i d t h e C o - o p a n d its ' d i v i '
b e c o m e t o t h e lives o f c o u n t l e s s C o l cestrians, that m a n y over-50s reading
t h i s w i l l still r e c a l l t h e i r c h i l d h o o d C o - o p
n u m b e r , learnt by heart almost before
their street a n d house n u m b e r . So
u n i v e r s a l w e r e its s e r v i c e s t h a t d u r i n g
W o r l d W a r II, w h e n r a t i o n i n g required
householders to n a m e their grocery,
over half the local p o p u l a t i o n chose t h e
Co-op.
Today,
several
structural
c h a n g e s a n d take-overs later, t h e
C o l c h e s t e r & E a s t Essex C o - o p is still a
m a j o r retail o u t l e t i n t h e a r e a .
7
How old is Colchester?
C o l c h e s t e r is p r o u d of its c l a i m to be t h e
'oldest recorded t o w n in Britain', but this
refers to its R o m a n predecessor, a n d
Colchester is certainly much older than that.
C a m u l o d u n u m : defended settlement
Perhaps pre-Roman Colchester does
not qualify for the description of ' t o w n '
in the m o d e r n sense, but it was
certainly a large p o p u l a t i o n centre of
regional if not national significance. As
we shall see, there is tantalising
evidence
that
Colchester
was
an
important
settle-ment
at
least
a
t h o u s a n d years before t h e R o m a n s
invaded Britain i n A D 4 3 .
with senior m e n of the Trinovantes,
t h e tribe w h i c h inhabited this a r e a .
He records that he entered their
territory, but m a k e s no m e n t i o n of a
place called C a m u l o d u n u m which he
might be expected to have d o n e given
its t r i b a l i m p o r t a n c e . O f c o u r s e , w e
cannot
take
this
to
mean
that
C a m u l o d u n u m d i d n o t exist b y this
stage, even although it w o u l d be
surprising if it d i d not.
The Roman town at Colchester was
built inside the
British
settlement
k n o w n a s C a m u l o d u n u m , t h e 'dunum'
m e a n i n g fortified place in reference to
t h e system of defensive dykes w h i c h
protected
it.
The
earliest
known
reference to the n a m e C a m u l o d u n u m
is on some coins dated to a r o u n d 2 5 15 BC w h i c h w e r e issued by a king
called Tasciovanus. In other words,
d e s p i t e its size a n d o b v i o u s i m p o r t a n c e
at the time of the R o m a n invasion, it is
n o t possible on present evidence to
make C a m u l o d u n u m - the settlement
d e f e n d e d by dykes t h a t is - p r e d a t e t h e
R o m a n invasion m u c h m o r e t h a n a
mere 50 to 75 years, w h i c h is rather
hard to believe.
T h e British kings, i n c l u d i n g p e r h a p s
f o r a t i m e T a s c i o v a n u s , p r o b a b l y lived
in the farmstead which formed the core
o f t h e G o s b e c k s site a n d w h i c h h a s
been recognised f r o m aerial p h o t o graphs of cropmarks. No excavation
h a s b e e n c a r r i e d w i t h i n its i n t e r i o r , b u t
it is here t h a t the best d a t i n g evidence
for the origins of C a m u l o d u n u m is
likely to exist.
The main archaeological evidence
for C a m u l o d u n u m can be thought of
as b e i n g m a d e up of several different
components, namely the occupation
sites a t S h e e p e n ( n o w l a r g e l y c o v e r e d
by t h e Hilly Fields) a n d G o s b e c k s , t h e
system of earthwork defences (dykes),
t h e b u r i a l s , a n d its c o i n a g e . T h e l a t e
Iron A g e o c c u p a t i o n at Sheepen,
excavated on a large scale in t h e
1930s and then again in 1970, cannot
be m a d e m u c h earlier t h a n the end of
t h e 1st c e n t u r y B C , a n d t h e r e c e n t
e x c a v a t i o n s a t G o s b e c k s (see p a g e 2 0 )
have p r o d u c e d a similar sort of picture,
at least f o r t h e peripheral areas of
Gosbecks. T h e Lexden T u m u l u s , the
g r a n d burial place possibly of a king or
chief c a l l e d A d d e d o m a r o s (see p a g e
10), is d a t a b l e to c 1 5 / 1 0 BC, a n d
none of the nearby more modest
burials s e e m to p r e d a t e c 5 0 / 2 5 BC.
T h u s all in all, t h e r e is a c o n v e r g e n c e of
e v i d e n c e o f say 5 0 - 2 5 B C f o r t h e
foundation of Camulodunum.
Julius C a e s a r c a m e t o Britain i n t h e
m i d 1st B C a n d h a d i m p o r t a n t c o n t a c t s
8
H o w e v e r , t h e m o s t i n t e r e s t i n g site a t
Stanway, which the Trust finished
excavating in 1 9 9 7 , hints t h a t C a m u l o d u n u m was indeed older than we
p r e s e n t l y t h i n k . A l t h o u g h S t a n w a y i n its
final stages belongs to the crucial c 25
B C t o m i d 1st c e n t u r y A D p e r i o d , i t
seems to have started off m u c h earlier
w h e n , in the 3rd or 2 n d centuries BC, it
was
farmstead,
like
the
one
at
Gosbecks but m u c h smaller. Thus it
s e e m s likely t h a t , w i t h e x c a v a t i o n , t h e
f a r m s t e a d a t G o s b e c k s will p r o v e t o b e
just as early as t h e o n e at S t a n w a y , if
n o t even earlier. A n d o f course, w h a t
applies to G o s b e c k s , will a p p l y to
Camulodunum too.
Before C a m u l o d u n u m . . ?
T h e s i t u a t i o n i s m o r e c o m p l i c a t e d still,
because there m a y have been phases
of major settlements in the area before
C a m u l o d u n u m . In particular, there is
much
evidence
of
Bronze
Age
occupation in the Colchester area in
the f o r m of ring ditches (parts of
barrows), cremations, pottery, and
flints. Practically every large e x c a v a t i o n
in Colchester will p r o d u c e r e m a i n s or
traces of prehistoric o c c u p a t i o n . For
e x a m p l e , flints a n d pottery f r o m w h a t is
n o w Culver Precinct in the t o w n centre
showed that there once had been a
late N e o l i t h i c site t h e r e o v e r 4 , 0 0 0
years a g o . T h e p r o b l e m is t h a t there
The remarkable Sheepen cauldron, dated to
between 1400 and 1 100 BC.
Photograph © Colchester Museum.
a r e p r e h i s t o r i c sites a l l o v e r Essex a n d
h o w c a n w e tell i f a n y o f t h e m were
m o r e important t h a n the others?
A big clue t h a t C a m u l o d u n u m was
an i m p o r t a n t place long before the end
of the Iron A g e c o m e s f r o m the
S h e e p e n site. D u r i n g t h e e x c a v a t i o n s
t h e r e i n t h e 1 9 3 0 s , lots o f pottery
dating to a r o u n d 1,000 BC was f o u n d
scattered over the hilltop. A spectacular discovery was a large bronze
c a u l d r o n , w h i c h s e e m s t o b e l o n g t o this
earlier settlement. T h e c a u l d r o n is one
of t h e earliest in t h e country, t h e only
directly c o m p a r a b l e e x a m p l e being
f r o m Feltwell Fen in N o r f o l k . It is a truly
e x t r a o r d i n a r y o b j e c t . It has a c a p a c i t y
of about 15 gallons, and technologically stands at t h e start of sheet
m e t a l w o r k i n g in this country. The
cauldron is thought to have been made
Post holes excavated at
Sheepen in 1971. The
hilltop is likely to be
covered with similar
post holes which, if
uncovered
over
a
larger area,
would
show the sizes and
positions of 3,000year-old houses and
between 1,400 a n d 1,100 BC, so t h a t
it m a y have b e e n several h u n d r e d
years old w h e n it was disposed of in a
pit at S h e e p e n .
T h e presence of such an extraordinary a n d rare object at Colchester
suggests that the Late Bronze A g e
settlement m a y have been special a n d
of a high status. U n f o r t u n a t e l y we
c a n n o t rule o u t t h e possibility t h a t t h e
cauldron was in fact buried in the days
of C a m u l o d u n u m w h e n it would have
b e e n over a t h o u s a n d years o l d . (This
is not as unlikely as it m a y s e e m
because the Lexden T u m u l u s , dated to
c 1 5 / 1 0 BC, c o n t a i n e d an equally old
Bronze A g e axe head.) However, even
if the cauldron was not associated with
t h e Late Bronze A g e settlement, t h e
quantity and widespread distribution of
t h e pottery at S h e e p e n show t h a t this
had been a substantial settlement. T h e
1930's
excavation
was
done
by
trenching which, although the standard technique of the time, m e a n t it
w a s easy to miss vital e v i d e n c e f o r
structures such as p o s t - b u i l t houses. A
small area excavation in 1970 showed
that a different excavation technique
w o u l d probably reveal t h e r e m a i n s of
m a n y different
buildings
over the
hilltop.
Despite the a m p l e evidence for
prehistoric o c c u p a t i o n in the Colchester a r e a , t h e r e is surprisingly little
material to bridge the g a p between the
Late
Bronze
Age
settlement
and
C a m u l o d u n u m . Was the large Late
Bronze A g e settlement at Sheepen
simply a o n e off or w a s C o l c h e s t e r a
m a j o r p l a c e l o n g b e f o r e its d e f e n c e s
were built a n d it b e c a m e k n o w n as
Camulodunum? M u c h more digging is
needed to tell.
* Thanks to Paul Sealey for his views on the cauldron.
PLACES TO VISIT BY
THE WATERSIDE
Harwich Maritime Museum, Low
Lighthouse, Harbour Crescent, Harwich,
Essex (in lighthouse built in 1818 on sea
front) [Harwich Society]. Tel. (01255)
503429. Open May 1-Aug 3 1 , 10.005.00. Entrance adults 50p, accompanied
children free.
Harwich guided tours of old Harwich for
groups of 1 0 + , by the Harwich Society,
any time by prior arrangement. Tel.
(01255) 502668. Cost varies according to
requirements.
Individuals or small groups are invited to
call in at Ha'penny Pier visitor centre for
information.
Guided tours most Weds at 2.00.
Redoubt Fort, behind 29 Main Road,
Harwich, Essex (circular, moated
Napoleonic War fort, built in 1 808, under
renovation; collection of big guns in
emplacements; small historical displays in
casements; views over town and harbour,
Continental ferries) [Harwich Society]. Tel.
(01255) 503429. Open May 1-Aug 3 1 ,
10.00-5.00; Sept 1-April 30, Sun only,
10.00-12.00 and 2.00-5.00 (closed
Christmas and New Year)-entrance:
adults £ 1 , accompanied children free.
Woodbridge Tide Mill
One of the few remaining examples of its
kind. Built 1793. Fully restored by the
Tide Mill Trust on the
picturesque Woodbridge
quayside with stunning
views of the River Deben.
Photographers' paradise.
Open 1 1 . 0 0 a m - 5 . 0 0 p m ,
Easter Friday/Monday and
daily from 1 st May to 30th
Sept. Adults £ 1 , children
50p, family £2.50.
(support
the
charity)
Harwich Lifeboat Museum, Lifeboat
House, Timberfields, Harwich, Essex
(Victorian lifeboat house with 37 ft
lifeboat; history of Harwich lifeboats)
[Harwich Society]. Tel. (01255) 503429.
Open May 1-Aug 3 1 , 10.00-5.00.
Entrance adults 50p, accompanied
children free.
Mersea Island Museum, High Street, West
Mersea, Mersea Island, Essex (local
interest, including local history, natural
history and social history, marine tools,
wildlife, fossils, fishing and a fisherman's
cottage of 1920-30; special exhibition
each year). Tel. (01206) 3 8 5 1 9 1 . Open
May 1-Sept 26, Wed-Sun 2.00-5.00.
Admission 50p/25p. Visits to Mersea
Barrow by arrangement;tel. (01206)
383598.
Essex Secret Bunker, Crown Building,
Shrub-lands Road, Mistley, Essex (former
county [Essex County Council] nuclear war
HQ in vast concrete bunker, fully
renovated, audio/video effects; shows how
Essex would have operated during a
nuclear attack; central underground
operations room, radio room and
telephone exchange, dormitory and offices,
generator and ventilation plant all hidden
deep inside bunker; sound effects, video
and films bring the bunker to life as you
discover the secrets of the Cold War in
Essex; shop; cafe; picnic site, play area,
free car park). Tel. (01206) 392271 (24hour information line). Open 10.30-4.30
all year (last admission 30 minutes before
closing), Good Fri-30 Sept daily;
Feb/Mar/Oct/Nov, Sat/Sun. Entrance
£4.95/ £4.35/£3.65, family ( 2 + 3 ) ticket
£15.00; groups of 1 1 + less 50p per
person; evening tours, curator's tours and
young persons' visits can be booked
throughout year, please tel. for details.
Tilbury Fort, No 2 Office, The Fort, Tilbury,
Essex (largest and best-preserved example
of 17th-century military engineering in
England, commanding the Thames and
showing the development of forts over 300
years, near site of Queen Elizabeth's
famous pre-Armada speech; parade
grounds, gun-powder magazines,
casements; opportunity to fire a 3.7" antiaircraft gun of 1943; special events and
firing days; exhibition; shop). Tel. (01375)
858489. Open April 1-Oct 31 daily, 10.001.00 and 2.00-6.00 (5.00 in Oct); Nov 1March 31 in 2000, Wed-Sun, 10.00-4.00
9
Lexden is exceptionally rich in archaeological
remains a n d standing m o n u m e n t s of t h e past.
T o d a y it is a desirable place in w h i c h to live.
A l m o s t t w o thousand years a g o , i t was
similarly f a v o u r e d , b u t as a prestigious place
f o r t h e dead rather t h a n t h e living.
Above: The Lexden Tumulus - buriol
place of a British king who died 2,000
years ago.
Above right: Milestone where London
Road meets Lexden Road, outside the
Lexden Evangelical Chapel.
Even before t h e R o m a n s , t h e Lexden a r e a
was exceptional. It was the burial place of
a t least o n e British k i n g . H e w a s p r o b a b l y
the king called A d d e d o m a r o s a n d he died
a r o u n d 1 5 / 1 0 BC. His c r e m a t e d r e m a i n s
a n d m a n y o f his w o r l d l y p o s s e s s i o n s w e r e
p l a c e d in a l a r g e g r a v e u n d e r a b u r i a l
m o u n d w h i c h survives t o d a y . A l t h o u g h
n o w b a d l y d e g r a d e d , t h e m o u n d i s still
clearly visible a n d is s h a r e d by t w o g a r d e n s
in Fitzwalter R o a d . T h e objects f r o m the
grave m a k e up
the most important group of their
period f o u n d so
far in Britain.
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10
The earthwork
defences
which
protected
prea n d early R o m a n
Colchester form
the
largest
system of their kind
in the country.
T h e s y s t e m i n its
final f o r m c o n sisted of well over
12 miles of b a n k
a n d ditch (dyke).
T i m e has taken
its t o l l o n t h e m ,
and
large
sections have been
levelled
or
reduced
to
near
i n v i s i b i l i t y .
