Pons Aelius was a small Roman auxiliary fort situated on the north bank of the River Tyne at what is now Newcastle upon Tyne, occupying the site of the later medieval castle. Named after the bridge (pons) built under Hadrian (Aelius), it formed the eastern terminus of Hadrian's Wall in its original scheme, though Wallsend (Segedunum) later extended the line. The fort covered roughly 0.6 hectares and in the third and fourth centuries housed the Cohors I Cugernorum, attested in the Notitia Dignitatum.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
The fort guarded the strategically vital bridge crossing of the Tyne, one of only two Roman bridges named after their imperial builder, and controlled movement between the Wall frontier and the supply routes leading south via Dere Street. Its small size suggests its primary function was bridge security and customs control rather than a major garrison role.
Excavations between 1929 and the 1980s within the castle precinct revealed parts of the headquarters building (principia), barracks, a granary and a substantial cemetery, together with altars dedicated to Oceanus and Neptune likely associated with the bridge. The fort plan remains incomplete owing to the overlying medieval castle and Victorian railway viaduct, but tombstones and inscriptions from the site provide important evidence for its garrison and chronology.
Pons Aelius was a small Roman auxiliary fort situated on the north bank of the River Tyne at what is now Newcastle upon Tyne, occupying the site of the later medieval castle. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
Pons Aeli 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 4 (0.2 km), Milecastle 4 (Westgate Road) (0.6 km), Turret 3B (0.6 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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