06-23-2006, 10:36 PM
Quote:In order to make my case, I would like any information on Roman fortresses that had a name with "castra" DURING the Roman period.
The UK examples are puzzling. I'm not convinced that these were the "official" names of the respective sites.
One (the so-called Pinnata Castra) derives from Ptolemy's list of "towns" in North Britain -- why did he choose to give it a Greek name, when other names are simply transliterated from Latin, indicating that they were actual placenames (e.g. TRIMONTION = Trimontium, Newstead; KLOTA = Clota, River Clyde). PTEROTON STRATOPEDON sounds as if it was simply a description, not a genuine placename. Curious.
The other (Castra Exploratorum) derives from the late "Antonine Itinerary", evidently an official list of staging points for those on imperial business -- why did the compiler employ proper placenames for all but the second-last point on the Richborough-Birrens route? Was he warning that, if you need to stop off here, all you'll get is an encampment of rather rough scouts (exploratores) and not the relative sophistication of a regular fort? Puzzling.
Incidentally, for Xanten, Tacitus refers to castra, quibus Veterum nomen est ("the camp whose name is Vetera": Hist. 4.18 ). He doesn't call the place Castra Vetera. At 4.21 and 5.14, he refers to "the old camp", vetera castra, because, in his own day, the big double camp had long since been decommissioned. I don't believe he intended this two-word phrase as a genuine placename.
Similarly, Suetonius says that Drusus died in the temporary camp quae ex eo scelerata sunt appellata ("which from that day was declared unlucky": Divus Claud. 1.3). Again, in my opinion, it is not clear that this was the official placename.
Perhaps I am splitting hairs, but these are points that it might be worth considering.
