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Author
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Topic: Roman Structures
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mickleg
Member
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posted 01-13-2000 12:25 PM
  
I am researching Roman Structures and English Castles of the 5th century. I was curious if Brick was a common building material or if all castles were built entirely of stone. I understand that many Medeival Castles did include brick when stone was not available... Is this true in the place and time that I am researching? |
Philip Davis
unregistered
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posted 01-13-2000 02:21 PM
Strictly speaking there are no English castles from the 5th century. Castles are fortified residences of feudal lords and feudalism is a medieval invention. However the Romans did build a considerable number of forts during their time in britannia. Most of these forts are associated with the 1st century conquest but during the late 3th century raids by saxon pirates led to the building of a number of forts on the south and east cost of England. These were meant to be permanent structures, unlike most of the campaigning forts, and were built with stone walls, often with layers of bricklike tiles. The fort at Richborough has cut stone cubes of pale limestone and dark ironstone used with layers of red tiles to produce a decoratative chequerboard effect. Pictures of Richborough and two another forts of the saxon shorePorchester and Burgh castle can be seen at http://orb.rhodes.edu/encyclop/early/origins/rom_celt/images/OrbImages.html .
By the 5th century the romans had left britain and most roman structures seem to have been abandoned. The saxons did not appear to build fortifications until the viking raids of the 8th-11th centuries, although they may have used earlier roman and pre roman forts.
Medieval castles did reuse roman brick (as at 11th century Colchester castle) or used new bricks a few centuries later (Tattershall Castle has a fine brick tower). But 5th England is a time when it appears all new buildings were of wood.
I'm struck that the 5th century is neither roman nor castle related and am wondering if you have mistyped the date.------------------
Neurotics build castles in the air, psychotics live in them, Psychiatrists charge the rent, art therapists do the interior design and nurses clean out the garderobes!
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mickleg
Member
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posted 01-14-2000 09:39 AM
I appologize for sounding ignorant. You did answer my inquiry. Upon reading my question, I can see why you were doubting the date which I posted. I am specifically researching two issues. Where did medieval engineering take it's most prominent roots? Was it based upon a Roman tradition or did the Saxons bring their own knowledge to the table? Is it not true most Medieval castles were built upon Roman structures? This would make sense as the most strategic land would have been chosen for fortification. Also, and I'm sure this question will either make you laugh or kick me out of the group... if the Arthurian Legend were supposed to take place during the 4th and 5th Centuries, was it most likely the structures were not Castles but old Roman Forts? Was this figure then, the man some believe to be an ex-roman soldier, simply living in ruins and leading from deserted structures? Just a childish curiosity.... |
Philip Davis
unregistered
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posted 01-14-2000 02:02 PM
I can only really give an opinion for English castles. I'm not sure if your enquiries are exclusively about english castles, but you mentioning saxons implies so.
The saxons did develope an architectural style, which featured semicircular arches and, therefore, was influenced by Roman architecture. However it also had some quirks which were unique and probably a stone representation of previous wood building styles. Triangular windows are the most noted part of this.
However, the saxons did not build castles, as such, so saxon architecture is not represented in castles, with the solitary exception of the gate house of Exeter castle., where a saxon builder appears to have been employed by the Normans.
The Normans, who built the castle of England, derived their architectural style from the European Romanesque style. This, as it's name implies, was heavily based on roman architecture, notable featuring the semi-circular arch for windows, doors and blind arcading. However columns had a simple pillow capitol rather than the elaborate ionic or corinthian capitols of high status Roman building. The Normans were also much more free in their use of decorative carving of stone, using either geometric forms (the chevron is characteristic) or crude figures. This probable represents a germanic influence on their architecture, either from their direct Viking ancestors or from the Francs (or possible both).
However much of the basic knowledge was a shared knowledge, after all the construction a thick wall has a limited number of options. Neither the Norman or the Saxon understood the production of cement, and did not appear to produce bricks (although both reused roman brick).
Some castles were built on Roman sites (Colchester was built on temple site) for strategic reasons, as you say, and just to save the cost of building new walls. However I don't think you could say the majority are. I haven't done a full count but my guess would be about 10% of English castle are associated with roman sites. Of 28 Norman sites, for which I have records, in Hampshire, Porchester is in a Roman Fort, Winchester is in a Roman town and a minor earthwork is associated with a Roman villa.
