Roman BritainMilecastle 44 (Allolee)
Roman Fortlet · Military

Milecastle 44 (Allolee)

Roman Britain
Pleiades ID: 967060361
Site type
Fortlet
Category
Military
Latitude
54.9961
Longitude
-2.4879
Overview

History & context

Milecastle 44 (Allolee) is a Hadrianic milecastle on Hadrian's Wall, situated on the high crags between Great Chesters (Aesica) and Walltown, west of Cawfields. Built in the 120s AD as part of the original Wall scheme and likely occupied, with interruptions, into the late 4th century, it would have housed a small garrison of perhaps 8–32 auxiliaries controlling a gateway through the Wall.

Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →

Significance

Historical significance

Like other milecastles on this stretch, its primary role was to regulate movement across the frontier and provide a base for patrolling the Wall and the Vallum to the south; its dramatic crag-top setting reflects the decision to align the Wall along the Whin Sill escarpment rather than for tactical visibility alone, as the north gate here opens onto a near-vertical drop.

Archaeology

Archaeological record

Milecastle 44 has not been extensively excavated; it is visible largely as an earthwork platform, and its plan, dimensions, and gateway type (long- vs short-axis) are less well established than at neighbouring excavated milecastles such as MC 42 (Cawfields). No significant assemblage of finds from the site has been published.

About this site

Questions & answers

What is Milecastle 44 (Allolee)?

Milecastle 44 (Allolee) is a Hadrianic milecastle on Hadrian's Wall, situated on the high crags between Great Chesters (Aesica) and Walltown, west of Cawfields. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fortlet site from the Roman period in Britain.

What type of Roman site is Milecastle 44 (Allolee)?

Milecastle 44 (Allolee) is classified as a Roman fortlet — 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.

What other Roman sites are near Milecastle 44 (Allolee)?

Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Turret 44A (Allolee West) (0.5 km), Turret 43B (Allolee East) (0.5 km), Turret 44B (Mucklebank) (0.8 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.

How can I research the history of the area around Milecastle 44 (Allolee)?

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