Her is another digital reconstruction showing how Hadrian’s villa would have looked
Video by Matthew Brennan and made available through Youtube.
Archive for the ‘Roman History’ Category
Hadrians Villa Reconstructed
Posted: June 6, 2017 in History, Roman HistoryTags: Ancient Rome, Hadrian's Villa
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A couple of weeks ago I posted a link to a tour through a virtual reconstruction of Rome of 320AD. Here is another video which looks at the remains of the Forum as they are today and what they were like when they were built.
Video by Jane Eyre and made available through You-tube
Tunnel Archaeology
Posted: May 30, 2017 in History, London, Medieval History, Post medieval history, Roman History, UKTags: Crossrail
I recently visited an exhibition on the ‘Archaeology of Crossrail’. Crossrail is the building of a new railway line in London which goes from the east to the west through central London. It will be known as the Elizabeth line when it is completed and opens in 2018-9. During the construction of the line, a number of archaeological sites have been excavated by the full-time archaeology team attached to the project. This exhibition shows some of the finds.
Mammoth Tusk
Mesolithic Flints
Roman writing Stylii
Bone ice-skate. records as early as 12th-century record people strapping pieces of bone to shoes and skating on frozen marshland. Found at Moorfield Marsh.
Tombstone from New Churchyard (1570-1740). 1665 was the year of the great plague in London. Testing remains from this cemetery has revealed the first identification of the 1665 plague pathogen enabling scientists to formally link it to the Bubonic plague of the 14th century, known as the Black Death.
Food manufacturers Crosse and Blackwell were founded in 1830 and moved to a site near Charing Cross Road in 1838. Archaeologists found over 13000 pieces of ceramics on this site.
Bison bone – dating reveals it to be 68000 years old.
The earth removed from the tunnels has been used to create a new RSPB nature reserve in Essex at Wallasea Marsh.
The exhibition runs until September 2017 at the Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay.
The London Stone
Posted: May 26, 2017 in History, London, Medieval History, Post medieval history, Roman History, UKTags: London Stone, Museum of London
London Stone (on display in the Museum of London) May 2017
The London Stone is a city landmark which traditionally stood in a grilled alcove in a wall at 111 Cannon Street. It is the remains of ageing much larger limestone object, which seems to have stood on the site, or nearby, for many centuries.
A map of 1550 shows the stone located opposite St Swithern’s church in Candlewick Street (now known as Cannon Street). The first documented reference is in 1598, when the London historian John Stow, records ” a great stone called London Stone”. He claims it was listed in a bible from the reign of King Aethelstan (924-39) in a list of properties of Christchurch Canterbury ( a.k.a. Canterbury Cathedral) ” being near to London Stone”. A further reference is found in documents of 1098 and 1108 of a man called “Eadwaker aet lundene stane” (Eadwacker at London Stone), who gives a property, or properties, to the Cathedral. It seems this use in names became fairly common as there are a number of mediaeval references, where people add the term ” of London’s stone” to their names. Most notable of these is Ailwen of London Stone, father of Henry Fitz-Alwen, Mayor of London from 1193 to 1212. It is known that the Fitz-Alwen house was located in Candlewick Street.
In 1540, the rebel Jack Cade made his way to the city stopping at the stone. He struck the stone with his sword claiming to be the Lord of the city. It is unclear whether this is something he had made up or whether there was some ritual regarding city Lordship which he was imitating.
Jade Cade at London Stone. By editor: Howard Staunton; artist Sir John Gilbert (1817-1897) – Works of William Shakespeare (London: Routledge, 1881) vol 8, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25663723
By Elizabethan times, the stone had become associated with King Lud, the legendary founder of the city of London. It is listed in Samuel Rowland’s ‘Sights of London‘ published in 1608. In 1671, members of the spectacle makers company confiscated a batch of spectacles from a shop in Cannon Street. These were taken to the Guildhall, where they were condemned as being of inferior quality and ordered to be smashed on the remains of the London Stone.
By 1742 the stone had become an obstruction to the passage of traffic and the remains were moved to the wall of St Swithern’s church opposite.
St Swithern’s Church 1831.By artist: T. H. Shepherd; engraver: J. Tingle – original engraving, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25706799
The London Stone (1887). By Image extracted from page 559 of volume 1 of Old and New London, Illustrated, by Walter Thornbury. Original held and digitised by the British Library. , Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32463347
The church was destroyed by bombing in 1940, but the section of wall containing the stone remained standing. The remains of the church were actually not demolished until 1962 and were then replaced by an office building.
London Stone niche in the remaining walls of St Swithern’s Church Cannon St (1962). By David Wright, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13733522
The stone was relocated in a grilled niche in the wall of this building, the ground floor of which was used as a stationer and newsagents. This was not a very satisfying relocation as being at ground level it rather looked like a ventilation grill. I wonder how many people walked past it each day and didn’t even know it was there?
The rather unassuming location of the London Stone in the wall of WH Smiths in Cannon St. By John O’London – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25664002
This building, in turn, was scheduled for the demolition in 2016 and the stone was moved to the Museum of London, where it is currently on display until it can be relocated when the new office building on the site is completed. It is hoped that the new location will show the stone off so it can once again become a tourist attraction – the heart of the City.
So what was this stone?
Over the years there have been many suggestions: a Roman milestone; a sacred city stone (as with the golden milestone in the forum at Rome); a talismanic stone (as in the Palladium in Troy); a prehistoric or a druidic sacred stone; a stone from the remains of the Roman praetorium or governors Palace,which is believed to lie under Cannon Street station; a mark stone of ley-lines or in a recent book, the stone from which King Arthur pulled Excalibur. No one knows, but it has clearly played a part in the history and conscience of the city of London for many centuries.
