British Urban Defences in Earthwork

Abstract

Urban defences in Roman Britain and the dates of their erection have been discussed by various writers during the last three decades, and the subject has received renewed attention in three recent publications. The last of these has put forward views concerning both date and motivation which a wider consideration of the evidence makes hard to accept. In general, however, the outline of events is clear. Although certain cities received earthworks in the first century or masonry defences from early in the second, the great majority remained open until, in the second half of the second century, a very large number of earth-work circuits was erected in what, all are agreed, must be either a concerted programme or a chain reaction. This embraced not only the cities (the civitas capitals) but also a great variety of minor centres. Beginning quite early in the third century, or even at its outset, and continuing for 70 or 80 years, a long series of towns was receiving walls in masonry. Where earth ramparts already existed the front was normally cut back to receive the wall; elsewhere fresh banks were piled behind the new work. Free-standing walls appeared only in the fourth century and are found at very few towns, for most were already defended. Another development of the same period was the addition of external towers to existing walls: most of these towers seem to date from the third quarter of the fourth century, but some were earlier, beginning, perhaps with Verulamium, c. 265–70.