THE RECORD OF THE TRIMONTIUM TRUST
CURLE CENTENARY 1905-10 to 2005-10 A FLYING START!
A photo of the mature James Curle is accompanied by images of four of the 2005 Celebratory Events. Top right, Mrs Barbara Linehan, youngest daughter of Dr Curle, is starting off the Curle Circuit of Melrose at Abbey Park on Saturday 7 May. Second line, left, Jim Walker, long-time colleague of Prof. Lawrence Keppie, addresses the troops amid the ditches of Ardoch, during the Trust's outing on Saturday 17 July to the Gask Ridge. Second line, right, Liam, Jessica and Kyle lead off the Site Safari from Newstead on the afternoon of Saturday 3 September. Bottom centre, on that same morning, as a result of the partnership with the National Museums of Scotland, Mrs Linehan guards the 'golden' helmet from Pit XXII, in the new display case, courtesy of Awards for All, in the Museum. We also had an Open University study day; a Council for Scottish Archaeology event; three lectures on the Curle finds; two lectures on Curle colleagues; and a public reading of Curle correspondence. It was an eventful first celebratory year.
ANNUS CELEBRANDUS AD 2005
The Year that had to be celebrated.
Last year we began to prepare to celebrate the centenary of the beginning of James Cure's excavation in 1905.
This year we gave it a whirl.
In the following pages we hope to convey something of the impact of the events and the fresh look at the evidence that is always adding to our understanding.
The Museum
As ever, the Ormiston was Trust HQ.
The Museum was open seven days per week and, with Easter being early, for an extra fortnight from 18 March to Sunday 30 October. We didn't start a new week on Monday 31st October.
Our volunteers did us proud. Brian on Mondays - he hasn't been well over the winter and will miss the beginning of the 2006 season; Patricia and Ian on Tuesdays; Paul (King Hildebrand in Princess Ida this year in mid-Feb) and Liz on Wednesdays; Ian Brown, the Hon Sec and Nancy on Thursdays; Sylvia, Anne and Bill on Fridays - we look forward to his return from being 'no' weel' too; young Ben on Saturdays; and Nigel and John on Sundays. There were holiday and illness vacancies and we were very grateful to everyone who stepped into the breach. Juggling is the name of the staffing game, and volunteers are always welcomed to join the list. (Give the Hon Sec a ring).
John and Alan, the Ormiston caretakers, lighten our load with a constantly watchful eye and a helping hand from time to time with the entrance figures, light bulbs and the corridor 'flitting', when it is deemed discreet to put all the moveables inside the Museum during evening party time in the Corn Exchange next door.
Official 'friends'
There are so many groups and individuals with which we work and correspond, from the Community Council and SBC to the Scottish Parliament and the Inland Revenue that we can't name them all, though we try to let them know that we do appreciate their help.
Over the two Phases of the Tweed Project we have been fortunate to work with the staff of Tweed Forum, based at Drygrange. Mrs Judith Nicol (of whom more anon), Quentin, Luke and Fiona have done much for us. Nancy Finlay, our Hon. Treasurer in particular has appreciated being able to speak the same financial language as Melody in discussing our claims, and now that the Project is closing down we shall miss, not just the income but the folks. Many thanks to you all!
Other contacts have been in Scottish Museums Council, the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions; Historic Scotland; VisitScotland(Borders); the National Museums of Scotland; OSCR - the office of the Scottish Charities Registrar; Awards for All; and the National Trust for Scotland re Harmony Hall archive - and - Committee room. (Farewell Norman Tait; welcome Nick Brooks, the new man at Priorwood).
Mail, e-mail and telephone calls are the order of most days as well as weekly visits to the bank, Melrose Primary School and Reiver Industries (copying).
We trouble our book and souvenir suppliers once or twice a year. It's a small business, constantly needing attention.
The Partnership
Dr David Clarke and (now also Dr) Fraser Hunter visited Melrose towards the end of 2004 (and were pictured on the back page of the Trumpet, with Walter).
