Roman BritainRoman minor town identified as Derventio
Roman Site · Civilian

Roman minor town identified as Derventio

Roman Britain
Pleiades ID: nhle-19682
Site type
Site
Category
Civilian
Latitude
53.9815
Longitude
-0.9238
Overview

History & context

Derventio (modern Stamford Bridge, East Yorkshire) was a Roman small town on the River Derwent, situated on the road running east from York (Eburacum) towards the coast. It likely originated as a fort or military post in the later 1st century AD, evolving into a civilian roadside settlement that flourished from the 2nd through 4th centuries, serving traffic crossing the Derwent.

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

Significance

Historical significance

Its position controlling a crossing of the Derwent on a major route out of the legionary fortress at York gave it strategic and economic importance as a waystation and local market centre for the agricultural hinterland of the Vale of York. The name (recorded in the Antonine Itinerary and Ravenna Cosmography) is shared with several other British sites, reflecting the Brittonic hydronym for the river.

Archaeology

Archaeological record

Evidence is limited compared with better-excavated small towns: cropmarks, stray finds of pottery, coins, and tile, and some structural traces indicate occupation on both sides of the river, with a probable bathhouse and burials reported from antiquarian and later discoveries. No large-scale modern excavation has been published, and the precise extent and plan of the settlement remain poorly defined.

About this site

Questions & answers

What is Roman minor town identified as Derventio?

Derventio (modern Stamford Bridge, East Yorkshire) was a Roman small town on the River Derwent, situated on the road running east from York (Eburacum) towards the coast. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a site site from the Roman period in Britain.

What type of Roman site is Roman minor town identified as Derventio?

Roman minor town identified as Derventio is classified as a Roman site — a civilian 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 Roman minor town identified as Derventio?

Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Roman camp on Huntington South Moor, 300m east of Huntington Grange (8.5 km), York Castle: motte and bailey castle, tower keep castle (including Clifford's Tower), and site of part of Romano-British fort-vicus and Anglian cemetery (10.6 km), Roman Fortress at York (10.6 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 Roman minor town identified as Derventio?

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