H o w e v e r t h e best
preserved section
is to be f o u n d at
Lexden
where
s o m e impressive
parts of t h e Lexd e n Dyke survive
protected in private w o o d l a n d .
Various roads
crossed Lexden in
R o m a n times including t h e original version
of the A12 - the road f r o m Colchester to
London
and
the
west.
This
major
thoroughfare corresponded to today's
Lexden Road/London Road although it
w a s n o t q u i t e i n t h e s a m e p o s i t i o n . I n all
t h e r e s e e m s t o h a v e b e e n a t least f o u r
R o m a n roads, a n d these radiated out from
a spot under the southern end of the main
building forming Colchester G r a m m a r
School.
M o s t h u m a n burial was not permitted in
built-up
areas
which
is
why
large
cemeteries existed just b e y o n d t h e defences and suburbs of towns such as
Colchester. H u n d r e d s o f R o m a n burials
have been f o u n d in the Lexden area for
this reason. M a n y were a c c o m p a n i e d by a
wide range of domestic a n d other artefacts
s h o w i n g this w a s w h e r e t h e wealthiest of
Colchester's R o m a n citizens were buried.
A f a m o u s example of burial f r o m the
Lexden areas was f o u n d near the junction
of C a m b r i d g e a n d Creffield Roads a n d is
t h e s o - c a l l e d ' c h i l d ' s g r a v e ' w i t h its r e m a r k a b l e collection' of pipe-clay figurines,
coin h o a r d , pots, a n d remains of a c o u c h .
T h e m a i n road into t o w n was lined with
f a n c y m e m o r i a l s a n d t o m b s t o impress
travellers a n d r e m i n d locals of their most
illustrious d e a d . T h e s e m o n u m e n t s included the tombstones of the Roman
c e n t u r i o n Facilis a n d t h e c a v a l r y officer
Longinus (p 2) which were discovered in
t h e Beverley R o a d / W e s t L o d g e a r e a in
1 8 6 8 a n d 1 9 2 8 respectively. N o t far f r o m
the junction was a t o m b which included a
m o n u m e n t in the f o r m of a sphinx. T h e
t o m b s t o o d o n t h e s o u t h side o f t h e r o a d
linking the junction with the Balkerne
Gate. T h e sphinx was f o u n d in 1820/1 on
t h e s i t e o f Essex C o u n t y H o s p i t a l . T h e
sphinx w a s a m y t h i c a l hybrid b e i n g , in this
case c o m b i n i n g a h u m a n head with a
w i n g e d feline body. T h e h e a d w h i c h she
holds with her front paws symbolises the
soul o f t h e d e a d w h o s e t o m b she g u a r d e d .
spotlight on Lexden...
The
Colchester
Vase
Paul Sealey explains why the
Colchester Vase, found in
Lexden 150 years ago, still
has no equal.
T h e Colchester Vase is arguably the
m o s t f a m o u s single pot f r o m R o m a n
B r i t a i n . T h i s y e a r sees t h e o n e h u n d r e d
a n d f i f t i e t h a n n i v e r s a r y o f its d i s c o v e r y
in 1848 at West Lodge Road, off t h e
Lexden Road.
It was f o u n d in a c r e m a t i o n grave
with other pottery dated c AD 150. T h e
p o t itself i s a l a r g e c o l o u r - c o a t e d j a r
m a d e in the Colchester potteries, w h i c h
were at the height of their f a m e a n d
success i n t h e 2 n d c e n t u r y A D .
T h e whole of the outside of the pot is
d e c o r a t e d i n relief w i t h h u m a n a n d
12
a n i m a l figures. T w o m e n c a n b e seen
baiting a beat with clubs a n d a w h i p . An
inscription cut in the pot after it h a d
b e e n m a d e gives t h e i r n a m e s : S e c u n d u s
a n d M a r i o . This is a scene f r o m o n e of
the public fights staged between m e n
a n d wild animals in the R o m a n world.
Further on a h u n t i n g d o g is in h o t
pursuit of t w o stags a n d a hare. But t h e
centre-piece of t h e d e c o r a t i o n is a f i g h t
b e t w e e n t w o gladiators. T h e victor is a
fully-armed gladiator called a secutor,
e q u i p p e d w i t h helmet, sword, shield a n d
body a r m o u r . His o p p o n e n t is h o l d i n g
up a finger to show submission. No
w o n d e r b e c a u s e this p a r t i c u l a r g l a d i a t o r
( k n o w n as a r e t a r i u s ) o n l y h a s a
s h o u l d e r - g u a r d t o protect h i m a n d fights
w i t h a t r i d e n t a n d n e t . H i s t r i d e n t lies
useless o n t h e g r o u n d a n d t h e n e t i s
n o w h e r e to be seen. As with t h e bear
b a i t e r s , t h e n a m e s o f t h e s e t w o a r e also
scratched in t h e surface of t h e pot:
M e m n o and Valentinus.
So far, so g o o d . But the inscription
goes
on
to
add
that
Valentinus
belonged to the Thirtieth Legion. Now
this particular legion w a s based on the
Rhine a n d never served in Britain. So
why was a gladiator f r o m a Rhineland
legion well e n o u g h k n o w n in Colchester to be c o m m e m o r a t e d this way?
We know that some gladiators became
f o l k h e r o e s w i t h t h e i r o w n f a n s , j u s t like
m o d e r n f o o t b a l l stars - p e r h a p s V a l e n tinus a n d M e m n o were t w o of the
greats of their o w n day.
As a w o r k of art, t h e Colchester Vase
has no equal in northern Europe. Nowadays we m a y not have m u c h sympathy with the cruelty so candidly
portrayed on this f a m o u s urn but we
m u s t s a l u t e t h e e x t r a o r d i n a r y skill o f its
a n o n y m o u s c r e a t o r . Scenes like those
s h o w n here give us a vivid picture of the
g r u e s o m e public entertainments staged
all over t h e R o m a n w o r l d - including
Colchester.
Archaeological Journal for 1944. He
wrote short articles in the school
magazine,
The Colcestrian,
from time
to time and contributed to Hull's
Roman
Colchester.
A F i n v e s t i g a t e d t h e g a r d e n of
Gilberd House, the school premises in
Beverley R o a d , a n d f o u n d n o t entirely
convincing evidence of a third road
(single track) r u n n i n g to the south-west.
H e p o i n t e d o u t t h a t this lay o n t h e
alignment of the road at Gosbeck's,
m o s t recently excavated by the Trust in
1995, a n d so it appears on the plan in
G r y o f Victory, p 7 1 .
spotlight on Lexden...
Digging to
the end
A F Hall, who died in 1 9 6 1 ,
was a school teacher
and an amateur archaeologist
closely associated with Lexden.
James Fawn, an amateur
archaeologist himself,
T h e dedication of
Camulodunum
2
published by the Trust is to three m e n :
C h r i s t o p h e r H a w k e s , Rex H u l l a n d A . F .
Hall. As the book shows, they were
responsible for m u c h of Colchester's
archaeology between the late 1920s
a n d the 1950s. Although he was the
h e a d of the History D e p a r t m e n t at
Colchester Royal G r a m m a r S c h o o l ,
H a l l - A F to his c o l l e a g u e s - w a s s u r e l y
t o o self-deprecating w h e n he insisted
t h a t he was the a m a t e u r of the trio a n d
subject to the professionalism of the
other
two.
His
archaeological
investigations m a y not have been to the
standards achieved today, but he did
o b t a i n s o m e r e m a r k a b l e results i n t h e
f i e l d b e a r i n g i n m i n d t h a t his m a i n t a s k
was in the classroom.
Alexander Furneaux Hall was a
m e m b e r of a Bristol f a m i l y of p a i n t
manufacturers.
He
completed
his
education
at Clifton
College
and
C a m b r i d g e just i n t i m e f o r t h e o u t b r e a k
of w a r in 1 9 1 4 . As a matter of principle
h e c h o s e t o b e g i n his a r m y c a r e e r i n
the ranks, but the heavy casualties of
the conflict ensured that he was
c o m m i s s i o n e d regardless. He e n d e d
the war as a major, with an M C .
He joined the school in 1926, the
y e a r i n w h i c h Rex H u l l b e c a m e C u r a t o r
of the Colchester M u s e u m . C o n t e m p oraries w h o knew t h e m both have
expressed surprise t h a t t h e y g o t o n w i t h
e a c h o t h e r since they h a d differing
characters, but obviously o n e link was
their interest in archaeology.
Hull
r e c o r d e d g r a t e f u l l y t h a t A F ' p l a c e d his
c a r at t h e service of t h e C u r a t o r ..
conveying him on expeditions which
would
not
otherwise
have
been
possible.' T w o such expeditions in
1 9 2 9 involved excavations, a R o m a n
kiln at A l p h a m s t o n e a n d a site at
Berechurch. These appear to be the
e a r l i e s t r e c o r d e d d i g s by A F.
Also in 1929 he was one of three
masters f r o m the school w h o excavated
i n C o l c h e s t e r H i g h Street a t t h e site o f
the
Roman
pottery
shop
where
' f r a g m e n t s fell o u t in a t i n k l i n g s h o w e r
when touched'.
In
1933
the
Grammar
School
p u r c h a s e d Beverley L o d g e , a d j a c e n t t o
its p r e m i s e s , a s a n a d d i t i o n t o its
buildings and
renamed
it Gurney
B e n h a m House. T h e garden offered a
splendid opportunity for excavation as
i t lay i n t h e R o m a n w e s t c e m e t e r y a n d
s t r a d d l e d t h e line o f t h e R o m a n r o a d
w h i c h h a d p a s s e d t h e sites o f t w o
f a m o u s t o m b s t o n e s , t h o s e o f Facilis
a n d of Longinus. At the request of the
M u s e u m Committee, the headmaster
a l l o w e d A F to supervise t h e investigation of the garden between 1934
and
1 9 3 8 . T h e t e a m o f boys a n d
masters uncovered the road in 1934/5
a n d showed that it h a d a substantial
centre track (for w h e e l e d traffic?), a
lightly
metalled
north
track
(for
pedestrians?) a n d a sand south track
(for horses a n d livestock?). It was
reasonable t h a t this was t h e m a i n road
t o L o n d i n i u m , preceding t h e later o n e
slightly t o t h e n o r t h , n o w Lexden R o a d .
T h e g a r d e n also yielded a second
(but single-track) road which joined the
first f r o m t h e north-west, a w a l l e d
c e m e t e r y a n d o t h e r burials. A set of
three f u r n a c e s o n t h e s o u t h side o f t h e
'Londinium road' m a y have been a
Roman
crematorium.
The
newlyacquired premises were thus not short
of interesting features.
A F p u b l i s h e d a r e p o r t on t h e t h r e e tracked road in 1942, for which he was
awarded the Reginald Taylor Gold
Medal
and
Prize
by
the
British
A r c h a e o l o g i c a l A s s o c i a t i o n f o r t h e best
piece of research work offered to the
Association. He followed with a report
on
the
walled
cemetery
in
the
A i r raid shelters d u g in t h e g a r d e n of
Gurney
Benham
House
in
1939
provided another section of the threetrack
road,
but
inhibited
further
investigation
of
it.
Instead,
A
F
e x a m i n e d the course of the north-west
single-track road a n d after the w a r
pursued it into the garden of No 12
Lexden Road, now, of course, the
headquarters of the Trust, which is why
t h e b a c k l a w n h a s s o m a n y b u m p s i n it.
In
1938 the groundsman at the
school playing field, Mr Worth, noted a
c r o p m a r k a t its s o u t h e r n e n d . A F
f o u n d traces of wall at the time a n d in
1 9 4 8 , after t h e revealing dry s u m m e r
of 1947, excavated enough to show
t h a t it w a s t h e site of a R o m a n t e m p l e ,
o n e of the ten f o u n d in Colchester.
His e x p e r i e n c e of t r e n c h e s in t h e first
world war does not seem to have
d a m p e n e d his e n t h u s i a s m f o r d i g g i n g
t h e m f o r , i n a d d i t i o n t o his a c t i v i t i e s a t
the school, he investigated m a n y of
Colchester's Romano-British dykes. He
discovered part of Heath Farm dyke
while d i g g i n g a t a n k - t r a p in
1940
d u r i n g H o m e G u a r d service a n d w i t h
the aid of the grave-digger he followed
t h e line of t h e Barn Hall R a m p a r t in
Colchester's m o d e r n cemetery.
Hall's pupils called h i m H i r a m ,
presumably after the King of Tyre w h o
gave S o l o m o n cedar trees for the
b u i l d i n g o f his t e m p l e . T h e r e a s o n f o r
this Biblical n i c k n a m e is not k n o w n
u n l e s s i t r e l a t e d t o his s t a t e l y b e a r i n g .
He h a d idiosyncrasies; to have an
altimeter in one's car seems unn e c e s s a r y i n t h e m o u n t a i n s o f Essex,
but perhaps he travelled. O n e ex-pupil
d e s c r i b e s his g o w n a s d i s g u s t i n g , g r e e n
with a g e a n d in tatters, but he m a y not
have cared to replace it as he neared
retirement in 1957.
W i t h t h e l a b o u r o f his e x c a v a t i o n s
a d d e d t o his s c h o o l m a s t e r ' s d u t i e s , i t i s
perhaps unsurprising that he published
sparingly. He joined the Colchester
Archaeological
Group
which
was
f o r m e d i n t h e y e a r o f his r e t i r e m e n t a n d
its B u l l e t i n p r o b a b l y p r o v i d e d a s u i t a b l e
o u t l e t as he p r o d u c e d t h r e e articles for
it, t h e l a s t b e i n g p u b l i s h e d s h o r t l y a f t e r
his d e a t h a t t h e a g e o f 6 8 . H e w a s still
digging to the end.
13
Down at the riverside
where a 200-year old water supply and a possible
Roman landing area created a splash
Part of a R o m a n w a t e r f r o n t m a y h a v e
been
uncovered
during
a
recent
archaeological
investigation
in
St
Peter's Street. It is no a c c i d e n t t h a t
C o l c h e s t e r is by t h e side of a river, so
that discoveries
of this
kind
are
important in our understanding of how
and why the town developed in the way
t h a t i t d i d . Every m a j o r R o m a n t o w n i n
Britain was similarly p l a c e d by t h e side
o f a river. D e s p i t e its m o d e s t s i z e , t h e
river C o l n e a l l o w e d w a t e r b o r n e t r a d e
not only a r o u n d the coastal waters of
Britain b u t also w i t h t h e C o n t i n e n t via
the Channel.
The Roman town of Colchester
started off as a l e g i o n a r y fortress f o r
t h e R o m a n a r m y . Its r i v e r s i d e l o c a t i o n
on the Colne meant it guarded an
i m p o r t a n t river c r o s s i n g , a n d a t t h e
same time goods could be shipped in
a n d o u t of t o w n by water. Large ships
could not have penetrated far beyond
t h e Colne estuary, so t h a t only barges
a n d small boats could have reached
upstream as far as the R o m a n town
a n d its m i l i t a r y p r e d e c e s s o r .