As a result the National Museums 'refreshed' all our display cases, thanks to Craig and Jim, before the new display case arrived at the end of August. We were very fortunate to secure a grant from Awards for All, but the dramatic circular case we had in mind did not have thick enough anti-bandit glass to come up to NMS standards. The new, tall all-glass rectangular case, however, is very striking as you enter the Museum, with its special 'Partnership' back cloth, designed and erected by the National Museums. For two months we had the 'golden' parade helmet from Curle's Pit XXII on display,along with strips of an auxiliary soldier's copper alloy scale armour. They should be back for the 2006 season and we would hope to have them succeeded in the following years by other spectacular finds in honour of the Curle Centenary.
The Walks
We don't have as many walkers as in yester year (we hope to advertise more effectively in 2006) but we had an enjoyable season. IJH Brown and the Hon Sec took turns to guide, with Walter stepping into the breach on one occasion. It was good that Bill was able to help guide the shorter walks round the site. The ladies made all the difference at tea time - Ishbel, Win (regrettably not so fit at present), Rita, Irene, Liz and the indefatigable Isobel (also key holder at holiday times, stocktaker, closed road cleaner, hostess on General Election days and 'Walk it' enthusiast).
The Members
Thank you for sticking with us during another year, but a year with a difference, as we tried to make it a year to remember. Nancy thanks you for your subscriptions, which help to keep us going. We tentatively asked one member, who normally paid by Direct Debit - which had dried up - if he would like to rejoin. He enquired of his bank - and found that for three years they had been paying his Trimontium sub into some other account!
It came back to us - but please understand if we check with you. And many thanks for that wonderful anonymous windfall - inter vivos - ie a living legacy.
"ONE HUNDRED YEARS ON:
A new look at the finds"
Spring 2005 Lecture series - Lecture 1
The Newstead Ironwork: a re-appraisal"
Emeritus Professor W G Manning, Cardiff University
'The Garage Syndrome' - Roman style - was a subtext of the speaker's talk. What does your garage look like? Is there stuff in it that you're going to take a look at some day; stuff that might come in handy; stuff that needs a bit of repair to put right; one-offs that might be needed again? And have you ever moved house, or helped someone else to move house, and, to be practical, simply had to throw most of that stuff away?
The speaker has been studying Roman and other ironwork for most of his professional life and he told his audience on 17 March, 2005 in the Corn Exchange, Melrose, that the Romans seem to have been no different to ourselves in relation to their 'garage' material. He had just come from the National Museums, having scrutinised again the Curle 1905-10 ironwork on which he was writing a monograph. The audience, who had seen in display cases or in photographs the objects which the Professor was illustrating, and were familiar with them, were astonished at his perceptive comments.
'some of the material is scrap, waiting to be re-used'
Most of Curle's ironwork discoveries came from a handful of the 107 pits he dug and were probably from the earliest occupation of Trimontium. A good look at the objects shows that many are damaged and could well have been put in a corner of the blacksmith's shop to await repair. The edges of the pickaxes need renewed; some of the scythes have been repaired three or four times already; the hinges of the blacksmith's pincers have too much play on them; the splendid hammer heads need to have new shafts; some of the material is scrap, waiting to be re-used; some is one-off equipment, for a use which is not yet evident today. Of the material listed by Curle one scythe seems to be missing, as is one of the iron ingots. Is either of these lying about in an old garage or workshop in Melrose, just waiting to be brought back in by a Trust member (no questions asked) ?
'the iron parade
helmet, with its face mask'
All this re-appraisal of what we thought we knew already was interesting enough, but there followed a discussion of the iron parade helmet (found, with other helmets in Pit XXII on 31 March, 1906) which the Trust uses as its logo. Professor Manning described it as one of the most beautiful examples of high-class Roman ironwork in Northern Europe, with its distinctive very-difficult-to-make curls. Had we seen the three little rivets down below the left ear? The bottom rivet had a little piece of silver tinning still attached. The helmet had come to the end of its useful life and, beautiful or not, the silver foil - which had covered the curls (but apparently not the face as well, as Curle had suggested) - had been torn off, and the shell of the helmet and facemask had been laid aside as scrap.
