4th century Saxons on Hadrians Wall?

[mcbishop]

Just read Guy Halsall's new book (Worlds of Arthur-Fact and Fiction of the Dark Ages) and one theory that he invites people to look at is that Saxons were settled on the Wall in the late 4th century, and that this is linked to the lack of late Roman army belt sets the.
What evidence for Saxons is there?

From "Finds on the Frontier" I can find some late Roman crossbow buckles on the Wall, and some 6th century Saxon brooches ( eg at Birdoswald). Is there other evidence?

There were certainly Germans on the Wall, particularly around Housesteads, with first the Tungrians and then others (including Hnaudifridus and his chums) but I don't think there is any suggestion that they were imported Saxons. Rather they were long-established Germanic folk (going back at least into the 3rd century), with an imported Germanic pottery tradition that is now known as Housesteads Ware. Anglo-Saxon burials and finds occur at Corbridge but in a post-Roman context and, again, a 4th-century date would be unlikely there (not least as there was a dirty big thriving Roman town in the way).

The lack of late-Roman belt fittings is more perceived than real, I suspect (there's a nice one from Corbridge), and a product of the limited and incomplete nature of proper archaeological work that has been conducted there. Since the whole thing is now scheduled, the PAS is not going to add anything as detecting on any component of the Wall is streng verboten. All distribution maps tell you less about distribution and more about the loopholes in the methodology and inadequacies of the evidential basis.

Mike Bishop