T h e St Peter's Street site is w h e r e t h e
line of t h e m a i n n o r t h - s o u t h street
across
the
fortress,
if
projected
northwards, would meet the south
b a n k of t h e river C o l n e . T h u s it is
Below Colin Austin croached on the mysterious
gravel bank
Right: the wooden water-main.
possible t h a t t h e site c o n t a i n s t h e
remains of a R o m a n landing area
w h i c h serviced the fortress a n d later t h e
R o m a n t o w n . It is therefore c o n ceivable t h a t it also contains part of t h e
f o u n d a t i o n s of a bridge across t h e
Colne w h i c h enabled the street to
continue northwards.
The dig
T h e site i s t o b e r e d e v e l o p e d s o t h e
Trust was commissioned by Jaygate
H o m e s (the developers) to carry o u t an
i n v e s t i g a t i o n . T h e a i m w a s t o see w h a t ,
if any, archaeological remains survived
o n t h e site, a n d f i n d o u t i f t h e y c o u l d
be built over w i t h o u t serious d a m a g e .
Initially f o u r t r e n c h e s w e r e d u g b y
m a c h i n e . T h e results p r o v e d t o b e very
i n t e r e s t i n g . I t s e e m s t h a t t h e river w a s
closer to the t o w n t h a n it is today, so
that the remains of the original south
bank underlie the central part of the
site. T h e early river b a n k s e e m s t o h a v e
incorporated
an
accumulation
of
gravel layer: of t h e sort w h i c h , if f o u n d
a n y w h e r e ilse, we w o u l d have h a d no
hesitation in identifying as a R o m a n
street. A n extra t r e n c h w a s d u g t o t h e
s o u t h to test w h e t h e r or n o t it really w a s
a street l e a d i n g n o r t h w a r d s to t h e
river's e d g e . But n o m e t a l l i n g w a s
found. It therefore appears that the
bank of metalling was confined to the
river b a n k , in w h i c h case it is p r o b a b l y
the remains of a jetty or b e a c h i n g a r e a .
It should be possible to build on t h e
site w i t h o u t m u c h d i s t u r b a n c e t o t h e
underlying
archaeological
remains.
However, should the development go
a h e a d , s o m e d e e p holes a n d trenches
will be inevitable, a n d t h e s e will be
closely observed t o try a n d f i n d o u t
m o r e a b o u t this i n t r i g u i n g site i n t h e
R o m a n period.
Water-main
B e i n g n e x t t o t h e river, t h e w a t e r - t a b l e
is relatively high a n d t r e n c h e s readily
fill
up
with
water.
Water-logged
conditions such as these suit t h e
survival o f b u r i e d o r g a n i c m a t e r i a l s like
w o o d and leather, which in most
places elsewhere in Colchester rapidly
disappear. A well-preserved waterm a i n w a s f o u n d o n t h e site, c u t t i n g
into the bank of gravel metalling.
A l t h o u g h the m a i n dates to a r o u n d
1800
and
is
therefore
relatively
14
m o d e r n , it is n e v e r t h e l e s s still of
interest, particularly since it c a n be
compared with Roman water-mains
such
as
the
one
discovered
at
G o s b e c k s (see p a g e s 1 8 - 2 1 ) .
T h e m a i n c o n s i s t e d o f a series o f
pipes, e a c h of w h i c h was m a d e f r o m a
l e n g t h o f t r e e t r u n k , c o m p l e t e w i t h its
bark. A hole w a s b o r e d d o w n t h e centre
o f e a c h t r u n k a n d o n e e n d was
s h a r p e n e d r a t h e r like a p e n c i l . An iron
collar was placed around the sharpened
e n d a n d both were t h e n driven into the
'blunt' end of the n e i g h b o u r i n g pipe.
O n e o f t h e last t i m e s a w o o d e n
w a t e r - m a i n was laid in Colchester was
in 1808, w h e n the water station and
t w o reservoirs w e r e built a t t h e b o t t o m
o f Balkerne Lane t o p u m p w a t e r uphill
to a reservoir just b e h i n d t h e Balkerne
G a t e . T h e m a i n was designed by Ralph
D o d d , a c i v i l e n g i n e e r , u s i n g his o w n
patented water-pipes. The opening
ceremony was attended by the mayor
of the t i m e w h o later wrote that, on the
first stroke o f t h e e n g i n e , a b o u t 7 0 0
f e e t o f t h e m a i n ' r e n t a s u n d e r like
rotten paper'. N o t surprisingly, subsequent water-mains were cast iron.
Ancient
pollen
Patricia Wiltshire of the Institute of
Archaeology, University College
London, explains how pollen f r o m
the Stanway site is revealing what
the countryside around Colchester
looked like two thousand years
T h e excavation of a medical practitioner's grave of 2 , 0 0 0 years a g o at
Stanway, Colchester, has produced
m a n y exciting f i n d s , i n c l u d i n g a set of
s u r g i c a l i n s t r u m e n t s , vessels o f v a r i o u s
kinds, a n d a g a m i n g b o a r d . These
grave goods have e n a b l e d experts to
piece
together
a
great
deal
of
information about the grave's occup a n t , b u t t h e y tell u s little a b o u t t h e k i n d
of environment and landscape within
w h i c h t h e ' d o c t o r ' a n d his p a t i e n t s l i v e d .
Biological science can
help the
archaeologist to add colour to the
picture conjured up by the artefacts.
More
precisely,
the
science
of
palynology (the study of pollen, spores,
a n d m a n y other microscopic entities)
allows the reconstruction of vegetation
prevailing in the landscape at any t i m e
in t h e past. If c o n d i t i o n s a r e suitable,
pollen a n d spores m a y be preserved for
thousands
of
years
in
soils
and
sediments a n d , by studying these, it is
possible to reconstruct past e n v i r o n ments. We can gain information not
only a b o u t the i m m e d i a t e locality, but
also
about
the
wider
landscape.
Palynology enables us to get a g o o d
idea o f t h e activities a n d e c o n o m y o f
p e o p l e in t h e past, a n d t h e kinds of
impact they had on their surroundings.
W i t h i n limits, w e c a n d e t e r m i n e t h e
kinds of crops they grew, w h e t h e r
pasture was
more
important than
arable agriculture, whether the area
was wooded or open, and so on. These
are i m p o r t a n t elements in building a
picture of ancient people and the way
t h e y lived.
I r e c e n t l y a s s e s s e d t h r e e sets o f soil
a n d sediment samples from the area of
t h e ' d o c t o r ' s ' grave t o see w h e t h e r
pollen a n d spores h a d been preserved,
and whether I could gain meaningful
information
from
any
that
were
present. I e x a m i n e d a s e q u e n c e of sediments f r o m a middle Iron A g e ditch
( 2 n d or 3rd century BC), a n o t h e r f r o m
a funerary enclosure ditch (dug in AD
2 5 ) , a n d t h e soil f r o m a t u r f c o v e r i n g
the remains of a c h a m b e r e d grave. All
c o n t a i n e d pollen a n d spores w h i c h h a d
b e e n preserved f o r t h e last 2 , 0 0 0 years
o r so, a l t h o u g h m a n y h a d obviously
been
lost
through
decomposition.
Nevertheless,
enough
remained to
enable me to gain some idea of w h a t
t h e l a n d s c a p e a r o u n d S t a n w a y w a s like
in t h e m i d d l e Iron A g e , as well as a
couple of h u n d r e d years later a r o u n d
the time the 'doctor' was buried.
Preservation of pollen a n d spores
was confined to the basal sediments in
the
middle
Iron
Age
ditch.
The
assemblage showed that the area had
been d o m i n a t e d by herb-rich grassland
(probably
pasture)
with
plantains,
k n a p w e e d , daisies, a n d d a n d e l i o n s all
growing near to the ditch. There were
plants normally f o u n d in waste places
and along
paths,
w h e r e soils a r e
disturbed
and
enriched,
such
as
m u g w o r t a n d stinging nettle. H e a t h e r
and
bracken
were
also
growing
s o m e w h e r e in t h e locality, a n d they
m i g h t have been infesting pasture on
t h e dry, a c i d i c soils. T h e o n l y w o o d y
plants to be recorded were o a k a n d
h a w t h o r n a n d it is quite clear that the
local landscape was largely cleared of
trees. In fact, it w a s very similar to
m a n y areas a r o u n d Colchester today,
perhaps with even fewer trees.
The
sediments
in
the
funerary
enclosure
ditch
showed
that
the
l a n d s c a p e h a d hardly c h a n g e d since
t h e m i d d l e Iron A g e . O a k a n d ash were
g r o w i n g s o m e w h e r e in the vicinity
( a l t h o u g h p r o b a b l y a little d i s t a n c e
a w a y f r o m t h e site) a n d t h e i m m e d i a t e
area
was
covered
with
herb-rich
grassland. However, cereal pollen was
f o u n d a n d m o s t of the herbs in the
assemblage could also have been
weeds
of the
cornfields.
Another
interesting f e a t u r e was t h e relative
a b u n d a n c e of bracken a n d other ferns,
but without analysing sediments from
a n o t h e r area of the ditch, it is difficult
to know whether they were generally
widespread or were only a b u n d a n t
close t o t h e s a m p l i n g site.
The
turf
sampled
from
the
c h a m b e r e d grave s h o w e d t h a t this
portion
of the grave-covering
had
probably been collected f r o m an area
near to the cornfields. Cereal pollen
w a s relatively a b u n d a n t a n d weeds
such as poppy, corn spurrey, buttercup,
and
m u g w o r t were present in the
assemblage. These m a y have been
infesting the crops themselves,
or
growing a r o u n d field margins.
Indicators of w e e d y grassland were also
a b u n d a n t , a n d t h e only trees recorded
were oak, ash, and birch. O a k was the
m o s t a b u n d a n t , b u t very f e w trees
seem to have been growing around
S t a n w a y just before t h e R o m a n s settled
in the area.
T h e palynological evidence suggests
that the
'doctor'
had
lived,
and
practised
his
skills,
in
an
open
countryside where pastoral a n d arable
f a r m i n g were well-established. Furtherm o r e , t h e l a n d s c a p e h a d c h a n g e d very
little f o r a t least 2 0 0 years.
15
Trust archaeologist Howard Brooks
took to peddlling at the Colchester
History Fair despite being overdressed for the job. He sold the
Trust's reprint of the contemporary
'newspaper' (The Siege of Colchester 1648) giving an account of
the siege in Colchester. It was on
special offer that day for either a
pound or a farthing (no change
given).
Thanks to Costume Call of Unit
A19, The Cowdray Centre, Colchester for providing the costume.
Last s u m m e r , Colchester c o m m e m o r a t e d
the 3 5 0 t h anniversary of the Siege of
Colchester, w h e n the townspeople suffered
cruelly in an eleven-week-long confrontation
b e t w e e n t h e Royalist a n d P a r l i a m e n t a r i a n
a r m i e s . T h e Royalists f o r c e d t h e i r w a y i n t o
t h e t o w n a g a i n s t t h e will o f t h e t o w n s p e o p l e
a n d effectively kept t h e m h o s t a g e f o r t h e
d u r a t i o n of t h e siege. Even w h e n t h e
R o y a l i s t s e v e n t u a l l y let t h e m g o , s t a r v e d a n d
disease-ridden, the Parliamentarians sent
t h e m back into the t o w n thinking they were
m o r e use t o t h e m inside t h a n out, rioting
a n d c o m p e t i n g w i t h t h e Royalists f o r w h a t
little f o o d t h e r e w a s i n t h e t o w n . A n d t o c a p
it a l l , w h e n it w a s all o v e r a n d large parts of
t h e t o w n h a d b e e n r e d u c e d t o ruins, t h e
victorious P a r l i a m e n t a r i a n s levied a heavy
fine on the townspeople for their supposed
s u p p o r t o f t h e Royalists.
T h e Parliamentarians constructed a ring
o f forts a r o u n d t h e walled t o w n f r o m w h i c h
they b o m b a r d e d it with heavy c a n n o n . T h e
forts o n t h e s o u t h a n d w e s t sides w e r e j o i n e d
by a continuous trench three miles long to
b l o c k off all e s c a p e routes, w h i l e forts t o t h e
n o r t h a n d east g u a r d e d t h e river crossings.
Although the earthworks make up an
important group of archaeological remains,
t h e y a r e very difficult t o r e c o g n i s e o n t h e
g r o u n d . T h e sites o f o n l y t w o , p o s s i b l y t h r e e ,
forts or g u n e m p l a c e m e n t s have as yet b e e n
located, a n d the positions of the r e m a i n i n g
2 0 o r s o a r e still c o n j e c t u r a l .
A s its c o n t r i b u t i o n t o w a r d s t h e c o m m e r a t i o n of t h e siege, t h e Trust carried o u t a
review of t h e evidence for the positions of
the
siegeworks,
and
incorporated
a
s u m m a r y of t h e results in a special r e p r i n t of
the apparently contemporary 'Diary of the
Siege of Colchester' w h i c h includes the
famous
siege
map.
The
review
was
16
s u p p l e m e n t e d by s o m e fieldwork on a
n u m b e r o f sites t o f i n d o u t m o r e a b o u t t h e
s i e g e a n d its e a r t h w o r k s .
T h e line o f t h e s i e g e w o r k s c a n b e fairly
well guessed at either e n d , ie between
L e x d e n R o a d a n d t h e river C o l n e a n d
b e t w e e n East b r i d g e a n d M a g d a l e n Street.
However, the southern loop connecting
these t w o sections is m u c h m o r e difficult to
f i x s i n c e i t a l l d e p e n d s o n h o w c l o s e t h e line
c a m e to the precinct of St John's Abbey
w h i c h , as a w a l l e d enclosure, w a s used by
t h e Royalists as a m a k e s h i f t b u l w a r k .
I n a p r e l i m i n a r y a t t e m p t t o l o c a t e this
p a r t o f t h e line, p a r t o f t h e A b b e y Fields was
surveyed with a m a g n e t o m e t e r . Unfortunately, t h e A b b e y Fields has b e e n heavily
t e r r a c e d over t h e years a n d m a n y holes and
t r e n c h e s have b e e n d u g into it f o r various
reasons by the army.
However, some
ancient features were located, although
n o n e s e e m likely t o fit t h e m i s s i n g line o f t h e
siegeworks. Nevertheless, the investigation
d i d at least s h o w t h a t it w o u l d be w o r t h w h i l e
surveying a m u c h larger area of the Abbey
Fields, a n d it is h o p e d t h a t this c a n be d o n e
in the not too distant future.
Elsewhere t w o o t h e r r e l a t e d investigations t o o k place. At Brinkley Grove, an
a p p a r e n t l y a n c i e n t e a r t h w o r k has mystified
archaeologists f o r years, a n d w a s given
long-term protection by being scheduled as
an ancient m o n u m e n t . It takes the form of
a large L-shaped d i t c h at t h e side of a
w o o d . I t h a s a l w a y s b e e n a s s u m e d t h a t this
was probably the corner of a rectangular
d i t c h e d e n c l o s u r e w h i c h , e v e r y w h e r e else,
h a d b e e n filled in a n d f l a t t e n e d . T h e only
c l u e a s t o its d a t e i s c o n t a i n e d i n a n
account of the earthwork written in 1922
w h i c h m e n t i o n s t h e d i s c o v e r y o n t h e site o f
three pieces of ' a p p a r e n t l y Bronze A g e
Over 1,000 members of the English Civil War Society 'mustered' at Colchester to re-enact the Siege of Colchester
and mark its 350th anniversary. Heavy rain marred the occasion but failed to dampen the members' enthusiasm
or gun powder.
pottery'. T h e earthwork is placed at the top
of a valley w i t h a g o o d view of t h e t o w n
c e n t r e , w h i c h is w h y t h e r e is a t h e o r y t h a t is
was the remains of Fort Suffolk, t h e
Parliament- arian e n c a m p m e n t shown on
the siege m a p to the north of Ipswich R o a d .