Professor Manning's slide of the interior of the helmet revealed - what no one in Melrose had seen till now - the marks of four separate and successive owners. From the evidence of other helmets this magnificent piece is dated to the time of Claudius and Nero (the beginning of the invasion); the workmanship is such that it was most probably not made in Britain; and its lifespan was probably about fifty years. Handed on (traded?) from owner to owner and worn as a mark of rank and skill, it was discarded and dumped at the earliest Roman departure from Newstead about 105AD.
Was the infill of the Newstead pits the result of ritual or rubbish? The Professor suggested that perhaps we had leaned too much on the former explanation in recent years. We had to use our eyes; the jury was still out.
On behalf of the fifty-strong audience Ian McHaffie thanked the speaker for a memorable start to the Celebrations and contribution to our thinking.
'Image, Craft and the Classical World'
Edited by Nina Crummy, this collection of essays in honour of two British Museum scholars, Donald Bailey and Catherine Johns, printed in France in July 2005, could not have been better timed. The 'pearl' of the essays, as it has been described, is a 22 A4 page article by Professor Manning, with 16 illustrations, on the very helmet which was the highlight of his lecture. We have asked if we can reproduce the essay for members, and await a reply from the publishers. It is simply the last word on the subject. The book itself is published by:
Editions Monique Mergoil,
12 rue des Moulins, F 34530 Montagnac,
ISBN 2-907303-91-0, and was bought in July for 53 euros approx, by credit card, on emmergoil@aol.com.
'THE GLASSWARE: A GOOD LOOK THROUGH'
Lecture 2 Dr Birgitta Hoffman, University of Liverpool
Surprise upon surprise seemed to be the theme of the Spring lectures. This time it was the turn of the glass finds, on which the speaker was also writing a monograph for the National Museums. They put Newstead at the top of the Hadrian's Wall league.
" the lowest count of bottle finds in the Hadrian's Wall league"
At Carlisle, Vindolanda, Birdoswald and Corbridge the number of glass 'objects' (jewellery etc), as opposed to vessels and bottles, ranged from 3% to 8% of the glass found there. At Newstead the figure for these high status finds was 28%.
Pie charts showed the amount and types of glass found over the years at Newstead by the Big Four - James Curle, the Mason brothers, Walter Elliot and Jack Cruickshank - and Bradford University. It was curious that different finders seemed to find more of one type - vessels, bottles or jewellery - than of others. It was necessary to take into account the whole 'assemblage' from all the finders.
'Bottles mean soldiers' - and the biggest Roman bottles, the Kilner jars of the Empire, could each hold up to 25 litres of soldiers' booze. The patterns of the bottles varied from fort to fort and the bottles seemed to have been made at each location. Newstead had the lowest count of bottle finds in the Hadrian's Wall league.
Instead of showing slides of the fragments of the Newstead glass finds (as she had at a previous lecture), Dr Hoffman showed slides of the complete vessels from Colchester, Cologne etc, which the fragments represented, so that the audience had a very good idea of the range of the Newstead material. High quality glassware had been found in some of the Newstead pits and was very often buried elsewhere in graves. The early types of such high quality were colourless, but on the thin side and liable to be unstable. These buried fragments tended to revert to sand crystals. Fashions changed quickly in a new and developing industry and what had been the height of fashion in 60 AD had reached its peak by 70 AD and had 'gone' completely by 80 AD. The Newstead finds of this top-of-the-range material suggested that the dating of the first fort at Newstead must surely be earlier than 79 AD ie probably in the early 70s AD (like Carlisle). This was giving support, combined with literary evidence, to the growing realisation that there was a Roman presence in Scotland some years before Agricola invaded (despite his son-in-law's too supportive (?) biography).
Coloured glass began as an attempt to imitate gemstones or porphyry and became the fashion for centuries. There seemed to be a huge number of small glass gaming counters at Newstead (easily mistaken for pebbles) in the ratio of five white to one black. A recent suggestion had been made that, although they had no holes in them, these 'counters' might be just that ie some form of abacus or pocket calculator.
