Leucarum: Excavations at the Roman Auxiliary Fort at Loughor, West Glamorgan 1982-84 and 1987-88

474 Pages·1997·36.316 MB·English

by  Andrew G. Marvell, Henry S. Owen-John

LEUCARUM
EXCAVATIONS AT THE ROMAN AUXILIARY FORT
AT LOUGHOR, WEST GLAMORGAN 1982-84 AND 1987-88
A.G. MARVELL AND H.S. OWEN-JOHN
BRITANNIA MONOGRAPH SERIES
No. 12
Published by the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
1997

LEUCARUM
EXCAVATIONS AT THE ROMAN AUXILIARY FORT
AT LOUGHOR, WEST GLAMORGAN 1982-84 AND 1987-88

LEUCARUM
EXCAVATIONS AT THE ROMAN AUXILIARY FORT AT
LOUGHOR, WEST GLAMORGAN 1982-84 AND 1987-88
BY
A.G. Marvell and H.S. Owen-John
With contributions by D. Alien, D. Bailey, M. Dawson, B. Dickinson, D. Evans,
E.M. Evans, S. Greep, K.F. Hartley, M. Henig, G. Lloyd-Morgan,]. Parkhouse, F. Probert,
P. Sadler, I.R. Scott, S.H. Sell, L.A. Toft, P.V. Webster and J.L. Wilkinson
CADW
WELSH HISTORIC MONUMENTS
Britannia Monograph Series
No. 12
Published by the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
31 GORDON SQUARE LONDON WC1H OPP
1997
BRITANNIA MONOGRAPH SERIES NO. 12
Published by the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H OPP
This monograph was published with the aid of a grant from
CADW: Welsh Historic Monuments
Copies may be obtained from the Secretary of the Roman Society
© Copyright Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies 1997
British Library Catalogue in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 0 907764 21 5
Produced by Short Run Press Ltd, Exeter
Printed in Great Britain
CONTENTS
Page
List of Plates XVll
List of Figures XIX
List of Tables XXlll
PREFACE AND INTRODUCTORY NOTES
(A. G. Marvell and H. S. Owen-John)
Organisation of the Excavation Projects 1
Excavation Problems, Techniques and Recording Systems 2
Publicity 3
Post-excavation Project Arrangements 3
Organisation of the Final Report 3
Acknowledgements 5
Archive 6
CHAPTER 1: THE BACKGROUND TO THE EXCAVATIONS
(A. G. Marvell and H. S. Owen-John)
The Physical Environment 7
Situation and Topography 7
Superficial Geology and Soils 9
The Probable Tidal Levels in Roman Times (L. A. Toft) 9
The Recent History of the Fort 10
The Discovery of the Bath-house 10
The Discovery of the Fort 11
The Development Threat 13
A Note on the Place-name Leucarum 13
CHAPTER 2: EXCAVATION OF THE DEFENCES AND INTERVALLUM
(A. G. Marvell and H. S. Owen-John)
Introduction 16
Sites 54, 55, 57, 66 and 69: Location, Topography, Modern Intrusions and
Excavation Methodology 1 7
Site 55: Land to the West of Castle Street 17
Site 69: Loughor Access Road 18
Site 57: Land to the Rear of 1 and 3 Dock Street 19
Site 66: Former Station Workshops 19
Site 54: Lower Station House 20
The Structures 20
The Rampart and Fort Wall 20
Introduction 20
V
VI LEUCARUM
The rampart: construction 21
Terracing 23
Corduroy 24
Front bank and revetment 26
Rear revetment 28
Rampart core 31
Rampart capping 32
Scoops and Pits 55/594 and other activity associated with the rampart 33
The rampart: size, shape and metrology 34
The fort wall 35
Rampart 'battering' 36
Foundation trench 38
Foundation materials 39
Wall 40
Other construction features 41
Fill to rear of wall 42
Walkway 43
Stone phase rampart: size, shape and metrology 43
Fort wall: construction date 44
The Ditches 44
Introduction 44
The primary ditch 45
Counterscarp 46
Recut of primary ditch 47
The secondary ditch 47
Counterscarp 49
The secondary ditch: construction date 49
The secondary ditch fills 50
The West Tower of the North Gate (Building 2.1) 50
Construction 50
Plan 51
Building 2.2 (Site 55) 51
Cobble Hardstanding 55/447 53
Stone gateway 54
The lntervallum 54
The Via Sagularis and Adjoining Roads 54
The via sagularis 54
Marking-out features 54
Primary surface 56
Construction phase 57
Later surfaces 57
North via sagularis first resurfacing 57