To test this theory, it w a s d e c i d e d to dig
two small trenches into the earthwork, one in
t h e b a n k a n d t h e o t h e r o n t h e line o f t h e
b a n k w h e r e t h e y w o u l d c a u s e a s little
disturbance as possible to t h e plants a n d
trees i n t h e w o o d . T h e e x c a v a t i o n only lasted
two days, but n o t h i n g was f o u n d to suggest
that the earthwork was of m u c h antiquity,
and there did not seem to be m u c h evidence
of the ditch in the trench positioned to cut
i n t o its f i l l . A l l i n a l l , i t a p p e a r s t h a t t h e
earthwork never extended m u c h beyond
w h a t c a n be seen of it now. Deeper trenches
are needed to establish t h e date of the
earthwork for certain, but these would cause
unacceptable d a m a g e to the plants a n d
trees. Until this c a n b e d o n e , t h e m o s t likely
explanation for t h e e a r t h w o r k is t h a t it is t h e
remains of a clay pit c o n n e c t e d with the
m a n u f a c t u r e o f bricks a n d m a y b e tiles
s o m e w h e r e close by. A l t h o u g h n o t a s
interesting as a siege fort, t h e e a r t h w o r k
w o u l d still h a v e s o m e v a l u e a s a n e x a m p l e o f
industrial archaeology.
T h e b e s t k n o w n o f t h e s i e g e f o r t s lies o n
t h e Hilly Fields w h e r e , a g a i n , w e h a v e
c o m p l e t e d t h e first f e w squares of a
m a g n e t o m e t e r survey. T h e f o r t i s k n o w n
f r o m aerial p h o t o g r a p h y a n d w a s partly
excavated in t h e 1 9 3 0 s . It is s o m e t i m e s
referred to as Colonel Ewer's fort, b u t is in
fact the u n n a m e d star-shaped redoubt
i m m e d i a t e l y s o u t h o f i t (see t h e siege m a p ) .
M a n y of the finds f r o m the fort are on display
in Colchester M u s e u m , a n d these include
the head of a mattock for digging ditches,
b r o k e n bits o f c l a y p i p e , a n d s o m e m u s k e t
balls. T h e f o r t w a s o n e of t h e earliest. It w a s
built (or at least started) on t h e n i g h t of J u n e
16th in 1 6 4 8 on t h e W a r r e n Field, t h e night
a f t e r w o r k s t a r t e d o n F o r t Essex w h i c h w a s
south of the Lexden Road.
T h e fort was well placed to b o m b a r d t h e
t o w n . It was built on a high piece of land
o v e r l o o k i n g t h e west side o f t o w n w i t h a n
especially g o o d view o f t h e t o w n wall. T h e
P a r l i a m e n t a r i a n s w e r e n o t t h e first t o
recognise t h e qualities of t h e location. A b o u t
1 , 6 0 0 y e a r s b e f o r e , t h e hill w a s a m a j o r
centre for manufacturing a n d trade in the
years l e a d i n g u p t o t h e R o m a n c o n q u e s t , a n d
a t h o u s a n d y e a r s e a r l i e r still, i t w a s t h e site o f
an i m p o r t a n t Late Bronze A g e settlement
(see p a g e 8 f o r m o r e d e t a i l s ) .
The
m a g n e t o m e t e r survey
produced
e n c o u r a g i n g results w h i c h s h o w e d t h a t t h e
ground conditions favour the detection of
buried features by this t e c h n i q u e . It s h o w e d
all f o u r sides of t h e f o r t as well as p a r t of
t h e d e f e n c e s a n d v a r i o u s pits o f t h e late
pre-Roman settlement. T h e plan is to
c o n t i n u e t h e survey in 1 9 9 9 in t h e h o p e of
f o l l o w i n g t h e ditch w h i c h linked this fort
with Colonel Ewer's fort to the n o r t h . If
successful, this s h o u l d lead us to Colonel
Ewer's fort t o o .
Thanks to...
The investigation in Brinkley Grove was supported and made possible by
the Colchester Borough Council. The geophysical surveys on the Abbey
Fields and the Hilly Fields were carried out by Peter Cott with the kind
permission of Colchester Garrison and the Sixth Form College.
A special folded map has been
published by the Trust to mark the
350th anniversary of the siege of
Colchester. One side of the map
features a reproduction of the
contemporary news sheet which
consists of a diary detailing the
progress of the siege and the plan
of the siegeworks. On the other
side, there is an illustrated account
of the archaeology of the event,
which includes the latest view on
the locations of the earthworks and
a summary the Trust's most recent
fieldwork on the siegeworks The
map (The Siege of Colchester
1648) is available from local
bookshops
or from the
Trust for
£ 1.99 post
free.
Gosbecks
Archaeological
Park
The puzzle
of the Roman
water-main
Over 250 m
been
of water-main
traced at
it probably the
Roman
Gosbecks,
has
making
longest length
water-main
yet
of
discovered
in Britain. But it is still not clear
what the water was for and where
its source was.
Gosbecks lies on the site of the
centre of the original Colchester
where the tribal leaders or 'kings'
including the famous Cunobelin
lived. Following the Roman
invasion, the area became a major
Romano-British sanctuary
incorporating a theatre and a
temple.
Today a large part of the area is
covered by the Gosbecks
Archaeological Park where
excavations have been carried out
every summer over the last four
years. The creation of the park
depended on land to the north
being built over for houses, so that
this area too has been the subject
of recent archaeological
investigation. M u c h of the previous
work has been focused on the
Roman elements at Gosbecks, but
the recent excavations have
provided opportunities to find about
the nature of the site before the
arrival of the Romans. Also the
discovery of a Roman water-main
points to the possibility of a bathhouse or waterworks in the area,
and military horse fittings hint at the
stationing of a cavalry unit in the
nearby Roman fort. PTO.
18
19
Gosbecks
Archaeological
Park
Latest
discoveries
typical of the areas a r o u n d the t e m p l e
and theatre. It seems that there had
probably not been any major buildings
w i t h i n t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n site, b u t t h e
area h a d been given over to fields w i t h
p o c k e t s o f o c c u p a t i o n d o t t e d a r o u n d it.
The occupation seems to have been
concentrated to the west of a large
north-south ditch which appears to
have acted as a m a j o r b o u n d a r y
between
areas
of cultivation
and
occupation on the west and open
pasture for grazing
on
the
east.
Droveways b e t w e e n t h e small fields
and enclosures west of the boundary
enabled animals to be taken to and
f r o m areas of pasture to t h e east.
Droveways
such
as
these
were
For t h e f o u r t h s u m m e r in a row, T r u s t
archaeologists were at work in the
G o s b e c k s A r c h a e o l o g i c a l Park, o n t h e o u t skirts o f C o l c h e s t e r . T h i s t i m e t h e t a s k
was to sample where the Colchester
Borough Council is considering building
a visitor c e n t r e a n d f i n d o u t h o w
construction work m i g h t affect the
surviving a r c h a e o - l o g i c a l r e m a i n s . T h e
sampling strategy involved digging a
n u m b e r o f t r e n c h e s a n d t e s t pits o v e r a
wide area.
A l t h o u g h little survives o f a n y British
or Romano-British buildings because of
the
effects
of
long-term
plough
d a m a g e , a v a r i e t y o f pits a n d d i t c h e s
confirm the impression given by aerial
c r o p m a r k p h o t o g r a p h s t h a t t h e site w a s
Friends of Colchester Museum
JUBILEE LECTURES
Fifty years of Colchester discovery
May
11th
Philip C r u m m y o n t h e
Colchester Mercury
May 25th
Ros N i b l e t t o n
Iron Age Colchester and St Albans
June 8th
Len Drinkle o n
the Friends and the Museum,
1949 to 1998
June 22nd
David Clarke on the
Colchester medieval coin
hoards
Jerry H e a t h o n
July 20th
David Stenning on
Tuesdays
at
7.30 pm
medieval Colchester buildings
at Lion
All
20
natural history
July 6th
Walk
welcome.
Church,
Colchester
u n m e t a l l e d trackways defined on each
side by a
bank and ditch which
p r e v e n t e d t h e a n i m a l s f r o m straying off
course.
Cavalry equipment?
S o m e of the finds are of particular
interest a n d significance. T h e s e include
pieces o f horse harness a n d t h e iron
h e a d s of spears a n d balista bolts.
( B a l i s t a s w e r e a s o r t o f c r o s s - b o w ) . Bits
of military e q u i p m e n t are often found
i n e a r l y levels a t C o l c h e s t e r , b u t t h i s i s
not surprising since the t o w n was
p r e c e d e d by a large military base for up
t o 5 , 0 0 0 m e n a n d itself w a s p o p u l a t e d
to a large extent by retired R o m a n
soldiers. Clearly, there m u s t have been
tens
of
thousands
of
pieces
of
e q u i p m e n t of this type in t h e area in
the A D 40s a n d 50s. A l t h o u g h the total
n u m b e r of finds from the
recent
excavations is tiny by c o m p a r i s o n , the
p r o p o r t i o n o f bits o f m i l i t a r y e q u i p m e n t
within that small group seems high
compared
with
other finds
which
suggests that most of t h e m belonged to
soldiers g a r r i s o n e d in t h e small R o m a n
f o r t w h i c h lay a b o u t 3 0 0 m to t h e west.
In g e n e r a l , it is no easy m a t t e r to infer
t h e type of g a r r i s o n in a military base
from the equipment found
in
it,
a l t h o u g h in this case t h e pieces of
horse harness are especially significant
since they w o u l d a p p e a r to support the
view t h a t t h e garrison w a s a cavalry
unit rather t h a n an infantry one.
The
fort
is
only
known
from
c r o p m a r k s . N o e x c a v a t i o n has ever
t a k e n p l a c e t h e r e . I t i s f o u r a c r e s i n size
w h i c h i s c o n s i d e r e d a b o u t t h e r i g h t size
for a standard military unit of a b o u t
5 0 0 m e n b u t a little t o o s m a l l f o r a
cavalry unit. However excavations in
the 1970s and 1980s have shown that
t h e barracks in the m a i n fortress on the
s i t e o f t h e R o m a n t o w n ( s e e City o f
Victory)
were
unusually
narrow and
closely p a c k e d t o g e t h e r . If t h e fort at
G o s b e c k s w a s s i m i l a r , t h e n its s m a l l
size n e e d n o t r u l e o u t a c a v a l r y u n i t f o r
b e e n t r a c e d f o r a n y t h i n g like this
distance. T h e interest in t h e m a i n at
Gosbecks thus comes not so m u c h
f r o m t h e m a i n itself, b u t i n w h e r e i t w a s
leading and where it c a m e f r o m .
Excavations in the Gosbecks Archaeological Park
in the summer of 1 998.
Photograph by D Strachan, Essex County
Council Archaeological Section.
the garrison. A n d of course, we can
guess w h i c h cavalry unit this w o u l d be
f r o m the fine t o m b s t o n e of Longinus,
f o u n d n e a r Beverley R o a d in 1 9 2 8 . T h e
inscription tells u s t h a t h e w a s a n
o f f i c e r o f t h e First S q u a d r o n o f t h e
T h r a c i a n Cavalry. This unit was raised
in Thrace,
now a d j a c e n t parts of
Bulgaria and Greece.
Water-mains such as these were
designed
to
convey
water
under
pressure. T h e y c o n s i s t e d of a series of
pipes held t o g e t h e r by iron collars.
Each pipe was m a d e by drilling a hole
d o w n the centre of a straight piece of
timber. T h e walls of t h e pipes w e r e
thick so t h a t the collars could be
h a m m e r e d into t h e m to f o r m pressureresistant, water-tight junctions. A l t h o u g h the w o o d e n pipes m a k i n g up a
w a t e r - m a i n w o u l d have slowly rotted
a n d disappeared, the position of the
m a i n is usually s h o w n by the iron
c o l l a r s w h i c h still s u r v i v e u p r i g h t i n t h e
g r o u n d in their original positions.
The water-main at Gosbecks was
discovered in 1 9 9 5 during excavations
on land just north of t h e park t h a t w a s
to be built over for housing, w h e n
about 28 m of the trench which
contained the main was emptied.
T h e r e was no surviving w o o d of course
b u t 1 6 i r o n c o l l a r s w e r e still u p r i g h t i n
position, thus giving an average length
o f 1.7 m f o r e a c h s e c t i o n o f p i p e .
In 1 9 9 8 , a short part of the watermain was found further south during
t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n s o n t h e p r o p o s e d site
o f t h e n e w visitor c e n t r e . T h e w a t e r m a i n w a s t h e n t r a c e d f u r t h e r s o u t h still,
this t i m e with the aid of a geophysical
s u r v e y s o t h a t its p o s i t i o n c a n n o w b e
plotted over a distance of 2 5 0 m.
T h e water-main at Gosbecks seems
to stop at a spot near the head of the
little valley w h e r e , o n a e r i a l p h o t o g r a p h s , t h e r e is a large L-shaped m a r k .
T h e valley was a source of w a t e r in
antiquity so the mark might indicate
t h e p r e s e n c e of a w a t e r w o r k s . A s m a l l
trial pits w a s d u g inside t h e L - s h a p e d
m a r k in 1998, but it was too small to
be of m u c h help. However, there was
Plan of the Roman fort at Gosbecks.
Water-main
A recently-discovered
R o m a n waterm a i n a t t h e a n c i e n t British site o f
G o s b e c k s is a vivid r e m i n d e r of t h e f a c t
that the Romans introduced m u c h new
t e c h n o l o g y into Britain. Until t h e arrival
of the R o m a n s , t h e Britons o b t a i n e d
their w a t e r f r o m such places as wells,
springs, a n d rivers. W a t e r e n g i n e e r i n g
as practised in the R o m a n world was
u n k n o w n in Britain until after the
R o m a n invasion i n A D 4 3 .
no obvious indication of ground water
in t h e t r e n c h , so it seems unlikely that
t h e m a r k i n d i c a t e s t h e site o f s o m e k i n d
of waterworks. Thus the valley-location
of the m a r k m a y be of no significance
and the water was being brought to the
spot by the w a t e r - m a i n f r o m a source
some distance to the north. This would
m e a n that the L-shaped m a r k showed
t h e site o f a b u i l d i n g s u c h a s b a t h s o r a
private house.
The
L-shaped
mark
may
have
s o m e t h i n g to do w i t h a long rectangular mark about 100 m to the
s o u t h - e a s t o f it. T h e r e c t a n g l e h a s a
s h o r t s t r a i g h t l i n e l e a d i n g f r o m its
north-west corner straight towards the
L-shaped mark. T h e rectangle was
investigated in 1 9 9 5 w h e n a trench was
e x c a v a t e d a c r o s s t h e w i d t h o f it. I t w a s
suspected b e f o r e h a n d t h a t t h e recta n g l e i n d i c a t e d t h e site of a b u i l d i n g
which had something to do with water
a n d t h a t t h e straight line s h o w e d t h e
position of a d r a i n or a w a t e r - m a i n .