Melon beads had a dark blue glaze on them and imitated Egyptian faience. It was thought they were worn on men, equipment, horses - and by children.
Dr Hoffman suggested that the huge number of glass 'bangle' fragments represented neither bangles (too small for the wrist) nor hair 'brooches' (too heavy) but some kind of belt buckle which kept breaking into fragments because of the tension to which it was subjected. Her last surprise was a slide of a Newstead bead in Limerick museum.. It was one of four which had been found and it was......Anglo Saxon. Does this help to confirm that post-Roman Newstead was another of the Anglian settlements in the Borders, as Walter Elliot has suggested? Irene Dalton conveyed the audience's delighted surprise.
'THE LEATHERWORK: REVIEW AND ANALYSIS'
or, as it turned out,
"Hairy helmets, cowboy boots and dreadlocks"
Lecture 3 Dr Carol van Driel-Murray, University of Amsterdam
The Chairman withdrew his description of the speaker as 'the leather lady from Amsterdam' as being capable of misunderstanding. The Scots-born expert told a fascinating story, explaining that her previous experience on various sites had stood her in good stead for an examination of the leatherwork found by Curle, which the National Museums had transported to Holland. Her technique was to lay the pieces out at home and let them make their own impression, over time, on her practised eye. Pieces of seemingly unremarkable leather turn out to be, for example, tent panels - and from a particular part of the standard Roman tent - because of their typical folds, staining and wear, as can be seen in their placing on the tent 'frame' in the Early Peoples section in the basement of the Museum of Scotland. (More Curle leather has been located in Wilton Museum, Hawick).
" the chamfrons at Vindolanda and Newstead must have been made by the same man"
Roman soldiers with their sandals are a commonplace of book illustration. But Roman soldiers' 2nd century footwear showed that the toes did not come to the end of the sole - which curled up. In other words they wore cowboy boots. There was no heel and no fear of fallen arches either.
What really stirred the audience was the astounding find (not at Newstead) of the helmet that had the remains of a hairy (Jimmy?) wig inside it, with the fringe coming down over the wearer's forehead, and what looked like a woolly hat, with a tassle behind, worn on top of the shiny metal dome of the helmet. These were not often found, perhaps because people insisted on 'cleaning up' their finds - and destroying the evidence.
The famous 'chamfrons' at Newstead and Vindolanda - the leather horse face-harnesses with hundreds of decorative rivets - must have been made by the same craftsman. He was a Batavian (from Holland) at Vindolanda and, on this evidence, perhaps these famous horsemen were on duty at Newstead too. Brian Stobbs, who made the replicas for both places, came independently to the same conclusion (Trumpet 17, p7).
Amid the numerous slides and overheads, showing the various changes in fashion which could help to date forts, the speaker produced a puzzle for herself and the audience - a reconstruction of a lengthy oilcloth/waterproof 'covering' - from Newstead - with two front (ear?) holes, and four thin upstanding (because of inset wooden 'stiffeners') leather-covered 'horns', in the middle (see below). The audience had a fun time - was it a covering for a 'clothes horse'?! Dr Margaret Collin later suggested that the 'horns' were 
'guides' for long leading reins in bad weather. The speaker has replied and will investigate 'wear and tear' on the inner surfaces, and details on cavalry tombstones. James Curle's methods, his ability to make accurate drawings of what he saw, and his willingness to learn from Continental colleagues came in for great praise as the speaker thanked the Trust for the honour of being asked to speak in his home town. Keith Hanson led the audience in their thanks for a 'fitting' conclusion to a surprising and informative series and looked forward to the publication of the monographs by the National Museums.
THE YOUNG ONES
The preparation and organisation of the events of 2005 unfortunately pushed the Young Archaeologists' Club into abeyance for the year (nobody complained - what does that mean?), although they were most welcome to attend. We hope to start again in 2006.
