Situated in the town of Caerleon, near Newport in south Wales, Isca was one of only three permanent fortresses in roman Britain. Built by the second Augustan legion in the 70’s AD, its purpose was to subdue the tribes of Wales.
The fort has never been completely excavated. Recent surveys have identified new areas of significance which should tell archaeologists more about Isca’s layout and history.
Isca’s Excavated Features
The early twentieth century saw several features of the site uncovered. Few have been fully excavated. These included:
- The centurion’s house. Excavated in the 1930s, the excavations uncovered a building with opus signinum flooring. The earliest levels of the building may not have been excavated as pottery remains date to the late third and early 4th century AD.
- The defences. Trenches in various parts of the site have allowed examinations of fragments of Isca’s ramparts, walls and ditches. Internal turrets have been identified but only the principle gateway has been excavated.
- Workshops. Workshops producing domestic goods as well as metalwork have been identified.
Recent work at Isca
Recent geophysical survey work has concentrated on various unexcavated areas of the fortress. A variety of features have been identified. Excavation is required to confirm the findings of the survey. They buildings surveyed include:
- Barrack blocks. In what was the south west corner of the fort, eight barrack blocks were identified.
- The granaries. Three enclosed rectangular buildings were identified lying between the barracks and the fort’s main street. The buildings were 40m long and 15 m wide, with traces of interval walls to support raised floor. Resistivity results indicate that the walls were strengthened with buttresses. These features make it likely that they were the forts granaries.
- Warehouses. Facing the granaries was a large building built around a courtyard. It’s location in an area of storage indicates that it was probably a warehouse for non perishable items for the fort’s use.
- Industrial complex. High magnetometer readings in certain parts of the effort indicate evidence of burning or metal working. It is likely this was the area used to produce weapons and utensils for the resident legions.
The Abandonment of Isca
Excavations reveal that the headquarters building was demolished in 300AD. In the meantime, the swimming pool in the courtyard of the fort’s baths continued in use as a rubbish dump. Some of the barracks also remained in use. The legions may have abandoned Isca but the fortress was still in use.
Sources