North via sagularis second resurfacing 59
North via sagularis third resurfacing 59
North via sagularis fourth resurfacing 59
South via sagularis resurfacing 60
Roads adjoining the via sagularis 60
The via principalis 60
Primary surface 60
Later surfaces 60
The via quintana 60
Primary surface 60
Later surfaces 61
Other roads 61
CONTENTS Vll
Drains 61
Features and Structures found between the Via Sagularis and the Rear
of the Ramparts 62
Features and structures to the rear of the north rampart 62
Features and structures to the rear of the south rampart 62
Site 57: Phase 2 62
Building 2.3 62
Site 57: Phase 3 63
Site 57: Phase 4 63
Oven 410 63
Site 57: dating evidence: Phases 2-4 64
Site 57: Phase 5 66
Slot 374 66
Pit Group 566 66
Pit 407 66
Dumps 344, 345, 348 67
Site 57: dating evidence: Phase 5 67
Site 57: Phase 7 67
Building 2.4 67
Site 57: dating evidence: Phase 7 68
Site 57: Phase 8 69
Latrine structure 69
We11458 70
Slots 211, 241 70
Site 57: dating evidence: Phase 8 71
Other Features and Structures 71
Features and structures to the south of the north via sagularis 71
Site 55: Phase 6 71
Site 55: Phase 7 71
Building 2.5 71
Site 55: dating evidence: Phases 6 and 7 72
Site 69: Phase 3 72
Building 2.6 72
Building 2. 7 72
Site 69: Phase 4 72
Building 2. 7 72
Site 69: dating evidence: Phases 3 and 4 73
Site 69: Phase 6 73
Building 2.8 73
Site 69: dating evidence: Phase 6 73
Abandonment/levelling deposits 73
Features and structures to the north of the south via sagularis 73
Site 57: Phase 6 74
Site 57: Building 2.9 74
Site 57: dating evidence: Phase 6 75
The Reduction of the Fort and Subsequent Modifications 75
Introduction 75
Fort Ila: ramparts 75
Construction of west rampart 75
Levelling deposits 75
The rampart core and revetrnents 76
Dimensions of west rampart 76
West rampart construction date 77
Modifications to other ramparts 77
Vlll LEUCARUM
Drain 69/120 79
Fort Ilb: modifications to ramparts 80
North rampart 80
·West rampart 80
Discussion 80
Fort Ilb: rampart modifications: dating evidence 81
Fort II: ditches 81
Fort Il: ditches: dating evidence 82
Fort II: road system 82
Fort Ila: the replacement via sagularis 82
North via sagularis 82
South and west via sagularis 82
North via sagularis resurfacing 83
South via sagularis resurfacing 83
Fort Ila: the via principalis 83
Fort Ila: other roads 84
Fort lib: roads 84
Fort Ila: buildings and other structures 84
Features and structures on the north side of the fort 84
Site 55: Phase 8: Building 2.10 and adjacent features 84
Site 55: Building 2.10: dating evidence 85
Site 55: fills to the rear of the north rampart and hearth (087/1 02) 86
Site 69: fills to the rear of the rampart 86
Features and structures on the south side of the fort 87
Site 57: Phase 9: Burnt Structures 162, 573 and Pit 401 87
Site 57: dating evidence: Phase 9 88
Fort lib: buildings and other structures 88
Features and structures on the north side of the fort 88
Site 69: Phase 9: Building 2.11 88
Site 69: Phase 10: Building 2.12 (?modified Building 2.11) 89
Site 69: Buildings 2.11 and 2.12: dating evidence 89
Site 69: Phase 11 89
Site 69: Phase 11: dating evidence 90
Features and structures on the south side of the fort 90
Site 57: Phase 10: Building 2.13 90
Site 57: Phase 11: modifications to Building 2.13 and Structure 122 91
Site 57: Phases 10 and 11: dating evidence 91
Site 57: Phase 12: Building 2.14 and other features 92
Site 57: Building 2.14: dating evidence 94
Fort lib: post-abandonment deposits 94
Extra-mural Structures 95
The Bath-house 95
Introduction 95
The structural remains 95
The flue and stoke-hole 96
Dating evidence 97
Appendix: context phase lists and group numbers 97
CHAPTER 3: THE INTERNAL BUILDINGS
(A. G. Marvell)
Introduction 108
Limitations to the Evidence 108
Modern intrusions 108