There was no shortage of youngsters, however, on the school Route Marches, Museum Tours, Trimontium Walks or the Site Safari. Youngsters were also involved in the re-recording of the Museum audioguide for children as well as the Trimontium Play - part of the 'Romans' green box file, issued by Tweed Forum to each of the 70+ primary schools in the Borders (and Northumberland schools too).
The original recordings were done by true professionals, John and Noreen Hamilton of Celtic Stories, who added their own touches of quip and jollity. Schools had suggested that it would be even more realistic if children's voices were used. Jessica Bennett and Kyle Blain of Melrose Primary agreed to practise after the Minimus class on a Wednesday and at the February holiday weekend went over to Sound Station in Galashiels. They spent a whole morning and afternoon, with suitable intervals for refreshment, in the patient Dave Little's recording studio. He made a good job of editing the performances and the tapes are now available at the Museum and for the box files.
When it came to arranging the Site Safari we asked Kyle's twin, Liam, complete with trumpet (both are also in the local Pipe Band) to join the other two as Roman soldiers - just in their red tunics - and Roman lady (yellow tunic dress and hair up).
Jessica' s Dad took the splendid photos and the Border Telegraph splashed them over two issues. How about the following for letters of thanks. "Thankyou very much for asking us to take part. Not only did we enjoy being Romans
for a day but we also learned lots about the Trimontium site and the viaduct. It was interesting to know that there had been a roundabout and a road system at Trimontium. It must have been a very busy place to live in.
The only drawback to being a Roman soldier must have been walking for miles carrying a spear, which becomes very heavy after a while - but it does make you feel quite powerful. We were delighted to be given the opportunity to take part in the day".
" I will be reminded of the Safari for ever"
"Thankyou very much for the picture in the frame. It is lovely and I will be reminded of the Safari for ever! - that is until I knock it over! As it stands I am very accident-prone! Anyway it is really nice and is standing on top of my television (well, not mine, but I'd like it to be!). It has replaced an out of date picture of my Mum's Auntie ..... I think our picture is much better, of course! We decided I suit yellow!"
School Route Marches also produce their letters afterwards. In June a little girl from Gala wrote the following:- "I really enjoyed the walk. Thankyou for letting us carry the banner, shield, practising sword and the soldier's kit. I got to hold the practising sword. I also liked it when we were marching and singing at the same time. It was fun having to repeat the Latin words like 'O Tveda, te salutamus'['O Tweed, we salute you'. Ed] I thought it was interesting. The exhibition was fascinating too. I enjoyed having to find things out about the traders and the 'Celts'. I didn't get on to the Romans [in the worksheet Ed]. I also liked trying on the Roman soldier suit. I had the tunic, cummerbund and the belt on. I had so much fun. At the end of the exhibition when you got the sword out it was scary. I really enjoyed my visit even although it was cold on the walk. Vale, centurio" [Goodbye, centurion Ed].
From the same class: " I liked it when you told us about the well and the skull". "After the exhibition was finished we went to the park for lunch and played for a bit then we went back to school". "I think the best bit was when we all got to try on the clothes".
From Newtown PS: "It was very clever how they made a model of that man's head".
CURLE CIRCUIT OF MELROSE
"I'm sorry to miss it", said Peter Wood of Newstead. "From the souvenir programme it sounds like fun".
The Curle Circuit of Melrose on the afternoon of Saturday 7 May provided a lot of fun for the thirty-five participants from Edinburgh, Gullane, the Borders and Oregon, USA.
Mrs Linehan, James Curle's youngest daughter, set the scene in front of Abbey Park, his birthplace (now St Mary's School), with a personal reminiscence of her father including his practical advice to his children on book handling, timekeeping at mealtimes, local shopping and smoking. He was obviously a student of psychology as well as archaeology. Mrs Linehan remembered many of the stone artefacts being temporarily housed on the floor of the billiard room in what is now the Youth Hostel and was the family home.
