Longovicium (or Lanchester Roman Fort) was an auxiliary fort located on Roman Dere Street, in the Roman province of Britannia Inferior. It is located just southwest of Lanchester (grid reference NZ159469) in the English county of Durham, roughly 8 miles (13 km) to the west of the city of Durham and 5 miles (8 km) from Consett.
The name Longovicium is of Brittonic origin. The first element is *longo- meaning "ship" (cf. Welsh llong). The second element may be wīg broadly meaning "settlement" (Welsh gwig; compare Wigan), or else *uic-, "warrior/fighter". Longovicum may represent an adaption of a tribal name, Longovices.
Lanchester fort is a good fit to the Ravenna Cosmography name Lincovigla, with a natural meaning close to 'hillside watcher'. Longovicium in the Notitia Dignitatum is easier to explain in coastal Cumbria than in inland Yorkshire and the argument that that name was constructed in a language close to Welsh is weak.
The fort was situated between Vindomora (Ebchester), and Vinovia (Binchester) on Dere Street, the main Roman road linking Eboracum (York) with Hadrian's Wall. It is about 20 miles (32 km) south of the wall, and was built on high ground with clear views around the site. Some archaeologists have postulated that a road may have existed connecting the fort at Longovicium to the one at Concangis (modern-day Chester-le-Street), but this has yet to be proven.
A construction slab identifies the Legio XX Valeria Victrix (Twentieth Legion) as having built the fort, but this gives no real clue as to when the fort was built. In 88 AD, the Emperor Domitian had ordered the Legio XX abandon the fort they had been building in Scotland at Inchtuthil and redeploy to garrison the legionary fortress Deva Victrix (Chester). But the fort is estimated to have been built later than the other forts on Dere Street, around 150 AD. There is evidence it was rebuilt around 230/240 AD and again in the early 4th century.
The fort is listed both in the Notitia Dignitatum and in the Ravenna Cosmography.
The rectangular fort, which had rounded not square corners, had four gates and was surrounded by a ditch. Despite never having systematically excavated, archaeologists have found the remains of the headquarters buildings, a bathhouse and some barracks buildings through the use of geophysical survey. Remains of a nearby vicus have been found, and its traces can be seen through aerial photography. A cemetery was also discovered in the 20th century to the southwest of the fort, with examples of stone-lined burials and cremations sites. The fact that the fort is located on fields that have not been ploughed means its condition is remarkable, although stone robbing has taken its toll. A column, probably from the colonnade of the Commandant's House, can be found in the nearby All Saints' Parish Church, as can an altar dedicated to the goddess Garmangabis.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
Longovicium (or Lanchester Roman Fort) was an auxiliary fort located on Roman Dere Street, in the Roman province of Britannia Inferior. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
Lanchester Roman fort (Longovicium) 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 (0.5 km), Longovicium (0.5 km), Remains of Roman aqueduct (1.3 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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