RIBCHESTER (Bremetenacum Veteranorum)		Quality of Remains
		Ease of Access
		Atmosphere & Setting

History:

The latin name of this fort is Bremetenacum Veteranorum or 'The veteran settlement on the hill'. Indeed, though the remains visible in Ribchester belong to a military installation, both the name of the site and the local archeological evidence suggest that veterans were settled in the good arable area around the fort, reclaiming the land with drainage channels. The first documented veteran land grants here were at the end of the second century, in the Severan period. The vast wealth of coins found at Ribchester date from the Republican period right through to the late fourth century, suggesting a long period of occupation ending perhaps only when Roman government pulled out of Britain. The discovery of seven republican coins may suggest that Ribchester was the site of an early fort, long before the extant remains, though this is unsure. The largest coin groups belong to the Flavian period, and indeed the earliest installation found at the site was a Flavian timber fort of around 80 AD. Other large groups of coins show a great deal of activity during the reigns of Trajan, Hadrian and Antoninus Pius (around 100 to 160 AD), during which time the fort continued to be occupied, with a rebuilding in stone at some point in this period. The fort suffered twice, being damaged and restored in the Severan period (around 196 AD) and then destroyed and rebuilt at the beginning of the fourth century. A large number of Constantinian coins found confirm a rebuilding and heavy occupation sometime after 306 AD.

Occupation:

Ribchester was constructed by the men of the Twentieth Legion Valeria Victrix, though there is no reason to suspect that they were ever stationed there. Indeed, the fort itself is an auxiliary cavalry fort as befits an area with gentle rolling hills suitable for horses. There is a suggestion that Ribchester became a horse-breeding and training centre, perhaps drawing on the experience of settled cavalry veterans. The earliest unit attested here are the 2nd Ala of Asturians (from northern Spain), a cavalry wing 500 strong. The next unit for which there is evidence is the 1st Ala of Sarmatians. This adds weight to the theory of a centre of equine industry, as the Sarmatians were a people from the steppes beyond the Danube, renowned for their skills with horses. The Sarmatians were at best nominally obliged to Rome at this time, though a large number of their people were invested in the Roman military as auxiliary cavalry under Marcus Aurelius and transferred to Britain. The reputation of the Sarmatians was wild and they may have been difficult to keep control of, as both a 'singularius consularis' (a senior officer on the Governor's staff) and a 'praepositus regionis' (a regional commander) were assigned to Ribchester at different times in the third century, not part of standard procedure by a long way. The potential danger the Sarmatian cavalry presented to their Roman masters is illustrated in the fact that the Sarmatians were the very same Huns and Goths that were responsible for the fall of the Western Empire some hundred and fifty years later. The Notitia Dignitatum of the late fourth century also notes a small unit (or cuneus) of Sarmatians based at Ribchester under the command of the Dux Britannia.

Remains and Visit:

Ribchester is a small and picturesque village on the edge of the pennines and one of the more peaceful and pleasant Roman sites to visit in the north. While the visible remains are not vast, there is an excellent museum close to the church, which overlies a large portion of the fort. The museum contains a replica of the famous bronze cavalry parade helmet, the original of which is now in the British Museum. The 'Ribchester Helmet' is one of the best cavalry finds ever made in Britain. Close to the museum are the consolidated remains of granaries of unusual construction, one of the two consolidated areas of stonework. The other lies across the village, reachable by a path with a view of the river. This site, lying in the civilian settlement outside the fort, is a bath house in a small park open during the spring and summer months. These are the only two sites of seriously consolidated stonework, though fragments can be found all over Ribchester. There are column bases and capitals outside the museum, the remains of a Roman well not far away, though rather hard to find, and re-used Roman columns on display in the porch of the White Bull in the village centre.

Images:

Granaries	Columns by the museum	Re-used columns at the White Bull
Bath house	Bath house	Aerial view (c/o Google Earth)