The Circuit was devised to visit on foot a number of places with which James Curle had been associated including Rosebank, his grandfather's house on Dingleton Brae; his office at the Bow (pronounced 'bough') at the entry to Abbey Street; Melrose Abbey and the family graves; Harmony, where he died in 1944; Millmount Farm, still owned by the Curle estate; and Priorwood House and Garden (this last now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland).
'the Big Three of Roman archaeology'
As we approached the Abbey John Hawkins rang the Abbey Bell and there was a
quick shower of hailstones. David Murray of Newstead thanked the Trust for their restoration of the gravestones of the two brother archaeologists, James and Alexander Ormiston Curle, and emphasised their working relationship with Sir George Macdonald, which had led Sir Ian Richmond to describe them as, in their day, the Big Three of Roman archaeology in Scotland. With James Curle's silver christening mug of 1862 in hand, expressive of the family's appreciation of the occasion, he drank a toast to the memory of his grandfather. His sister, Lady Cameron of Lochbroom, was also present as were several great- and great-great- grandchildren. The tour ended with the party emerging on to Abbey Street through the portal with the carved stone lintel bearing the legend - JC 1905 BC - commemorating both James Curle and his wife Blanche.A splendid afternoon tea provided by Ishbel, Nancy and Isobel crowned the event in the Lower Ormiston Hall.
O U FRONTIERS DAY
"It was a splendid day. We've decided to stay on for a few more days to enjoy this part of the world".
He was one of sixty Open University students attending the 'Frontiers Day' hosted by the Trust, on Saturday 11 June, 2005 in the Corn Exchange, along with twenty Trust members. A couple had come from London by coach; one had flown to Newcastle; others had driven from Aberdeen, Bath, Sussex, Essex, Kent, Yorkshire, Edinburgh, Dumfries and Falkirk.. Tea and coffee had been on tap from 8.30am to let people mingle on this Summer Course Day, view Lawrence Keppie's splendid aerial photography panels, visit the Museum and book up for the Site Walk in the afternoon.
After our Dr John Reid and OU's Dr Janet Huskinson (she had had the idea) welcomed everyone, Professor Keppie spoke on the Roman Frontier in Scotland, with slides of Hadrian's and the Antonine Wall. There was a short break, followed by (now Dr) Fraser Hunter, Head of the Iron Age, Roman and Early Historic Section at the National Museums, presenting the other side of the coin ('his' two Birnie coin hoards featured in his talk) in the relationship between 'Caledonians and Romans'. The morning finished with a few slides of the Site, preparing the audience for the Walk, and Dr Huskinson thanked the Trust for rising to the occasion, before suggesting that perhaps we could have a repeat in a few years' time.
"the Milton Keynes-Melrose partnership"
A Trust handout, with map and history of Melrose, had listed the fourteen eating places/sources available, and the audience took full advantage. Half then went on the 1.30pm Trimontium Trail from the Newstead Millennium Milestone in two parties, led by Dr Bill Lonie and the Hon Sec. Ian Brown took the other (large) party, leaving at 2pm. The dry but overcast weather grew into glorious sunshine and the Borders countryside was seen at its best. The volunteer coffee/tea team transferred from Melrose to Newstead and the walking parties, all in great good humour, finished the day one after the other in the Village Hall, where Dr Reid expressed thanks to all concerned for what had been a remarkable day for the Milton Keynes - Melrose partnership.
A SIGNAL SUCCESS
The Gask Frontier - July 17, 2005
Because of the recent publicity about archaeological evidence from Perthshire, which may suggest that the Romans came to Scotland almost fifteen years before Agricola gets the credit for it, the Trust's 2005 outing went to see the ground. An army marches on its stomach. Morning coffee at Stirling; lunch at Crieff; and an afternoon cuppa at Perth (Bertha, if you were a Roman soldier) kept the troops going.
Jim Walker from Westerwood, friend and co-worker with Lawrence Keppie and now attached to Stirling University Adult Education Department, was the guide - and what an inadequate statement that is.