V a r i o u s possibilities h a d b e e n c o n sidered for the rectangle, such as an
open-air pool, or part of a bath-house
or waterworks.
In the event, the
rectangle proved to be a d e e p , verticals i d e d pit w i t h s u b s t a n t i a l slots a l o n g t h e
b o t t o m . It looks as if it h a d been part of
a large t i m b e r building which, given the
sandy, free-draining nature of the
g r o u n d , is h a r d to reconcile w i t h a
usage involving large quantities of
water.
In Gaul, m a j o r native sanctuaries
like G o s b e c k s f r e q u e n t l y i n c l u d e d b a t h houses, so it w o u l d be no surprise if
such a building was f o u n d here too.
T h e t r a c i n g o f t h e w a t e r - m a i n this
s u m m e r at Gosbecks shows that the Lshaped a n d rectangular marks may
indeed have been associated in some
way with water, but the explanation for
t h e s e m a r k s still r e m a i n s a m y s t e r y
w h i c h o n l y f u r t h e r i n v e s t i g a t i o n i s likely
to solve.
Right: the remains of the Gosbecks water-main
showing the iron collars in situ on the bottom of
the trench which was dug to lay the main in.
Below: close-up of an intact, well-preserved iron
collar in situ at the Balkerne Lane site. Excavated
in the 1970s. Fragments of the wooden main
can be seen in mineralised form adhering to the
sides of the collar.
The R o m a n water-main at Gosbecks
has been traced for over 2 5 0 m. It is
not
the
first
to
be
found
from
Colchester. Several examples have
been found in and around the walled
Roman town, although none have
21
Michael
Wood
In conversation...
Television's travelling historian
and best-selling author talks
to Philip Crummy about his
adventures making the TV
series in the footsteps of
Alexander the Great, which
was shown in summer 1998.
Michael Wood, the film crew and local guides in the Khawak Pass in Afghanistan. Photograph
courtesy of Maya Vision International Ltd.
In t h e real w o r l d
I
was
born
and
brought
up
in
M a n c h e s t e r a n d I w e n t to university at
O x f o r d . I did a m o d e r n history degree
a n d t h e n I did three years of doctoral
r e s e a r c h on t h e early 1 Oth c e n t u r y , t h e
period of the creation of England under
King Athelstan. I was nowhere near
f i n i s h i n g it, a n d I j u s t t h o u g h t , I'd d o n e
a little bit of j o u r n a l i s m a n d I a p p l i e d
f o r a job with a television c o m p a n y . I
g o t a job as a junior reporter a n d , in no
t i m e at all, I f o u n d myself interviewing
A r t h u r Scargill on t h e m i n e r s ' strikes! I
did
six
years
of
current
affairs'
j o u r n a l i s m b e f o r e I s a i d t o m y b o s s , I've
got an idea for a film on Offa of
Mercia...
and archaeology
I was always fascinated by a r c h a e o logy, f r o m w h e n I w a s a kid. I even
started doing a
'dirt'
archaeology
course in my spare time at Manchester,
in the days w h e n I was m a k i n g films for
the BBC up there. There's n o t h i n g quite
like an a r c h a e o l o g i c a l d i g , is t h e r e
(laughing)?! I r e m e m b e r sitting c a m p ing o u t o n the dig a t H e n D o m e n , the
N o r m a n castle o u r near M o n t g o m e r y a r o u n d t h e c a m p fires a t n i g h t , a n d t h e
b e i n g w i t h p e o p l e all o f w h o m w e r e
passionately interested in the subject.
In Alexander's footsteps we were
trying to devise a kind of history-traveladventure, if I c a n put it t h a t way, t h a t
w o u l d go into t h e kind of slot t h a t
M i c h a e l Palin does. H a v i n g m a d e 7 0 o d d d o c u m e n t a r i e s of history, a r c h a e ology a n d culture, o n e has tried almost
every f o r m o f f i l m s f r o m a l m o s t t r a v e l adventure to detailed critiquing of
archaeological sources. W h e n we did
t h e original D a r k A g e s series, w e f i l m e d
a lot of a r c h a e o l o g i s t s on l o c a t i o n . In
22
Alexander the Great we did do a few
sites, f o r e x a m p l e , t h e n e w e x c a v a t i o n s
in Alexandria. But there aren't any
really active excavations g o i n g o n a t
t h e m o m e n t in Iran or Pakistan. A n d
A f g h a n i s t a n , of course, has just b e e n
d e v a s t a t e d , so t h e last t w o years w e r e
not a g o o d time to go if you were
looking for excavations!
Y o u c a n dig for t h e past physically,
as you do, or you c a n excavate the past
t h r o u g h the texts. T h e job that I
happen to have ended up doing is
being a
kind
of p o p u l a r i s e r - in
between the general public and people
like y o u a n d t h e t e x t u a l s c h o l a r s .
P e o p l e like m e p l o u g h a f u r r o w w h e r e
w e try a n d p o p u l a r i s e w h a t y o u lot d o .
Alexander the man
I d o n ' t think t h e films did idealise h i m ,
l o o k i n g at t h e m all in all. In S a m a r k a n d
I used a very hostile s o u r c e , w h i c h h a s
o n e of the most gripping portraits of
h i m t o c o m e d o w n t o us; w h e t h e r it's
t r u e o r n o t , it's s o p o w e r f u l . B u t I ' m n o t
sure he w a s 'a nasty piece of w o r k ' .
T h e g r e a t t h i n g is t h e story, y o u ' r e
swept a l o n g with t h e story in t h e
b e g i n n i n g , b u t t h e n g r a d u a l l y it starts
to turn. We picked up Zoroastrian
traditions in Iran w h i c h are totally
unrecorded by the Greeks. There's
A l e x a n d e r ' s m a s s a c r e of civilians in t h e
Indus valley t o o . I t o l d t h e story of t h e
d e s t r u c t i o n of a city in C e n t r a l A s i a
which h a d n ' t been believed by most
s c h o l a r s until very recently. It's o n l y
recorded in o n e source, a R o m a n
source, but there's no d o u b t that it
happened,
and
now
everybody's
beginning to accept that it did.
I suppose it w o u l d be interesting to
m e e t Alexander, but I f o u n d myself
always sympathising with the people
whose countries he was devastating, or
the people w h o were purged by him. I
t h i n k h e w a s a m a n o f his t i m e , a n d
they were brutal times.
why Alexander?
It's a f a n t a s t i c story, a n d a very
interesting
biography
of
a
very
e n i g m a t i c figure. A n d also it is o n e of
t h e g r e a t events in the history of the
w o r l d r e a l l y , b e c a u s e o f its l e g a c y - t h e
mixing of Greek culture with Jewish and
Iranian a n d Egyptian a n d Indian. And
it's
a
tremendous
adventure,
the
spread of Greek culture into Asia.
T h e reason for d o i n g A l e x a n d e r was
the same as w h a t drew me to do some
earlier films in C h i n a a n d Iran and
other places. Globalisation is h a p p e n i n g so fast t h a t all t h e traces of the
ancient world are being erased. I think
it's f a s c i n a t i n g , a n d m o v i n g , t o spend
t i m e i n c u l t u r e s w h e r e s o m e t h i n g has
come
down.
Tamil
culture,
for
e x a m p l e , is o n e of t h e f e w classical
cultures w h i c h have survived to the
20th century. A n d probably we won't
b e a b l e t o see t h e s e t h i n g s f o r very
m u c h longer.
the big adventure
W e b r o k e t h e j o u r n e y u p i n t o bits, b u t
w e w e r e o n t h e r o a d f o r a b o u t six
m o n t h s . I think it was a b o u t 2 0 , 0 0 0
miles. Obviously we did far m o r e than
that, but Alexander's actual journey g i v e n t h a t y o u lose h i m in T a j i k i s t a n in
the second year of the w a r in Central
A s i a - is p r o b a b l y s o m e w h e r e b e t w e e n
17 a n d 2 0 , 0 0 0 miles altogether.
T h e film crew was Peter the c a m e r a m a n , Lynette t h e c a m e r a assistant,
John w h o does the sound, me, and
David the director. In most countries
y o u take a translator w h o is your go-
between. In the Afghanistan film, we
were a four-person crew, but we had
Hanif, a friend f r o m Pakistan w h o
w o r k s f o r BBC R a d i o . He speaks all t h e
four main languages of Afghanistan,
a n d he basically volunteered to do it
w i t h us.
f r o m Greece to India
In our Alexander films there are 16
countries a n d four w a r zones. T h e
journey goes f r o m Greece to India, and
includes
the
Near
East,
South
L e b a n o n , a n d Egypt, o f course. W e
filmed some material in Northern Iraq,
but I didn't go into B a g h d a d because
I've b e e n i n v o l v e d i n I r a q i h u m a n
rights' w o r k o n t h e side f o r t h e last
eight years, a n d I did a f i l m called
Saddam's
Killing
Fields
about
the
destruction of the Marsh Arabs in South
I r a q - as a r e s u l t I ' m persona non gratis
in B a g h d a d , so I d i d n ' t feel it w a s w o r t h
t h e risk t r y i n g t o g e t i n t h e r e . E v e r y t h i n g
else w a s f i n e , I just d o n ' t t h i n k y o u
mess a b o u t with S a d d a m .
In s o m e cases, I think, we f o l l o w e d
Alexander's route very accurately. I
mean, take the path through the
Z a g r o s m o u n t a i n s , t h e Persian Gates;
it's a very i n t e r e s t i n g p a r t of t h e story,
and you can actually find the exact
p a t h , a s w e d i d . T h e K h a w a k Pass o v e r
the H i n d u Kush mountains, used by
Ghengiz Khan and Tamburlaine, which
w a s p r o b a b l y t h e o n e h e t o o k , i s still
there. His r o u t e across t h e Salt R a n g e
into t h e Punjab, t h e exact crossing
place - if you follow t h e Greek directions - y o u c a n actually f i n d . T h e r e w e r e
m a n y cases w h e r e w e w e r e a b l e t o
clarify t h e events o n t h e g r o u n d , a n d
find w h a t has not been f o u n d by the
scholars because of course m o s t of
t h e m have never been there. On o n e
very w e l l - k n o w n p a r t o f t h e j o u r n e y , i t
d o e s n ' t m a k e sense o n t h e m a p b u t i t
does m a k e sense o n t h e g r o u n d , a n d
every l a n d m a r k in t h e s o u r c e is a c t u a l l y
there! T h a t was o n e case where with a
little b i t o f f e r r e t i n g w i t h t h e s o u r c e s y o u
can locate the exact route, a n d that
a l s o g o e s f o r s o m e m a j o r sites like t h e
site o f his g r e a t b a t t l e i n t h e P u n j a b .
If I'm d o i n g a piece a b o u t t h e text,
then
usually
I
scribble something
b e f o r e h a n d - b u t t h e best bits t o m e
were w h e n we were bouncing the Land
Rover u p t h e H i n d u K u s h a n d y o u just
turn round a n d switch the c a m e r a on
a n d say s o m e t h i n g i m p r o v i s e d . I t h i n k
it's g o t m o r e o o m p h t h a n s o m e t h i n g
that's over-prepared.
We stayed in private houses; we
slept on people's floors, in stables, in
tents on mountain-sides, on station
platforms, on boats - a n d sometimes in
hotels! I r e m e m b e r t h e hotel we h a d in
t h e K a l a s h valleys in t h e N o r t h - W e s t
Frontier. It d i d n ' t have electricity or
running water,
but it was terrific.
Alexander's wars in the Persian empire
Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), king of
Macedonia, took his army out of Greece in 334
BC, across the river Kocabas and to the towns
of Sardis, Ephesus, and Miletus in Asia Minor.
He moved east via the countries of Lycia,
Pamphyllia and Phrygia. He won the battle of
Issus in 333 BC against the Persians, and then
crushed Tyre and Gaza. After winter in Egypt
(332/1 BC), he invaded Mesopotamia and won
a battle at Gaugamela in modern Iraq. He took
Babylon and Susa. He forced the Persian Gates
and occupied Persis during the winter of 331/0.
At Persepolis he took the financial reserves of
the Persian empire - the Persians were
defeated.
But Alexander moved on, through east Iran
and west Afghanistan, crossed the Hindu Kush
(mountains in Iran), and invaded Bactria in
spring 329. After an uprising in Uzbekistan and
the battle of Samarkand, with harsh tactics he
colonised his way on into India (leaving a trail of
colony towns called 'Alexandria'). A brutal
progress in the Punjab and then by water across
to the Southern Ocean was followed by a lull in
324. Coastal conquest was continued by his
fleet. He declared himself king of Asia, but
caused a rift with the Greek world.
Walking
across
the
Hindu
Kush
mountains, you would simply wash in
t h e s t r e a m in t h e m o r n i n g . Lovely!
T h e r e w e r e a lot of hassles. We g o t
arrested by the Iranians at o n e point
and our film was confiscated, and of
course that's the worst thing. Y o u d o n ' t
particularly fear for your o w n safety on
trips like this, b u t w h a t y o u f e a r i s t h a t
all t h e v i d e o t a p e y o u ' v e g o n e t o s u c h
efforts t o g e t will g e t d e s t r o y e d . O r a r e
they going to boot you out? You
c o u l d n ' t m a k e a n A l e x a n d e r series
w i t h o u t Iran, t h e centre of t h e story! So
t h e r e w e r e m o m e n t s like t h a t , w h e n
you think, h o w did we g e t into this? But
not many.
...across t h e H i n d u Kush
Crossing the H i n d u Kush m o u n t a i n s
was the most exciting, because w e ' d
b e e n in K a b u l f o r a c o u p l e of w e e k s the
city
was
under
siege.
We
refurbished a L a n d Rover t h a t h a d
b e l o n g e d to a f a m o u s archaeologist in
Afghanistan in the old days. We got out
to the P a n c h e e r valley, a n d it t o o k us
a b o u t t w o days t o g o u p t h e valley. T h e
vehicle broke d o w n , a n d there was a
l a n d s l i d e . W e g o t a lift u p t o t h e p o i n t
w h e r e y o u walk, a n d t h e n y o u just hire
horses, a n d they put the g e a r o n t o t h e
panniers of t h e horses, a n d y o u walk.
A n d it was absolutely wonderful. You're
w a l k i n g u p t o t h e pass (it's n o t terribly
h i g h , just b e l o w 1 2 , 0 0 0 f e e t ) , b u t it's
wonderful
air,
ethereal
light.
The
weather was beautiful - cold, but great
- a n d y o u ' r e travelling light, w h i c h is
terrific, because o n e of t h e worst things
about filming is the n u m b e r of heavy
boxes t h a t you have to carry a r o u n d
w i t h y o u all t h e t i m e . E a c h o f u s h a d
just a jacket a n d a pullover a n d a small
rucksack, a n d o u r pockets stuffed with
dried fruit a n d nuts - just in case
( l a u g h i n g ) , a n d the lightest c a m e r a
g e a r possible. W e slept a b o v e t h e
horses in a stable, w i t h bowls of gruel,
a n d I read Arrian by lamplight. We got
u p t o t h e t o p o f t h e pass, a n d , y o u
know, it was pure elation! It was
freezing, but exhilarating. At that we
m o m e n t we were right there in their
footsteps.
feedback
I t h i n k all my television films have g o t
g o o d things in t h e m in their different
ways - even the ones that didn't work.
