Remains to the west of Caerleon Amphitheatre

[66kbm]

After a very recent visit to Caerleon and having had a good look around, this seemed to be an oddity that no one on site could explain to me convincingly. Does anyone know what these remains are? Possibly part of the Amphitheatre or a separate building? To me it seems to be separate from the Amphitheatre and the walls seem to run to the west under the farm.
Pics courtesy Google Earth
All help appreciated.

[Medicus matt]

Those are the remains of a small bath building that predate the amphitheater and were extensively rebuilt in the third century.
As far as I know, they don't continue into the farmland. My partner was one of the supervisors on the 2011 excavation of the riverside complex and I don't recall any of the bath complex featuring in the excavation or geophys survey beforehand.

[Vindex]

Matt - do you know if there is any indication when the report will be written on that excavation, please?

I am aprticularly interested in the finds of small studs and a small decorative discussed as part of this thread:

http://www.romanarmytalk.com/17-roman-mi...l?start=90

I have heard that the idea of a coif/item of clothing which was aired on some BBC programme has been debunked (thank goodness) and there is now a reconstruction of the chamfron in one of the museums (didn't see it in the Caerleon museum last time I was there in May-ish).

[mcbishop]

I have heard that the idea of a coif/item of clothing which was aired on some BBC programme has been debunked (thank goodness) and there is now a reconstruction of the chamfron in one of the museums (didn't see it in the Caerleon museum last time I was there in May-ish).

Possibly because they put it on display at the end of June :-)

You'd be amazed the stuff you can get off Twitter ...

Mike Bishop

[mcbishop]

After a very recent visit to Caerleon and having had a good look around, this seemed to be an oddity that no one on site could explain to me convincingly. Does anyone know what these remains are? Possibly part of the Amphitheatre or a separate building? To me it seems to be separate from the Amphitheatre and the walls seem to run to the west under the farm.

It's 'Building IX' (often called the Amphitheatre Baths), possibly the first legionary baths that goes with the original AD75 construction of the fortress. The amphitheatre was built c.AD80-90 (the books vary ;-) ) so there were a few years in which it would have been operational. It was replaced by the Castle Baths immediately to the south of the fortress defences (and of course there was an intramural baths too).

If you don't want to read the Wheelers' original excavation report from 1928 (Archaeologia 78, 144-5 for the baths), there's a useful summary in Edith Evans' The Caerleon Canabae (on p.495-6) which was being flogged off dirt cheap recently.

Mike Bishop

[Vindex]

Thanks for the info

You'd be amazed the stuff you can get off Twitter ..
Mike Bishop

No, I know it is a useful tool but as I have to rely on my work system to access RAT, Twitter is a step too far for the MOD! I still can't see the link you helpfully provided.

I'd track it if I could but the Vale of Pewsey is an internet-wifi nightmare.

[mcbishop]

I'd track it if I could but the Vale of Pewsey is an internet-wifi nightmare.

The Vale of Pewsey is a black hole for all radio traffic of whatever kind, including DAB, cell, & VHF!

Here's the image.

Mike Bishop

[66kbm]

You must be using the wrong coms Watson. You need coms like this........
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvlOiWt2bk8
Thank you all for the info...will now start to delve into the mysterious building IX.
Kevin

[Caratacus]

The reconstructed chamfon is indeed on display in the museum as a part of the temporary display about "the horse in warfare", which was put together as our 'contribution' to the WW I commemorations. It's in there along with some of the horse harness decorations on which the reproduction was based, which were recently conserved by the main museum in Cardiff. Last week we also were 'gifted' a very fine reproduction of the Ribchester helmet, which has also been placed on display in the case.

There is also another temporary display in one of the cases down the side of the gallery, giving information about the use of morphine by the Romans to treat pain - nothing new under the sun, is there?!

Mike Thomas
(Caratacus)

[Medicus matt]

Matt - do you know if there is any indication when the report will be written on that excavation, please?

I am aprticularly interested in the finds of small studs and a small decorative discussed as part of this thread:

.

Moi, that was a previous excavation (2010, which Anna also worked on) , in the Priory Field workshop/armoury section inside the fortress walls, not the riverside excavation of 2011.
Going rate for getting excavation reports out is what....a decade (unless it's EH funded, which seems to cut that it in half)? So Cardiff/UCL have a few years left.

[66kbm]

II AVG UK and II AVG NL and other groups were at Caerleon last weekend. This is where I noticed building IX. I took a few of the group who had never been there before to the Barrack blocks and the Baths.
As I had visited the Museum at the same time/along with Moi and others, it did not occur to me to go into the Museum last weekend. So I owe Moi an apology for not seeing/getting pics of the chamfron..... ad:
But having said that, I introduced many to the delights of some of the remainder of the archaeology in this lovely Welsh town.
Hopefully back next year.
Kevin

[Vindex]

All you need there is a decent cavalryman... :twisted:

[66kbm]

Yeah....where we gonna find that one?
Its amazing how archaeology overlaps itself.....then, WE, actually rarely get to see the info, or know how to find it.
A big thank you to this Forum and its contributors for helping probably thousands of people finding the info they were looking for.
Still couldn't find the Droids though.
Kevin