'the magnificent, multiple Ardoch ditches'
Jim, a real legend, witness his discovery even as a lad of a Roman altar, had gone to immense pains to contact landowners for permission to visit, and to provide up to the minute handouts for each of the sites visited along this first Roman Forth - Tay frontier. His commentaries on the coach and his talks at each site were paced to suit his audience. His organising at each site of its parking and that of the following car so as not to block the narrow roads was masterly.
The weather was glorious and the sites at Ardoch (huge) and Kaims Castle (small) a pleasure to walk round and survey from all angles. We noted the recent damage done to the Roman road at Kaims - and it was reported on in the Press the very next week. We bought 'The Romans in Perthshire' booklet, by David Woolliscroft and Birgitta Hoffman, at the cottage. It was salutary to remember that, but for the improvements in field use in the agricultural revolution, the magnificent multiple Ardoch ditches would still be able to be seen on sites like Trimontium to this day. It was William Stirling, the estate owner, who had refused to fill in the deep Ardoch ditches (now owned by a Sheikh of Araby).
From forts we went to watch towers and signal stations, sometimes in bracken up to shoulder height, and then to fortlets and a glimpse of a vast Severan temporary camp. Not even the troops of Trimontium could inspect all of the nineteen sites so far discovered but a healthy sample was visited, discussed and photographed in the sunshine, including watch towers at Muir o' Fauld and Witch Knowe, and the side by side fortlet and watch tower at Midgate.
The party was recruited not only from Borders members but also from Edinburgh, Falkirk and Berwick. Mr and Mrs Woodfield from Stony Stratford, near Milton Keynes, had motored up for the occasion and we remembered their attendance at the Trimontium Stone unveiling in 1997. All expressed their enjoyment of the day and the skill of their guide.
The Borders contingent, passing through Dalkeith on their way South, and being conscious of the current 'push' in the Borders for more housing, noted the name of a new development beside a new roundabout. It was 'Roman Fields'.
THE JIM WAYNESS SEAT
Jim Wayness, one of our very first supporters and tesserarius (keeper of the watchword for the Legion) for many years, who died in 2003, was honoured by the local British Legion, of which he was a long-time stalwart,by having a beautiful light-coloured seat erected in his memory. It was crafted by his step-grandson, young Tim Hodgson at his Old Melrose furniture studio - a magnificent piece of work sited beside the Newstead Millennium Milestone. Rev Haisley Moore, a former Army chaplain, dedicated it and there was a happy family photo in the Border Telegraph. Haisley did wonder at the time if it was sufficiently secured against the light-fingered gentry who appear even in the Borders and his instinct was proved correct when it was reported, by a lady walking her dog, that a car had stopped one evening and the two occupants had lifted each end of the seat, to test its weight - presumably for carrying off later. The warning was heeded; the seat temporarily removed; and then restored to its site, this time anchored by substantial chains to concrete blocks sunk into the ground. The Legion had kept to its watch and ward.
ANOTHER FRONTIER
Ian Dalton
In light of the current proposal to have the Antonine Wall designated as a World Heritage Site and the renewed studies of the Gask Ridge system, it was particularly interesting to visit the Roman frontier system in Germany under the aegis of the Hadrianic Society.
The limes [lee-maze ie frontier] stretched for a distance of some three hundred miles between Remagen on the Rhine and Regensburg on the Danube. It was a continuous barrier consisting of a stout palisade, 'backed' (as distinct from 'fronted') by a ditch (see top right), and with a system of watchtowers providing the means for observation and visual communication. The watchtowers were substantial structures, particularly when built in stone, being typically three storeys in height (see top left and bottom right). At either flank the Rhine and Danube themselves formed the frontier line - significant barriers to incursions by barbarian intruders. In addition, they provided the means to patrol the frontier line and to communicate along its length. They acted as the Stanegate of Rome's NE frontier. They must also have been a most useful means of supply, not only laterally, but also from the Roman hinterland via their tributary rivers. The remains of both military and commercial river craft have been found in the course of modern re-development of the river banks, and some of this material, together with conjectural full-scale reconstructions, is on display in the Museum fur Antike Schiffart in Mainz (http://www2.rgzm.de/Navis/Mainz/NavismusEngl:htm for further information).