Have you ever imagined what Rome looked like? How did all those ruins link together?
Here is a tour of Rome in the year 320AD looking at the major sites as they looked then.
https://www.vox.com/2016/2/28/11129238/rome-reborn-video.
If you enjoy this tour you can go off and explore for yourself using an interactive map.
For details see: http://rome320ad.com/
Happy sightseeing!
Romans in The North East (3): Mithras
Posted: January 20, 2017 in History, Newcastle, Roman History, UKTags: Hadrian's Wall, Newcastle, Romans
The worship of the God Mithras, although originating in Persia, had come to the Roman Empire through the Greeks. It was popular amongst the Military and a number of Mithraic temples (Mithraeum) have been discovered on Miltary sites connected with Hadrian’s Wall.
Relief of Mithras killing the Bull from Mithraeum at Housesteads Fort
Statue of Birth of Mithras from Mithraeum at Housesteads Fort
Altar dedicated to Mithras the Invincible by the Prefect of 1st cohort of Batavians (from near the mouth of the river Rhine) from Mithraeum at Carrawburgh
Altar dedicated to Mithras from Mithraeum at Carrawburgh. It was probably painted as some green paint was still present on it when found
Altar dedicated to Mithras by Aulus Cluentius Habitus, an Italian from Lanneum in the Apennines – from Mithraeum at Carrawburgh
Romans in The North East (2)
Posted: January 13, 2017 in History, Newcastle, Roman History, UKTags: Hadrian's Wall, Newcastle, Romans
For many centuries during the Roman occupation the area around Newcastle was the frontier between the Roman Empire and the wild lands that lay beyond. The collection of Roman artefacts at The Hancock Museum in Newcastle is drawn from local excavations and reflects the life and the variety of people who found their way to this the most northern part of the Empire.
Altar to the ‘Genius of the Emperor’ set up by 1st cohort of Vardulli (scouts) who came from Northern Spain
Relief of a Syrian Archer
Tombstone of Aurelia Aia, a Christian from Salonae in Croatia – the wife of a soldier
Tombstone of the baby son of Aurelius Julianus, Tribune 1st Aelian Cohort (from Roumania) and 1st Thracian Cohort (from Bulgaria /Turkey)
Tombstone of Aureilia Aureliana. Late 3rd century AD
A pair of altars found near the bridge at Newcastle. They probably come from a harbour shrine as one is dedicated to the river god Neptune (Trident) and the other to the Sea god Oceanus (Anchor). They were set up by the 6th Legion, who played a major part in the building of Hadrian’s wall
Romans in the North East (1)
Posted: January 6, 2017 in History, Newcastle, Roman History, UKTags: Hadrian's Wall, Newcastle, Romans
For many centuries during the Roman occupation the area around Newcastle was the frontier between the Roman Empire and the wild lands that lay beyond. The collection of Roman artefacts at The Hancock Museum in Newcastle is drawn from local excavations and reflects the life and the variety of people who found their way to this the most northern part of the Empire.
Quern-stone for grinding corn into flour
Amphora originating from Southern Spain
Italian Red slip ware
Altar dedicated to the goddess Minerva
Statue head from Temple at Benwell Fort
Roman coffin found in Newcastle
Roman coffin found in Newcastle
Crofton Roman Villa
Posted: December 23, 2016 in History, Kent, Roman History, UKTags: Crofton Roman Villa, Orpington
In 1926 when workmen were building a new roadway for the local council offices adjacent to Orpington railway station in Kent, they came across some the remains of a building. This was quickly identified as a Roman villa and some preliminary work was carried out before it was covered over. It was not until 1988 that the villa was actually excavated and investigated. Part of the remains was then preserved within a building and opened to the public.
Plan of Villa remains
The villa is thought to have to have been occupied between 140-400 AD and to have been the centre of a family farming estate. At its largest, the villa had around 20 rooms and parts of 10 of these can be seen in its current preserved state.
Roman Floor
Finds from the site
Evidence of the rest of the villa can be seen in the surrounding grounds
London Churches: St Mary Woolnooth
Posted: August 25, 2016 in History, London, Roman History, Saxon History, UKTags: St Mary Woolnooth
St Mary Woolnooth
It is thought that this has been a site of worship for over 2000 years as excavations have revealed the presence of a Roman temple and an Anglo-Saxon church.
The dedication is to St mary of the Nativity. The term Woolnooth is believed to have come from Wulnathe de Walesbrok, a 12th century benefactor.
The Anglo-Saxon church had been replaced by a Norman building, which was rebuilt in 1445. Badly damaged during the Great Fire of London in 1666, it was repaired by Sir Christopher Wren, but by 1711 it had been declared unsafe and was demolished.
High Altar
Nicholas Hawksmoor was commissioned to build a replacement, it is the only church by this famous church builder in the city of London. He began in 1716 and it finally opened for worship in 1727. John Newton, hymn writer and anti-slavery campaigner was the priest here from 1780-1807 and William Wilberforce was also known to have worshipped here.
The Pulpit
There were many changes over the following years, most notably the removal of the galleries in 1876. It has been threatened with demolition over the years as it occupies a prime site in the city. In 1897 plans were laid to demolish the church in conjunction with the building of Bank station on the underground railway, but public pressure ensured its survival. The railway company purchased the church crypt and worked to ensure that no damage was done to the church structure whilst building the station underneath it.
Today in addition to its English-speaking congregation it is also home to a German-speaking Swiss community in London as well as being the official church in London of the government of the Canadian state of British Columbia.
