Turret 49B (Birdoswald) is a watch tower on Hadrian's Wall located west of Milecastle 49 (Harrow's Scar), in the sector originally built in turf c. AD 122–126 and later rebuilt in stone, probably in the 130s. As a Turf Wall turret it was unusual in being constructed of stone from the outset (a standard feature of Turf Wall turrets, which were built in stone even before the curtain itself was rebuilt), garrisoned by a small detachment of perhaps 4–8 auxiliary soldiers tasked with observation and signalling.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
The turret lies on the short stretch where the stone Wall was rebuilt on a different line from the original Turf Wall, making 49B significant for understanding the realignment of the Wall near Birdoswald fort (Banna) to enclose the promontory above the River Irthing. It thus marks a key point in the construction history and tactical replanning of the Wall.
The site is associated with the well-documented sequence of Turf Wall/Stone Wall transition investigated in the Birdoswald sector, where both the original Turf Wall line and the later stone line have been traced and sectioned. Specific published excavation of Turret 49B itself is limited, and details of its internal arrangements and finds assemblage are sparse compared with neighbouring structures such as Milecastle 49 and Turret 49A (Piper Sike).
Turret 49B (Birdoswald) is a watch tower on Hadrian's Wall located west of Milecastle 49 (Harrow's Scar), in the sector originally built in turf c. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a watch tower site from the Roman period in Britain.
Turret 49B (Turf Wall) is classified as a Roman watch tower — 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 Turret 49B (Birdoswald) (0.1 km), Banna (0.4 km), Turret 49A (0.5 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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