As to Arthur, as a roman-briton I suppose he would have been happy to use Roman sites. Of the available roman forts in the South West (Arthur's supposed area of operations) Caerwent, in Monmouthshire, still has substantial walls remaining to this day.------------------
Neurotics build castles in the air, psychotics live in them, Psychiatrists charge the rent, art therapists do the interior design and nurses clean out the garderobes!
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wurdsmiff
unregistered
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posted 01-14-2000 04:20 PM
From a Scottish perspective, Arthur's legend extends to the north, in that one of the British kingdoms, that of Strathclyde had it's capital at Dumbarton, then known as Al Cluyd, or Clyde Rock. The kingdom extended from the head of Loch Lomond at Clach nam Breutann (stone of the Britons), incorporating what is now Cumbria down the west coast as far as Morecombe Bay. The majority of that land lay within what had previously been the Roman Empire, everything south of Clyde and Forth marked off by the Antonine Wall. Within that area the natives seem to have lived more in hill forts rather than occupying old Roman sites, and later occupation only becomes evident in a few cases as these corresponded with the motte and baileys of the 11th century Norman immigrants, or of even later stone keeps. The Romans in Scotland tended to choose lower lying sites of strategic importance, such as at the intersection of major travel routes and rivers.
Dumbarton, or Dunbarton as it was then spelt, is a case in point. Although later the site of a Royal castle, it was originally a large hill fort, built upon the twin peaks of a volcanic stack which protrudes from the Firth of Clyde. The fort consisted of dyking, which included stone around the circumference of the peaks, allowing defence of the approach with an advantage of height. Accomodation within was thought to be in wooden huts. Originally only a narrow strip of land joined the site to the mainland
and a few succesful early assaults were by sea.
It represents a typical site chosen by these early people, and legend abounds in the area of Arthurian activity. In Glen Douglas, on the west bank of Loch Lomond, Arthur is reputed to have battled with his highland neighbours, and at Castlehill in Dumbarton, the mound preserved as the site of Robert 1's manor of Cardross is referred to as Arthur's Castle on old Ordnance Survey maps. It is more likely however that this is a motte with no earlier history.
Even at Stirling (once Snowdoun), the King's Knot, a mediaeval landscape feature, is alleged to represent the earthen plinth of the round table. Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh is probably a corruption of Archer's Seat, and is outwith the area occupied by the Brtitish.
Again both Edinburgh and Stirling make the point about higher non-Roman sites being used by later people as hill forts, as do the many duns which are known around the southern uplands.
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'Give me the groves that lofty brave,
The storms, by Castle Gordon'.
Visit my web-site at
www.castlesontheweb.com/members/wurdsmiff/castles.htm Gordon. |
wurdsmiff
unregistered
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posted 01-16-2000 10:24 AM
Have just been reading sections of 'The Age of Arthur' by John Morris, Weidenfeld, London, 1973. He argues that hilltop sites were preferred in the west coast, ie British areas, because there were fewer usable Roman sites there, due to its more mountainous topography. ------------------
'Give me the groves that lofty brave,
The storms, by Castle Gordon'.
Visit my web-site at
www.castlesontheweb.com/members/wurdsmiff/castles.htm Gordon. |
Philip Davis
unregistered
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posted 01-16-2000 03:24 PM
This isn't really my area of interest, but their seem, to me, to be several usable roman sites in the South West. Cardiff, Caerwent and Caerleon in south Wales, Cirenchester, Exeter, Bath, Gloucester, Worcester in England. Not all of these have existing roman fortification today but may well have had in the 6th century. It is true that Iron age hill forts are much more numerous than this. However in the end Arthur seems to have been fighting a guerrilla war, thus he would have probably have moved about around supportive settlement and villages gaining recruits and supplies and is unlikely to have had a fixed base.------------------
Neurotics build castles in the air, psychotics live in them, Psychiatrists charge the rent, art therapists do the interior design and nurses clean out the garderobes!
http://www.castlesontheweb.com/members/philipdavis/index.html |
wurdsmiff
unregistered
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posted 01-17-2000 12:35 PM
Nor mine, but I just happened to have the aforementioned text available, and thought it might interest mickleg. Whilst his comment rang true for west Scotland, I cannot authoritavely comment on Welsh or English sites.
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'Give me the groves that lofty brave,
The storms, by Castle Gordon'.
Visit my web-site at
www.castlesontheweb.com/members/wurdsmiff/castles.htm Gordon. [This message has been edited by wurdsmiff (edited 01-17-2000).] | |
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