Arbeia

Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum
Reconstructed gateway
Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum
Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum shown within Tyne and Wear
OS grid reference NZ365679
Coordinates 55°00′14″N 1°25′48″W / 55.004°N 1.430°W / 55.004; -1.430Coordinates: 55°00′14″N 1°25′48″W / 55.004°N 1.430°W / 55.004; -1.430
List of places
UK
England
Tyne and Wear

Arbeia was a large Roman fort in South Shields, Tyne & Wear, England, now ruined, and which has been partially reconstructed. It was first excavated in the 1870s and all modern buildings on the site were cleared in the 1970s. It is managed by Tyne and Wear Museums as Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum.

Original fort

The fort stands on the Lawe Top, overlooking the River Tyne. Founded in 120 AD, The Roman Fort guarded the main sea route to Hadrian's Wall.[1] It later became the maritime supply fort for Hadrian's Wall, and contains the only permanent stone-built granaries yet found in Britain.[2] It was occupied until the Romans left Britain in the 5th century.

A possible meaning for "Arbeia" is "fort of the Arab troops",[3] referring to the fact that part of its garrison at one time was a squadron of Mesopotamian boatmen from the Tigris. From archaeological evidence, such as the gravestone of Victor, described below, it is known that a squadron of Spanish cavalry, the First Asturian, was stationed there. It was common for forts to be manned by units originally from elsewhere in the empire, though often enough these would assimilate and end up by recruiting locally.

Through the course of history of Arbeia, the fort has had several guises; From a busy cosmopolitan port to being the Roman Emperor's HQ for the Scottish invasion. It was a huge supply base for the Roman army, having hosted 600 Roman troops and is said to be the birthplace of the Northumbrian King Oswin.[4]

Museum

Two monuments in the museum at Arbeia testify to the cosmopolitan nature of its shifting population. One commemorates Regina, a British woman of the Catuvellauni tribe (approximately modern Hertfordshire). She was first the slave, then the freedwoman and wife of Barates, a merchant from Palmyra (now part of Syria) who, evidently missing her greatly, set up a gravestone after she died at the age of 30. (Barates himself is buried at the nearby fort of Coria (Corbridge).) The second commemorates Victor, another former slave, freed by Numerianus of the Ala I Asturum, who also arranged his funeral ("piantissime": with all devotion) when Victor died at the age of 20. The stone records that Victor was "of the Moorish nation".

The museum also holds an altarpiece to a previously unknown god and a tablet with the name of the Emperor Alexander Severus (died 235) chiselled off.

Wall painting at Arbeia.

Reconstruction

The Reconstruction of the fort has been accomplished using research which was undertaken following excavations, standing where it had originally existed during the Roman occupation of Britain.

A Roman gatehouse, barracks and Commanding Officer's house have been reconstructed on their original foundations. The gatehouse holds many displays related to the history of the fort, and its upper levels provide an overview of the archaeological site.

References

  1. ↑ "About Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort | Arbeia South Shields Roman Fort". arbeiaromanfort.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  2. ↑ "Feeding the army". Archaeology. 70 (3): 33. May–June 2017. ISSN 0003-8113. Retrieved 8 July 2017 – via EBSCO's Master File Complete (subscription required)
  3. ↑ Bruce, John (2006). Handbook to the Roman Wall. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Society of Antiquaries.
  4. ↑ "About Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort | Arbeia South Shields Roman Fort". arbeiaromanfort.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
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