T h e public reaction to the Dark Ages,
t h e very first series I m a d e , w a s very
w a r m . P e o p l e still t a l k a b o u t it, s o I
a l w a y s feel very f o n d of t h a t . In t e r m s of
a m b i t i o n , t h e L e g a c y series w a s t h e
b e s t . It's b e e n s h o w n i n a l m o s t e v e r y
c o u n t r y i n t h e w o r l d , a n d it's b e e n
successful w o r l d w i d e . T h e r e are bits o f
t h a t I ' m v e r y p r o u d o f - a n d I still g e t
letters f r o m p e o p l e all o v e r t h e w o r l d
w h o ' v e s e e n it.
the c h a n c e to travel
I m a k e films a n d I write books on
history. I also run an i n d e p e n d e n t f i l m
c o m p a n y . I've g o t a l l s o r t s o f p l a n s . I ' m
just f i n i s h i n g a b o o k of stories a b o u t
early British history, a n d especially early
English history, a n d Englishness in
relation to Britishness (a m i x t u r e of
s t o r i e s , f a m o u s l e g e n d s , m y s t e r i e s ) . It's
not to do with TV, and it comes out in
spring 1 9 9 9 . I'm also d o i n g a film for
BBC2, a b o u t the Spanish conquest of
Mexico.
Sometimes I have a sneaking feeling
of
regret
that
I
didn't
continue
professionally w i t h m y love o f A n g l o S a x o n history, a l t h o u g h I have written
one or two popular books on the
subject a n d also o n e o r t w o a c a d e m i c
articles as well over t h e years. But, y o u
know, I w o u l d n ' t have seen the things
t h a t I've s e e n . I w o u l d n e v e r h a v e h a d
the c h a n c e to travel, as I have for the
last 2 0 - o d d years, a n d s p e n t a lot of
t i m e i n d i f f e r e n t c u l t u r e s , like C h i n a ,
Iran, I n d i a , Egypt, Iraq, all these
d i f f e r e n t p l a c e s . A n d all t h o s e o t h e r
great
archaeological
sites
and
mysteries t h a t o n e was fascinated by as
a kid, t h e Indus valley civilisation, a n d
t h e cities o f s o u t h e r n Iraq, y o u k n o w ,
U r u k a n d Eridu a n d Ur, extraordinary
mystic places - to g e t a c h a n c e to see
t h o s e has b e e n privilege. But I love
English history best of all.
Michael Wood talked to Philip Crummy over the
'phone in October 1998. Many thanks to Michael
for giving some of his time to the Trust and
producing such a fascinating piece.
23
Drawing of fragments from Colchester © David Hill 1998
Gladiators like 'Sting' a n d ' A r r o w ' w e r e household
n a m e s i n C o l c h e s t e r l o n g b e f o r e G l a d i a t o r s o n TV.
David Hill shows how nothing changes and t h a t
fans could buy their 'souvenir merchandise'
even in R o m a n days.
gladiators!
Colchester M u s e u m is fortunate in
possessing f r a g m e n t s f r o m a bluegreen
mould-blown
glass
beaker
decorated with fighting gladiators.
R o m a n glassmakers were not slow to
take
advantage
of
the
increased
popularity of blood g a m e s t h r o u g h o u t
the western provinces, a n d beakers
f r o m this s a m e m o u l d - t y p e are t h e
most c o m m o n variety of the so-called
'circus beakers'.
The
Colchester
fragments
were
f o u n d in a pit d a t e d b e t w e e n AD 4 9 60/1 a n d it is generally accepted that
most of these beakers were m a d e in
t h e t h i r d q u a r t e r o f t h e 1st C e n t u r y A D
A l t h o u g h only a b o u t t w o thirds of the
vessel
has
survived,
many
other
examples have b e e n f o u n d in Britain
and on the Continent, including an
intact example f o u n d in France (now in
t h e C o r n i n g M u s e u m o f Glass, N e w
York), which enable us to reconstruct
the missing areas.
Four pairs of gladiators are s h o w n in
different stages of f i g h t i n g — Spiculus
('Sting') has d e f e a t e d or possibly killed
Columbus
(The
Dove'),
whilst
Calamus ('Arrow') a n d Hories fight
defensively with their shields to the fore.
On the o t h e r side of t h e b e a k e r
Petraites ( ' R o c k y ' ) has d i s a r m e d Prudes
('The Careful O n e ' ) , w h o has d r o p p e d
24
his s h i e l d a n d s u b m i t s b y r a i s i n g his l e f t
h a n d . In t h e final quarter of t h e frieze,
the
victorious
Proculus
(whose
n i c k n a m e possibly m e a n s ' H a m m e r ' )
h o l d s his w i n n e r ' s p a l m , w h i l s t h i s
defeated opponent Cocumbus appeals
for quarter using the s a m e gesture as
P r u d e s . (It s e e m s l i k e l y t h a t t h e n a m e
usually
misread
as
Cocumbus
is
actually Columbus' n a m e repeated,
a n d t h e vessel m a y b e r e c o r d i n g t h e
'decline and fall' of a once f a m o u s
c o m b a t a n t . T h e historian Suetonius
describes
how at the
games
the
E m p e r o r C l a u d i u s o n h e a r i n g t h e cry
'Bring on the Dove!' replied, 'Certainly,
but he'll take s o m e c a t c h i n g ! ' w h i c h
implies t h a t C o l u m b u s m a y have been
recently slain, perhaps by Spiculus.)
Like t h e f a m o u s c h a r i o t e e r s n a m e d
o n o t h e r c i r c u s c u p s ( s e e the Colchester
Archaeologist, n o
11), these gladiators
were
household
names,
a
fact
confirmed by by their m e n t i o n in
c o n t e m p o r a r y literature (not to m e n t i o n
graffiti
scrawled
on
the
walls
of
P o m p e i i ) . Petronius t w i c e refers to
Petraites'
many
fights
in
the
' T r i m a l c h i o ' s F e a s t ' s e c t i o n o f his
Satyricon.
As
well
as
alluding
to
C o l u m b u s , Suetonius also mentions
Spiculus, w h o m Nero spoiled as a
favourite, conferring on him wealth,
land a n d property (to the author's
o b v i o u s d i s d a i n ) . I n his l a s t d e s p e r a t e
hours, Nero called for Spiculus to come
a n d p u t a n e n d t o his l i f e , b u t e v e n h e
h a d d e s e r t e d t h e last o f t h e JulioClaudians.
Unlike the charioteers, the gladiators
used nicknames, which helped to mask
t h e i r less t h a n h o n o u r a b l e s t a t u s most were condemned
men
(and
sometimes
women,
one
should
r e m e m b e r ) , or prisoners of war, given
the dubious choice between execution
or taking their chances in the arena.
T h e y were schooled in fighting at a
ludus
gladiatorius,
and
were
assigned
d i f f e r e n t a r m s a c c o r d i n g t o t h e i r skills.
The
gladiators
on
the
Colchester
b e a k e r are all S a m n i t e s , f i g h t i n g with a
large
shield
(scutum)
and
sword
(spatha), a n d all w e a r p l u m e d helmets.
Thracian gladiators fought with a
smaller r o u n d shield
(parma)
and
w i e l d e d a d a g g e r (sica), while the
Murmillones, their helmets adorned
w i t h l a r g e s e a f i s h , w e r e u s u a l l y set
Bone figurine of a gladiator (a murmillo) from
Lexden.
against Retiarii, w h o used a net
and trident.
The gladiatorial games or
Hoplomachia
began
with
a
grand feast for the c o m b a t a n t s
on the evening
before their
fights, to which the public were
invited.
The
next
day
the
gladiators w o u l d be driven in
c h a r i o t s f r o m t h e ludus t o t h e
amphitheatre
(the Colosseum
h a d not yet b e e n built at t h e
time of these gladiators), where
they
paraded
before
the
cheering
crowd.
When
they
reached the imperial box or
pulvinar t h e y a d d r e s s e d
Caesar
w i t h t h e f a m o u s c h a n t o f : 'Ave,
Imperator;
morituri
te
salutantl'
(Hail, Emperor: those w h o are
a b o u t to die salute thee!').
Fragment of painted wall plaster from Balkerne Lane,
Colchester showing a gladiator (a murmillo in this case)
having been defeated and dropped his shield.
The games c o m m e n c e d with
a m o c k b a t t l e o r prolusio w i t h
d u m m y or padded weapons in
the m a n n e r of a w a r m - u p before
the
main
event
began
in
earnest, a n d the individual fights
were often
interspersed with
clowns and dwarfs parodying the
real g l a d i a t o r s ' battles, or reenacting f a m o u s struggles f r o m
mythology, such as Hercules
and
Antaeus.
Each
pair of
c o m b a t a n t s h a d been selected
by t h e casting of lots, a n d to t h e
accompaniment
of trumpets,
horns,
drums
and
hydraulic
o r g a n each duel t o o k place, usually to
the death. W h e n a gladiator submitted
(as P r u d e s a n d C o c u m b u s d o o n t h e
Colchester beaker), it was the victor's
r i g h t t o c h o o s e w h e t h e r his o p p o n e n t
was
spared
to
fight
again
or
dispatched, although if the emperor
were present, the gladiator deferred to
h i m , a n d he usually consulted the
opinion of the crowd with the famous
'thumbs-up' or 'thumbs-down' voting.
T h e w i n n e r received a p a l m for e a c h
victory, but he w o u l d have to win m a n y
of these before being awarded the
rudis, t h e w o o d e n s w o r d w h i c h g r a n t e d
h i m f r e e d o m f r o m the arena. Very few
gladiators,
however,
would
have
survived
to
enjoy
retirement.
The
e p i t a p h o f o n e has c o m e d o w n t o us,
w h i c h tells h o w h e w a s killed b y a n
o p p o n e n t w h o s e life h e h a d s p a r e d i n a
previous e n c o u n t e r . It c o n c l u d e s w i t h a
s o l e m n w a r n i n g t o all w h o f o u g h t i n
t h e s e d r e a d f u l e v e n t s : M o r e o u t quis
quern vicerit, occidat — g i v e no q u a r t e r
to the fallen, no matter w h o m he be!
For further details on this and other Roman circus
beakers see 'Decorated mould-blown glass tablewares
in the 1st Century A . D . ' by Jennifer Price in "Roman
Glass — Two Centuries of Art and Invention", edited by
Martine Newby and Kenneth Painter (published by the
Society of Antiquaries
in
1991).
The
Colchester
gladiator cup was first published in 'The Glass' by D.B.
Harden in "Camulodunum" by C.F.C. Hawkes and M.R.
Hull, Society of Antiquaries 1947.
Special offer
for readers of the Colchester Archaeologist
gladiator beaker
F o l l o w i n g t h e success o f last year's offer o f t h e C o l c h e s t e r O l y m p e c h a r i o t - r a c e
b e a k e r , r e a d e r s o f the Colchester Archaeologist c a n n o w p u r c h a s e a v e r s i o n o f t h e
gladiator beaker at a similar reduced price. This reproduction is an accurate, h a n d m a d e copy based directly o n t h e Colchester f r a g m e n t s a n d other examples. T h e
beakers are 6.6 c m s high a n d are m a d e in blue-green glass.
at £1 1 e a c h
(including post & packing)
— usual price £ 1 6 e a c h
( i n c l u d i n g p & p)
T o s u p p o r t t h e Colchester A r c h a e o l o g i c a l Trust, M a r k T a y l o r
a n d David Hill, w h o m a k e a m a g n i f i c e n t r a n g e of
r e p r o d u c t i o n R o m a n glass vessels, have m a d e a g e n e r o u s
offer t o d o n a t e £ 2 t o t h e Trust f o r every b e a k e r
p u r c h a s e d in this special offer. T h e s e superb l i g h t w e i g h t
beakers are m a d e entirely b y h a n d a n d b l o w n into t h r e e piece m o u l d s . T h e y m o k e a beautiful a d d i t i o n
to a n y display as well as being tactile, i n f o r m a t i v e
and fascinating ornaments.
This is n o t an o f f e r to be missed - a n d it helps t h e T r u s t as w e l l !
Please make all cheques payable to Colchester Archaeological Trust Ltd:
send your order, with cheque for £1 1 per item required
(inclusive of postage and packing), to
M a r k T a y l o r a n d D a v i d H i l l : Glassmakers,
U n i t 1 1 , Project W o r k s h o p s , Lains F a r m ,
Q u a r l e y , A n d o v e r , H a m p s h i r e SP11 8 P X .
Orders will be dispatched direct from the workshop as soon as they are
received, and will be sent individually boxed. (Catalogue sent on
request. Last year's offer of a Colchester Olympe chariot-roce beaker
is still available at the same price, ie £11 incl p & p.)
Offer ends December 1 9 9 9
25
Stepping back
into the past
Computers are increasingly
being used to recreate
archaeological sites for the
archaeologist and the
public alike. Computer
modelling can be verydemanding in terms of
hardware resources, even
for today's PCs, so that
intricate models can take a
long time for a PC to
produce. A d r i a n C l a r k
and the VRML t e a m at the
University of Essex are
working on fast, 'live'
modelling so that users can
wander at will inside the
model. Adrian explains the
way in which he plans to
help visitors to places like
the Gosbecks
Archaeological Park
literally step back into the
past.
26
Aficionados of television p r o g r a m m e s
s u c h a s Time Team w i l l b e f a m i l i a r w i t h
the
idea
of
producing
computer
reconstructions of buildings a n d artefacts
based
on
evidence
gathered
from
a r c h a e o l o g i c a l sites. T h e s e types o f
reconstructions are valuable in helping
the
viewer
visualise
the
complete
structure or artefact a n d how the remains
r e l a t e t o it. O f t e n , t h e s e r e c o n s t r u c t i o n s
have significant visual detail, w h i c h
means that rather powerful computers
are required to perform the calculations
necessary to convert a t h r e e - d i m e n s i o n a l
(3-D) m o d e l of the object into a picture.
In t h e last f e w years, however, t h e
c o m p u t e r g a m e s m a r k e t has catalysed
the development of graphics cards for
PCs
that
bring
these
types
of
reconstruction within the reach of the
home
user.
Hence,
the
Colchester
Archaeological Trust has been working
w i t h a t e a m of virtual reality researchers
a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Essex f o r a b o u t t w o
years
to
produce
computer
reconstructions of R o m a n buildings in t h e
Colchester
area.
These
can
be
downloaded and viewed by anyone with
an Internet connection a n d the appropriate (free) software.
T h e university t e a m consists o f t h e
author,
Dr
Christine
Clark
(3-D
m o d e l l i n g ) , Neill N e w m a n ( h a r d w a r e )
and
David
Johnston
(GPS
and
integration). T h e reconstructions use t h e
'virtual reality m o d e l l i n g l a n g u a g e ' o r
V R M L , w h i c h is a way of describing 3-D
scenes t o the c o m p u t e r . These V R M L
models are m a d e available over the
World-Wide
Web,
an
information
distribution system t h a t runs on the
Internet.
A l m o s t everyone w h o has used the
Internet will h a v e used a ' w e b browser',
probably either Netscape's Navigator
a n d Microsoft's Internet Explorer. The
vast m a j o r i t y of w e b p a g e s c o n t a i n only
text a n d pictures, so browsers have
built-in facilities for viewing them.
