Carrawburgh is a settlement in Northumberland. In Roman times, it was the site of a 3+1⁄2-acre (1.5 ha) auxiliary fort on Hadrian's Wall called Brocolitia, Procolita, or Brocolita.
The name "Procolita" is found in the 5th-century document, the Notitia Dignitatum, and "Brocoliti" in the 7th-century Ravenna Cosmography. The name is probably based on the Celtic name for the place, and one possible translation put forward is 'badger holes'.
Hadrian's Wall was built from 122 AD and most of the wall forts a few years later. Brocolitia was built a few years later still probably to fill a slightly longer gap between forts at Housesteads, 5.2 miles (8.4 km) away, and Chesters, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) away. This later date is evidenced by part of the Vallum being levelled before building the fort showing that it was an afterthought. A date of 130 has been suggested from a fragmentary inscription now in the Chesters Museum. The fort either used the Wall (narrow gauge on a broad base at this point) itself as its northern rampart, or was built parallel to it but detached. The fort was about a mile west of the Wall's northernmost point at Milecastle 30, also known as Limestone Corner.
Only the fort's earthworks are now visible, the Wall at this point and the fort's north ramparts having been demolished for the construction of General Wade's early 18th-century military road (now the B6318). The late 19th-century archaeologist John Clayton carried out a partial excavation of the site, revealing a military bath-house outside the fort's west gate (in 1873) and the fort's south-west corner-tower (in 1876).
The First Cohort of Frisiavones are also attested at Brocolitia at some stage, as shown by an inscription on an altar stone, which tells us that Optio Maus had repaid a vow to the goddess Coventina. (This unit is also recorded as present at Ardotalia.) Whether this altar was the repayment of the vow is unknown.
The vicus (civilian settlement) was just outside the west side of the fort and covered about 4 hectares.
The remains of three Roman sanctuaries have been discovered in the low-lying marshy ground beyond the fort's south-west corner. All three sites lie adjacent to a small tributary stream of Meggie's Dene Burn, which runs three miles from Carrawburgh to empty into the River South Tyne near Newbrough's fort on the Stanegate.
Nearest to the fort, about 80 metres (260 ft) from its south-west corner, are the remains of an early 3rd century mithraeum, i.e. a temple of the mystery cult of the Roman god Mithras. Discovered in 1949 and excavated by I.A. Richmond and J.P. Gillam in 1950, it is the second-most northernly mithraeum discovered so far – only Bremenium (High Rochester), more than 10 miles (16 km) from Brocolitia, is further north. Like most other mithraea, the Brocolitia temple was built to resemble a cave, and also had the usual anteroom, and a nave with raised benches (podia) along the sides.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
Carrawburgh is a settlement in Northumberland. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
*Brocolitia 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 Milecastle 31 (Carrowburgh) (0 km), Coventina's Well (0.1 km), Turret 31A (The Strands) (0.3 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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