Maryport (Roman Alavna) was an auxiliary fort of around 2.6 hectares set on cliffs above the Solway Firth, forming the northern anchor of the Cumbrian coast system of milefortlets and towers that extended the Hadrian's Wall frontier defences down the western seaboard. Founded under Hadrian c. AD 122–125 and garrisoned into the later 4th century, it housed a succession of cohorts including the cohors I Hispanorum and cohors I Baetasiorum, and was accompanied by an unusually extensive civilian vicus to the north and east.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
Alavna functioned as a command and supply base watching the Solway crossings, complementing the Wall's terminus at Bowness, and is particularly notable for producing the largest single group of Roman military altars from anywhere in the Empire — the famous Senhouse collection of dedications to Jupiter Optimus Maximus, set up annually by successive commanders.
Antiquarian recovery began in the 17th century with the Senhouse family, whose collection (including 17 altars found pit-buried in 1870) is displayed at the Senhouse Roman Museum on site; modern work, notably Newcastle University's geophysics and excavations from 2000 onwards, has revealed the fort plan, a classical temple, a large monumental building outside the walls, and one of the most extensive vici known in northern Britain, with streets, strip-buildings and field
Maryport (Roman Alavna) was an auxiliary fort of around 2.6 hectares set on cliffs above the Solway Firth, forming the northern anchor of the Cumbrian coast system of milefortlets and towers that extended the Hadrian's Wall frontier defences down the western seaboard. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
Maryport (Alavna) Roman fort, part of the Roman frontier defences along the Cumbrian coast, its associated vicus and a length of Roman road 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 Alauna/Alione (0.3 km), Roman cremation cemetery, 380m south east of Maryport Roman fort (0.4 km), Sea Brows (milefortlet 23), 500m south west of Bank End part of the Roman frontier defences along the Cumbrian coast (0.7 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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Research the area around Maryport (Alavna) Roman fort, part of the Roman frontier defences along the Cumbrian coast, its associated vicus and a length of Roman road