V R M L m o d e l s a r e still q u i t e r a r e , s o
b r o w s e r s u s e s u i t a b l e ' p l u g - i n s ' t o let
t h e user view t h e m . T h e best V R M L
plug-in for Netscape is called Cosmo
Player a n d c a n b e d o w n l o a d e d and
installed free of charge f r o m the website h t t p : / / w w w . c o s m o s o f t w a r e . c o m / .
Microsoft also have a V R M L plug-in for
Internet Explorer. W i t h a p l u g - i n installed,
when a web page containing a VRML
m o d e l is e n c o u n t e r e d , t h e m o d e l is
d o w n l o a d e d over t h e Internet into the
w e b browser a n d t h e plug-in allows the
u s e r t o m o v e his o r h e r v i e w p o i n t a r o u n d
the model.
Public
and
ceremonial
Roman
b u i l d i n g s n o r m a l l y f o l l o w a set of rules.
O n e d e s c r i p t i o n o f these rules, d u e t o
Vitruvius, has survived to t h e present.
A r m e d with these and some measurem e n t s t a k e n f r o m t h e site, it is possible to
produce a reasonable m o d e l of how the
buildings
should
have
looked.
The
university t e a m has p r o d u c e d software to
apply
these
Vitruvian
rules
to
m e a s u r e m e n t s taken f r o m plans provided
by the Trust and hence produce V R M L
models.
The
first
building
modelled
was
the
Temple of Claudius, the remains of which
were used as the f o u n d a t i o n s of the
c u r r e n t C o l c h e s t e r C a s t l e (see f a r left).
T h e m o d e l uses only a r c h a e o l o g i c a l
e v i d e n c e a n d h e n c e o m i t s details like
statues p o s i t i o n e d a t t h e t o p o f t h e stairs,
paint
on
the
walls,
and
so
on.
Nevertheless, it gives a g o o d idea of h o w
the temple looked almost two millennia
ago.
In 1 9 9 8 , t h e university t e a m p r o d u c e d
a reconstruction of t h e portico - t h e g i a n t
colonnaded building which is featured
today in the Gosbecks Archaeological
Park. A view f r o m a b o v e t h e m o d e l is
shown right a n d views f r o m within the
model are given below. As with the
Temple of Claudius, the Gosbecks model
deliberately o m i t s visual detail so t h a t it
c a n b e v i e w e d o n a P C (it i s a b i g m o d e l ) .
H o w e v e r , t h e m o d e l d o e s let o n e g a i n a n
impression of the scale of t h e portico a n d
the t e m p l e which it encloses.
Computer reconstructions such as
these are quite interesting,
but the
problem with t h e m is that they have to be
viewed at a c o m p u t e r miles away f r o m
t h e a c t u a l a r c h a e o l o g i c a l site. W h e n o n e
visits a s i t e , i t i s d i f f i c u l t t o r e l a t e t h e
m o d e l to the remains. (This applies even
w h e n there are m o d e l s in visitor centres
a t sites.) A t G o s b e c k s , w h e r e t h e r e i s little
visible e v i d e n c e a b o v e g r o u n d , this is a
particular problem.
T h e university t e a m is in t h e process of
d o i n g s o m e t h i n g a b o u t this using state of
the art c o m p u t e r t e c h n o l o g y . It is possible
to s h r i n k a f u l l y - f u n c t i o n a l PC i n t o a
p a c k a g e o f a b o u t t h e size o f a v i d e o
cassette. T h e idea is t h a t a visitor to t h e
G o s b e c k s site i s a b l e t o c a r r y w i t h t h e m a
so-called 'wearable' c o m p u t e r , which
c o n t a i n s t h e m o d e l o f t h e site. H e o r she
wears a virtual reality h e a d s e t in w h i c h
the m o d e l is s u p e r i m p o s e d - f r o m the
correct v i e w p o i n t , of course - on t h e real
world, a n d this c h a n g e s as t h e user walks
a r o u n d t h e site. W e a r a b l e c o m p u t e r s ,
such as the o n e s h o w n in the p h o t o g r a p h
on t h e left, a r e a r e c e n t i n n o v a t i o n .
Currently quite bulky, they m a y well be
little l a r g e r t h a n a w r i s t w a t c h w i t h i n a
decade. Indeed, m u c h of the space in the
current prototype is taken up with control
unit for the headset, which tracks the
orientation of the wearer's head as well
a s d i s p l a y i n g t h e m o d e l i n f r o n t o f his o r
h e r eyes, a n d t h e position sensor.
W e use G P S f o r p o s i t i o n i n g . T h i s uses
signals f r o m g r o u p s of A m e r i c a n satellites
to calculate position a n d can be accurate
to a few centimetres! (Global positioning
system or GPS for short was originally
conceived for military purposes such as
cruise missiles, b u t is n o w used very
widely for maritime, a n d even in-car,
navigation.)
If y o u h a v e I n t e r n e t access, visit t h e
web-site http://vase.essex.ac.uk/ to view
the V R M L models and to find out more
a b o u t the 'virtual tour guide'. W h o
knows, in a few years' time, you m i g h t be
walking
around
the
Gosbecks
site
wearing one!
Far left: Temple of Claudius model.
Left: a 'wearable' computer, which we
are using to produce 'virtual guided
tours' of the Gosbecks site, including
eventually the temple, the portico, and
the theatre.
Above: aerial view of the model of the
portico at Gosbecks.
Below: two views from inside the model of
the portico at Gosbecks.
Dr Adrian F. Clark,
VASE Laboratory,
Electronic Systems Engineering,
University of Essex,
Colchester, CQ4 3SQ.
27
Town life In old Essex
Nationally town centres are under all sorts
of development pressures, yet heritage
aspects are not to be ignored. English
Heritage is funding a nationwide project on
historic towns, which includes a survey of
the towns of Essex. The Archaeology
Section of the Essex County Council reviews
the development of town life in the county.
W h a t is a t o w n ?
T h e h i s t o r i c t o w n s o f Essex i n c l u d e
R o m a n , late Saxon, m e d i e v a l a n d early
post-medieval towns, some of which
are no longer urban in character. To be
a c c e p t e d as a ' t o w n ' f o r this survey, a
settlement h a d t o display five o r m o r e
urban characteristics:
having
been
granted a town charter; having town
defences; having religious buildings
such as a friary or t e m p l e or public
buildings such as a m o o t hall, courthouse or m a r k e t - h a l l ; or having a role
as an administrative centre.
Roman towns
The Romans introduced towns as we
know t h e m to England, although there
were already s o m e large late Iron A g e
s e t t l e m e n t s h e r e . I n R o m a n Essex, t h e
d o m i n a n t t o w n was of course Colchester. However, there were also a
number of smaller towns, many of
w h i c h w e r e b a s e d o n sites p r e v i o u s l y
occupied in t h e late Iron A g e . At Great
Chesterford
and
Chelmsford
the
R o m a n occupation appears to have
begun with the building of a fort, a n d
there m a y also have been a fort at
Kelvedon.
These
forts
were
only
occupied for a short period before
being e a c h s u p e r s e d e d by a civilian
settlement. All three h a d defences
enclosing t h e m . There were smaller
towns at Braintree a n d Great D u n m o w ,
in the form of ribbon development
a l o n g a r o u t e w a y , w i t h little t o w n
planning. The towns of Heybridge and
Harlow seem to have had a primarily
religious focus since at least t h e late
Iron A g e .
W h a t w a s life i n a R o m a n t o w n like?
This d e p e n d e d o n w h i c h t o w n y o u lived
in, with Great Chesterford or Chelmsford being considerably m o r e sophisticated than Great D u n m o w . However,
t h e y m u s t all h a v e served as m a r k e t
centres for the countryside a r o u n d
28
t h e m . I n H e y b r i d g e , t h e site o f t h e
market-place has been identified by
excavation, a n d the aerial photos for
G r e a t C h e s t e r f o r d suggest t h a t all t h e
roads led into a n o p e n space, p r o b a b l y
a m a r k e t - p l a c e . In C h e l m s f o r d t h e r e is
evidence for industrial bone- a n d h o r n processing within the t o w n , suggesting
t h a t live c a t t l e w e r e b r o u g h t i n f o r
resale a n d slaughter. T h e discovery o f
figs, c o r i a n d e r , lentils, w a l n u t s , m u l berries, g r a p e s , dates a n d c o n t a i n e r s
for Italian wines at Colchester provides
e v i d e n c e f o r a R o m a n i s e d w a y o f life
within the towns, a n d it is probable that
the equally exotic foodstuffs f o u n d on
t h e r u r a l site a t B o r e h a m ( i n c l u d i n g
pine kernels, olives, sweet chestnuts
a n d M e d i t e r r a n e a n fish) c a m e via t h e
market at Chelmsford.
Most buildings were timber-framed
w i t h plaster or w a t t l e infill. S o m e h a d
tiled roofs, but m o s t roofs were either
thatch
or shingle.
Only important
p u b l i c b u i l d i n g s w e r e i n m a s o n r y , like
t h e m a n s i o (official posting station) in
Chelmsford, a n d temples (such as the
T e m p l e of Claudius at Colchester).
Outside
the
town
were
the
c e m e t e r i e s , o f t e n w i t h little c l u s t e r s o f
what seem to be family grave-plots. At
Billericay,
one group of cremation
burials c o n t a i n e d f o u r children u n d e r
the age of twelve, two y o u n g w o m e n
each buried with a newborn baby
(presumably childbirth fatalities), t w o
adult m e n and three adult w o m e n .
Different
religious
practices
are
reflected in the archaeological record
of R o m a n towns. There are personal
religious items, such as statuettes of
Venus. Offerings which were dedicated
to the temples range f r o m everyday
items such as personal jewellery to
specialist items such as t h e m i n i a t u r e
axes a n d spearheads f o u n d at the
temple at Harlow. At Harlow, and
possibly also at H e y b r i d g e , it is t h o u g h t
that much of the town's economy may
Essex County Council
Planning
have
been
directed
towards
the
m a n u f a c t u r e a n d sale o f specialist
t e m p l e offerings. In a d d i t i o n there were
a n i m a l sacrifices; at b o t h Chelmsford
and Great Chesterford. Bone found at
t h e t e m p l e sites s h o w s t h a t y o u n g
sheep
from
special
herds
were
sacrificed.
Saxon towns
By the end of the R o m a n period, many
of the towns appear to have been in
decline.
Although
there
is
some
evidence for Saxon activity within the
R o m a n towns, it m a y not have been
u r b a n in nature. T h e t o w n s t h a t were
f o u n d e d during the Saxon period can
be divided into three groups: those that
were f o u n d e d as burhs (defensive
centres) by E d w a r d t h e Elder at the
beginning of the 10th century (Maldon,
W i t h a m ) , those that were based on
monastic
foundations
(Waltham
Abbey, St Osyth), and those that
a p p e a r to have h a d a primarily market
f u n c t i o n ( H o r n d o n - o n - t h e - H i l l ) . All the
t o w n s w e r e l o c a t e d o n royal estates.
T h e Domesday Book shows that many
of the medieval t o w n s were thriving
villages by t h e e n d of t h e Saxon period,
although
not necessarily urban in
character.
Medieval towns
T h e m e d i e v a l t o w n s o f Essex w e r e
mainly small m a r k e t towns, but with
variations. There are towns which were
closely associated with castles, as at
Castle H e d i n g h a m , Pleshey, Rayleigh
a n d Chipping Ongar. There are towns
which
were
associated
with
large
monastic institutions as at W a l t h a m
Abbey, St Osyth a n d Hatfield Broad
Oak. There are towns which were
f o u n d e d as a c o m m e r c i a l venture
(usually by the ecclesiastical authorities) as at Epping a n d B r e n t w o o d ,
w h i c h were intended to derive their
i n c o m e f r o m passing trade (pilgrims
m a r k e t days; B r e n t w o o d specialised as
the market-place for geese intended for
L o n d o n whilst at W a l t h a m A b b e y cattle
p r e d o m i n a t e d in both places the stock
was p e n n e d in yards behind t h e inns.
T h e earlier medieval period was a
t u r b u l e n t t i m e . In t h e years i m m e d i ately following the Conquest of 1 0 6 6
t h e new N o r m a n overlords built castles,
s o m e o f w h i c h f o r m t h e basis f o r later
t o w n s as at Rayleigh (one of the earliest
N o r m a n castles in E n g l a n d ) , Pleshey,
Saffron W a l d e n , Castle H e d i n g h a m ,
Chipping O n g a r a n d Colchester. All of
these t o w n s , except Rayleigh, were also
defended by t o w n enclosure ditches.
T h e civil w a r i n t h e f i r s t h a l f o f t h e 1 2 t h
century
led
to
further
defensive
building, followed by the deliberate
destruction
of
some
castles.
The
Peasants Revolt of 1381
b e g a n in
Essex i n B r e n t w o o d , f o l l o w e d b y o t h e r
uprisings
around the county,
and
c u l m i n a t e d in the murders of local
officials a n d the sacking of great
houses. In Harwich the threat c a m e
f r o m o u t s i d e Essex, f i r s t f r o m t h e m e n
of Ipswich whose trade the building of
Harwich had affected, a n d secondly
f r o m France and the Low Countries
w i t h raiding parties of ' D u n k i r k e r s ' even
burning the boats at anchor in Harwich
h a r b o u r itself.
Above: Grand posting station and bath-house in Roman Chelmsford (Frank Gardiner).
Opposite: Thaxted.
a n d weekly m a r k e t rents). T h e r e are
also t h e port t o w n s , w h i c h i n c l u d e t h e
larger ports o f H a r w i c h a n d M a l d o n
a n d t h e smaller ports o f W i v e n h o e a n d
Burnham-on-Crouch.
Some
of the
medieval
towns,
once
flourishing
m a r k e t towns, are n o w villages. Their
decline was due to a n u m b e r of factors,
including the closure of the abbeys
during the Reformation, the a b a n d o n m e n t o f castles a t t h e e n d o f t h e f e u d a l
p e r i o d , a n d f l u c t u a t i o n s i n t h e Essex
wool trade.
W h a t w a s life i n a m e d i e v a l t o w n like?
As in the Roman town, the medieval
buildings were largely built of t i m b e r
a n d plaster, w i t h stone b e i n g reserved
for the
most important structures,
usually churches a n d castles. In Saffron
W a l d e n there are 105 surviving t i m b e r framed buildings dating f r o m the 12th
to
the
16th
centuries,
including
domestic dwellings, shops (often with
residential quarters above), m o o t a n d
court
halls,
and
inns
and
public
buildings which could be hired o u t to
the guilds or for marriage-feasts or any
other public activity requiring a roof.
