Aesica (modern name Great Chesters) was a Roman fort, 1.5 miles (2,400 m) north of the small town of Haltwhistle in Northumberland. It was the ninth fort on Hadrian's Wall, between Vercovicium (Housesteads) 6.0 miles (9.7 km) to the east and Banna (Birdoswald) 6.5 miles (10.5 km) to the west.
Its main purpose was to guard the Caw Gap where the Haltwhistle Burn crosses the Wall.
During the Roman period the fort was known as Æsica or Esica.
Æsus is known to have been associated with water and river systems; the name might have been related to a remarkable aqueduct system that drew water from the Haltwhistle Burn – Caw Burn directly into the fort.
It is believed that the fort was completed in the year 128 AD, later than most of the wall forts as it was an afterthought to the original plan in which Milecastle 43 was built where the later north-west corner of the fort was constructed, and had to be demolished. The fort was rectangular in plan with towers at each corner and measuring 355 feet (108 m) north to south by 419 feet (128 m) east to west, occupying a comparatively small area of 3 acres (12,000 m2). The fort had three main gates; south, east and west, with double portals with towers. At some time the west gate was completely blocked up.
Remarkably there are "broad wall" foundations of Hadrian's Wall a few metres north of the later proper "narrow gauge" wall which, unlike elsewhere, did not use the earlier foundations. This indicates the fort was started after the initial wall construction after which the later wall was used as the north wall of the fort.
In addition, notably there are four ditches outside the western wall of the fort, but only a single ditch on the southern and eastern sides which indicates that the flat approach from the west was a defensive concern, while on the southern side the ditch alone interfered with the Vallum structure which clearly existed before the fort was built.
The Roman Military Way entered by the east gate and left by the west gate. A branch road from the Roman Stanegate entered by the south gate which crossed the Vallum south of the fort.
A vicus lay to the south and east of the fort and several tombstones have been found there.
The fort was supplied with water by a remarkable aqueduct system that drew water from the Haltwhistle Burn – Caw Burn directly into the fort. The aqueduct wound 6.0 miles (9.7 km) from the head of Caw Burn, north of the Wall, although the direct distance was only about 2.0 miles (3 km).
The 2nd-century garrisons were the Sixth Cohort of Nervians, followed by the Sixth Cohort of Raetians. The 3rd-century garrison was the Second Cohort of Asturians with a detachment of Raeti Gaeseti.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
Aesica (modern name Great Chesters) was a Roman fort, 1.5 miles (2,400 m) north of the small town of Haltwhistle in Northumberland. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
(A)Esica is classified as a Roman fort — a military site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Untitled (0 km), Milecastle 43 (0.1 km), Great Chesters Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall between the Caw Burn and the track to Cockmount Hill farm in wall miles 42 and 43 (0.2 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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