BIRDOSWALD (Banna/Camboglanna)		Quality of Remains
		Ease of Access
		Atmosphere & Setting

History:

The name of Birdoswald in the Roman period is disputable. Three sources indicate that Birdoswald and Castlesteads are Banna and Camboglanna, but do not clearly indicate which is which and, unless inscribed evidence is found on one of the sites, we will never be sure. I choose to refer to it as Banna, preferring the evidence of the Rudge Cup to that of the notitia dignitatum.

The first fort at Birdoswald was a turf and timber cavalry fort contemporary with the building of the wall. It marked the end of the stone section of Hadrian's wall to the east and the start of the turf wall to the west and the vallum was taken in a U shape around the fort. With a gorge to the south and a slope to the north, the fort was in a very defensive position and defended the Willowford bridge across the Irthing a short distance to the east. A few years later the wall to the west was replaced on a slightly different alignment in stone and the fort was rebuilt on a larger scale as an infantry installation, also in stone. To accomodate this larger fort, the vallum had to be filled in. Inscriptions tell us that the fort was in a ruinous state around 300 AD and that major repair works were undertaken then. A vicus or civilian settlement grew up on the east side of the fort but at some point, possibly due to landslides, was moved wholesale to the opposite side.

Occupation:

The occupants of the first fort at Birdoswald are unknown, and the first unit we have evidence for are the 1st Cohort of Thracians around 205 AD. This may have been when the unit left, or they may not have been the garrison, but a temporary occupant, because some time around 205 AD they had been replaced by the 1st Cohort of Aelian Dacians and the Thracians were also attested at Bowes in this period. The 1st Cohort of Aelian Dacians are attested on inscriptions from then until at least 276 AD and the notitia dignitatum states that this unit was still in residence at the end of Roman rule in Britain.

Remains and Visit:

The museum at the entrance to the site occupies the old farm buildings. Once outside, you enter the fort through the west gate. The barely-discernable remains of the original turf wall are visible in the next field from the west gate. They run at a southwest angle from the fort. The circuit of walls is almost complete on the east, south and west sides and the walls are high and in a good state of preservation. Gates are visible and well-preserves, with ovens unearthed next to the south gate. Of the buildings within the fort, the only ones to have been excavated and consolidated are the granaries and an exercise hall. When the site was independantly owned there was constant excavation here, but the site has now come into the hands of English Heritage and accordingly all excavation and work on the site has stopped. This is a shame, because the headquarters building is clearly visible in the centre of the fort as a remarkably outstanding set of earthworks and almost certainly warrants excavation. The views from the south of the fort across the Irthing valley are exceptional.

Images:

Granaries	Heaquarters building	East gate	Southeast fort corner	Ovens by south gate