The
conventional
stereotype
of
m e d i e v a l life i s o f s q u a l o r a n d d i r t , a n d
this has s o m e basis in f a c t . M e d i e v a l
court
documents
demonstrate
a
preoccupation with discarded rubbish
from
m a r k e t stalls
and
shops
(in
particular butchers' shops) obstructing
traffic or c a u s i n g a health h a z a r d . In
Saffron W a l d e n , industrial waste (the
crocus petals f r o m the saffron industry)
were piled so h i g h in t h e H i g h Street
that they blocked the route. In addition
the courts d e a l t w i t h m a n y cases of pigs
rooting
up the highway,
boundary
encroachments, and poor maintenance
of ditches, ponds a n d eaves leading to
surface water problems. In s o m e towns
the t o w n ' b o m b e y ' or m i d d e n has been
located. In both M a l d o n and Thaxted,
t h e m i d d e n - w h i c h served as t h e
official refuse disposal system - was
located to the rear of the properties
which fronted on to
the
High
Street,
whilst in Chelmsford it was located
in the centre of the
m a r k e t - p l a c e
( p r e s u m a b l y to encourage the marTwo-year part-time course
ket traders to use
it).
C e n t r e for C o n t i n u i n g E d u c a t i o n
Certificate in British Archaeology
In
addition
to
t h e p e o p l e living in
the
town,
there
were
horses
and
donkeys for transport, cats a n d dogs
as pets, a n d pigs
and fowl
in the
yard c o n s u m i n g refuse and
supplementing
household
diets.
At a
number of towns,
areas
of
pasture
were m a d e available for the
exclusive use of the
townsfolk's
livestock (usually cattle). In Harwich the
use of t h e s e a marshes
for
this
purpose was known
as
the
right
of
' c o w g o i n g ' . In addition livestock was
brought
in
for
W h y not join an exciting new British Archaeology course,
beginning in A u t u m n 1 9 9 9 , and take the opportunity to
gain 80 C A T S credits at first year undergraduate level.
The course will cover the archaeology of the British Isles
f r o m pre-history to the sixteenth century. Study topics will
include archaeological techniques, British pre-history from
the Palaeolithic to the end of the Iron A g e , Roman Britain,
and the Early and later Medieval Periods. Field trips will
also be included.
Fee: £ 2 3 0 p.a. (tbc)
For further information, please contact:
Centre for Continuing Education, University of Essex,
Wivenhoe Park, Colchester C 0 4 3SQ.
Telephone: 0 1 2 0 6 8 7 2 5 1 9
E-mail: lor@essex.ac.uk
University of Essex
29
Archaeology f o r young people
STATELY HOME DETECTIVES
by Mike Corbishley
Historians o f t e n have to play detective to find o u t w h a t happened
hundreds of years ago. W h a t sort of detective w o u l d you make? Find
out by playing M u r d e r in t h e Billiard R o o m . In this g a m e , a m u r d e r has
been c o m m i t t e d in a g r a n d , historic house a n d your j o b is to piece
together the clues a n d c a t c h the murderer. You can play alone or get
friends or family to help.
The plot thickens
We have chosen the ruined 18thcentury A p p u l d u r c o m b e House on
t h e Isle o f W i g h t a s t h e s c e n e o f t h e
c r i m e . N o o n e lives t h e r e n o w , b u t
y o u h a v e to try to i m a g i n e it as a
beautiful stately h o m e o w n e d by
John a n d Olivia Blake. T h e y have a
m a i d , Jane Reynolds, a n d three
guests, James Smith, Sebastian
Fogey a n d Pauline Prince, w h o have
c o m e t o stay f o r t h e w e e k e n d . O n
S a t u r d a y e v e n i n g , a m u r d e r is
c o m m i t t e d in t h e Billiard R o o m .
James Smith is d e a d !
A 9 9 9 call is l o g g e d at 1 0 . 2 8 pm
a n d t h e police - t h a t ' s y o u - arrive at
1 0 . 4 5 p m . Y o u inspect the r o o m .
James Smith is lying, shot d e a d in
t h e Billiard R o o m , w h i c h has f o u r
doors, north, south, east a n d west
(see p l a n ) . T h e r e i s o n e billiard c u e
on the green baize table but t w o
cigar stubs in t h e ashtray. T h e r e is
no sign of the m u r d e r w e a p o n .
Y o u quickly establish that only
John Blake, Olivia Blake, Sebastian
Fogey, Pauline Prince a n d Jane
Reynolds were in t h e house at t h e
time of the murder: you take t h e m
into the D r a w i n g R o o m o n e by o n e
and take their statements (right).
Y o u m i g h t like t o use c o l o u r e d
counters or buttons to check the
suspects' stories a b o u t h o w t h e y
moved round the house.
As you weigh up the evidence, your
assistant tells y o u a g u n a n d silencer
have just been f o u n d
under the Dining
Do you
arrest
30
have
someone?
in the
bushes
Room window
enough
evidence to
31
the Friends
of the Colchester
Archaeological Trust
Out and about...
T h e year started off as usual with a
series o f illustrated t a l k s o u t l i n i n g t h e
m a i n discoveries o f t h e previous year.
In t h e past, we h a v e c o m e perilously
close to running o u t of space in the
Castle lecture r o o m , so this t i m e the
event was held in the Lion Walk
Congregational Church. Later in the
y e a r , t h e r e w e r e f o u r o u t i n g s , a site
visit, a n d a h a n d s - o n session, all of
w h i c h t h e m e m b e r s s e e m e d t o greatly
enjoy.
T o m Plunket o f the Ipswich M u s e u m
g a v e a m o s t i n t e r e s t i n g t o u r o f his
m u s e u m , a n d showed t h a t there is a
great deal m o r e to Ipswich M u s e u m
than the splendid woolly m a m m o t h
w h i c h greets visitors n e a r t h e f r o n t
entrance.
A c o n d u c t e d t o u r of H a r w i c h also
proved m o s t enjoyable. Friends were
s h o w n r o u n d historic H a r w i c h by a
m e m b e r o f t h e H a r w i c h Society. W e
visited
the
Redoubt,
the
Electric
Palace, the Low Lighthouse, and the
Treadmill Crane. A most memorable
day finished with a superb tea provided
by the ladies of St Nicholas C h u r c h in
aid of the church restoration f u n d .
Friends at the Butser
Ancient Farm (above) and
being given a guided tour at
Fishbourne Roman Palace
(left).
The
annual
churches
trip was
conducted by Martin Stuchfield w h o is
a well k n o w n e x p e r t on c h u r c h brasses.
C h u r c h e s visited i n c l u d e d H o l b r o o k ,
East B e r g h o l t , a n d Little W e n h a m .
T h e m o s t a m b i t i o u s o f t h e trips was
a n a l l - d a y visit t o H a m p s h i r e a n d W e s t
Sussex to see
Fishbourne
Roman
palace a n d Butser A n c i e n t F a r m . It was
a day of stark contrasts: t h e reconstructed r o u n d houses at Butser in
w h i c h t h e Britons lived, a n d the huge,
overblown palace built by the Romans
to
impress
and
intimidate
their
relatively n e w subjects. Peter Reynolds,
director at Butser, g a v e a m o s t m e m o r able talk in the great roundhouse
w h i c h he h a d largely built himself. Here
he explained to an entralled audience
h o w Butser started a n d h o w it v as not a
reconstructed prehistoric f a r m , but an
o p e n - a i r l a b o r a t o r y . G r e a t stuff.
O n e s u m m e r ' s e v e n i n g , over seventy
Friends t u r n e d o u t to be given a special
guided tour of the Trust's excavation in
L o n g W y r e S t r e e t ( s e e p a g e s 4-6).
T h e s e d a y s , it is rare to see e x p o s e d
R o m a n remains in Colchester town
centre a n d H o w a r d Brooks of the Trust
was glad of the chance to explain what
had been uncovered.
Peter Berridge sharing the joy of
40,000-year-old flints from Clacton
with Friends of CAT at the 'hands-on
flints' session in Colchester museum.
32
T h e final event of the year was a
hands-sessions called ' T h e joy of flints'
w h e r e Peter Berridge ( w h o is in charge
of the Castle M u s e u m ) explained with
infectious e n t h u s i a s m t h e intricacies of
that most ancient of crafts,
flint
k n a p p i n g . H e insisted t h a t w e h a d t o
share the flint 'experience' by handling
t h e flints a n d t a k i n g a t u r n to help
polish a new flint axe.
The Essex Society for Archaeology
and History: Past and Present
Chris T h o r n t o n
If y o u w o u l d like
f u t u r e issues o f o u r m a g a z i n e
The
Colchester Archaeologist
sent
to
y o u direct, t h e n w h y n o t c o n s i d e r
j o i n i n g t h e Friends o f t h e C o l c h e s t e r
A r c h a e o l o g i c a l Trust? T h e Friends o f
t h e Colchester A r c h a e o l o g i c a l T r u s t is
a g r o u p w h i c h exists to k e e p
interested m e m b e r s o f t h e p u b l i c i n
touch with the work of the Trust in
a n d a r o u n d t h e historic t o w n o f
Colchester. M e m b e r s receive a yearly
m a g a z i n e , a t t e n d a n a n n u a l lecture
a b o u t t h e previous year's w o r k , a r e
given c o n d u c t e d t o u r s o f c u r r e n t sites,
a n d can take part in a p r o g r a m m e of
visits to a r c h a e o l o g i c a l sites,
m u s e u m s , historic b u i l d i n g s a n d
a n c i e n t m o n u m e n t s i n t h e Colchester
area and beyond.
The
Colchester
Archaeologist
is
p u b l i s h e d w i t h f u n d s provided b y t h e
Friends.
T h e a n n u a l subscription rates
a r e as f o l l o w s :
A d u l t s a n d institutions £ 3 . 5 0
Family membership
£4.50
C h i l d r e n a n d students
£2.50
If y o u w a n t to join
t h e Friends o f t h e Colchester
Archaeological Trust,
y o u r subscription s h o u l d be sent t o :
M a u r e e n Jones, H o n o r a r y Treasurer,
t h e Friends o f t h e Colchester
A r c h a e o l o g i c a l Trust,
5 Ashwin Avenue,
Copford,
Essex C 0 6 1BS
Founded as long a g o as 1 8 5 2 by forty
o r s o Essex l a d i e s a n d g e n t l e m e n w h o
m e t in Colchester T o w n hall 'for the
purpose of reading papers, exhibiting
a n t i q u i t i e s , d i s c u s s i o n , e t c ' , t h e Essex
Society for A r c h a e o l o g y a n d History
has h a d a long a n d productive past.
T h e m o d e r n society a i m s t o bring
t o g e t h e r all
those
who
share
a
c o m m o n i n t e r e s t i n Essex a n d t o
support and encourage the extension
of k n o w l e d g e a b o u t t h e county's past.
W h i l e it is neither as w e l l - e n d o w e d n o r
as large as s o m e long-established
archaeological
societies
in
other
counties, it continues to provide m a n y
s e r v i c e s f o r its c 3 5 0 p e r s o n a l m e m bers i n c l u d i n g a regular p r o g r a m m e of
excursions
and
events.
Although
m e m b e r s now tend to travel independently to meetings rather than
e n masse b y c h a r a b a n c o r b i c y c l e a s
they did in the past, these outings are
still s o c i a l a s w e l l a s e d u c a t i o n a l . T h e
p r o g r a m m e c o m m i t t e e trys t o a r r a n g e
visits t o p l a c e s o f i n t e r e s t t o w h i c h
access is normally restricted, a n d m o s t
trips are a c c o m p a n i e d by an expert
talk
and
a
tea.
Forthcoming
a t t r a c t i o n s i n 1 9 9 9 i n c l u d e visits t o t h e
Tudor and Georgian mansion at Gosfield H a l l a n d o n e t o Little B r a x t e d
Church and the detached medieval
k i t c h e n at Little Braxted H a l l . In
a d d i t i o n , t h e society holds an a n n u a l
lecture a n d an a n n u a l dinner on
separate occasions to celebrate the
1 8 t h - c e n t u r y c o u n t y historian, Philip
Morant.
A l t h o u g h the society no longer
conducts archaeological excavations,
its m e m b e r s h i p i s still h e a v i l y i n v o l v e d
in both original research a n d the
dissemination of i n f o r m a t i o n . Each
year it publishes a j o u r n a l , free to full
m e m b e r s , k n o w n a s Essex A r c h a e o l o g y
a n d History. T h e journal, typically over
3 0 0 pages long and produced to a
very h i g h s t a n d a r d , is full of t h e latest
research
findings
and
excavation
reports
by county
historians
and
a r c h a e o l o g i s t s . T h e next issue, d u e o u t
in the spring of 1 9 9 9 , contains a w i d e
range of interesting material including
' A Late Bronze A g e hoard f r o m V a n g e ' ,
' P e a s a n t s in Essex c 1 2 0 0 - c 1 3 4 0 ' ,
and
Warwick
Rodwell's
nationally
important
article
on
Holy
Trinity
Church, Bradwell-juxta-Coggeshall. A
newsletter is issued at least t w i c e a
year a n d the society is currently
c o n s i d e r i n g t h e c o m m i s s i o n of a series
of occasional pamphlets on special
subjects
which
will
be
free
to
members.
Recently t h e society has l a u n c h e d a
fascinating research project into t h e
h i s t o r y o f Essex f i e l d - a n d p l a c e - n a m e s
( t h e Essex P l a c e - N a m e P r o j e c t , o r
EPNP for short) which has attracted a
great deal of interest. Over
100
hundred
volunteers
have
been
extracting field n a m e s f r o m
19thcentury tithe awards for entry into a
computerised database in collaboration
with
the
Essex
County
Council's
Sites
and
Monuments
Record. Funding grants have been
forthcoming
from
Essex
County
C o u n c i l , t h e Essex H e r i t a g e T r u s t a n d ,
m o s t recently, t h e C o u n c i l f o r British
Archaeology
'Challenge
Funding'
s c h e m e . T h e project is a b o u t to start
publishing t h e tithe a w a r d details with
accompanying maps in conjunction
w i t h t h e Essex R e c o r d O f f i c e , a n d a n
a n n u a l s e m i n a r is held with an invited
expert speaker. Later stages of the
project will investigate t h e earlier
documentary evidence for the fieldand
place-names
and
will
also
encompass on-the-ground inspection
for
landscape
or
archaeological
features that m a y be linked to the
recorded names.
T h e early archaeological collections
of t h e society have g r o w n into w h a t is
n o w t h e i m p o r t a n t Colchester Castle
Museum,
m a n a g e d by Colchester
Borough Council. Through a longstanding agreement with the Council,
t h e s o c i e t y h a s a c c o m m o d a t i o n f o r its
library w i t h i n Hollytrees M u s e u m in
Colchester.
The
society's
library
contains a comprehensive collection
of books relating to t h e history a n d
a r c h a e o l o g y of t h e county, as well as
t h e journals o f m a n y similar societies
t h r o u g h o u t Britain. It also subscribes
t o m a n y specialist o t h e r publications.
M e m b e r s o f t h e s o c i e t y c a n visit t h e
library to study or b o r r o w books.
General enquires to
Honorary
Secretary,
75
Victoria Road,
Maldon,
Essex,
CM9 5HE.
M e m b e r s h i p a n d EPNP enquiries:
Honorary
Membership
Secretary,
27 Tor Bryan,
33
some
small
finds
from
Gosbecks
These
are f r o m
recent
Trust
excavations
—
Roman
(top left): corroded iron head of a spear
or a ballista bolt, and (above) a copperalloy fitting, probably part of a military
horse harness;
(top right): copper-alloy rosette brooch,
and (above right) an unusual find, a
copper-alloy brooch with ring.
British
(right): coin inscribed CAMV for Camulodunum, the original name for Colchester.
34
Colchester Archaeological Trust