Whilst the limes would have undoubtedly performed the function of checking the movement of people and animals, the reconstructions suggest that, though no doubt more economical per unit length (it was 300 miles long, after all), this frontier line would have lacked the more impressive appearance of the Antonine Wall and, most certainly, the very imposing presence of Hadrian's Wall. Whatever its cost-effectiveness, as a political statement this simple, if substantial, wooden palisade, would, one feels, have lacked grandeur and, perhaps, authority. No doubt, however, it would have exuded that same slightly sinister, threatening air associated with the barbed-wire border fences which have been erected across whole countrysides even in modern times, dividing societies such as East and West Germany.
'reminiscent of ..the Gask ridge'
In the area visited around Hillscheid, where the frontier climbs over the hills to the East of Coblenz, the present context of the limes is reminiscent of the heavily wooded part of the Gask Ridge, although on a much larger scale. As a consequence, there is little opportunity there to experience the open outlook that would have been an essential aspect of the original frontier design. On the other hand, although not related to the limes, it is easy to imagine the feelings of vague apprehension, or even premonition, which must have affected at least the more imaginative of Varus' troops as he led them ever deeper into the dark, silent. rather claustrophobic environment of these tall, dense German forests in pursuit of an unseen enemy.
Perhaps the most surprising comparison between the frontiers here and those in Germany is the proximity of major civilian sites to the Rhine and the line of the limes. Whereas Londinium (London), the provincial capital of Britannia, is some 275 miles from Hadrian's Wall and nearly 400 miles from the Antonine Wall, Augusta Treverorum (Trier), the capital of the province of Belgica Prima, is only some 70 miles from the Rhine frontier.
'the number of Roman villas'
Despite the proximity of the frontier, the number (and scale) of Roman villas contrasts markedly with that in the north of England. Although over 700 villa sites have so far been identified in Britain, the evidence for such sites north of York is very small indeed, with none at all for certain (so far) between the Walls [see also 'Colliding Worlds', Trumpet No.19, Feb. 2005 p17].
Romano-British villas and farms such as Lidgate in Suffolk, North Leigh in the Cotswolds, and Chedworth in Gloucestershire, and towns of consequence (other than legionary bases) such as Bath and St. Albans, are really found only south of York, and then predominantly in the southern counties and the Thames Valley. By contrast, on the Rhine frontier, very large villa and farm sites are found in significant numbers at places such as Nennig, Perl-Borg and Konz, whilst the scale of settlements such as that at Belginum (near modern Wederath) may be judged by the 2,500 graves that have been excavated over the last fifty years in the vicus cemetery.
'a greater degree of Romanisation'
Why is there such a contrast between the two frontier areas? The Roman occupation of Gaul preceded that of Britain by some one hundred years and this may have been significant in establishing a greater degree of Romanisation in that region. In addition, the fertility of the area must have been a major factor in the economic development of the province. The river Mosel, a tributary of the Rhine with its confluence at Confluentes (Koblenz), would have provided a ready and cost-effective means of transportation for the distribution of agricultural products, in particular downstream to the Rhine. Undoubtedly, the legions stationed along that river would have been a major and reliable market for such goods. There were double legions stationed at Bonn and Mainz for periods of time.
'the attractions to investors and developers'
Further evidence emphasising the economic importance of the region and its rivers comes in the form of the sculpture of a barge carrying wine barrels, displayed in the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Trier (see below). The Mosel would also have greatly facilitated the importation of goods and this, too, may have enhanced the attractions of this region to what are now termed investors and developers. Compared with Britain, the shorter distance to Rome was an advantage. The prospect of the sea crossing to Britain must have been a real disincentive, both psychologically (the Romans were traditional sea-haters) and economically, except to the most adventurous.
'villas tended to cluster round settlements'
In 'The Roman Villa in Britain' (London, 1969, p77) Rivet says that 'a villa means..a farm which is integrated in the social and economic organisation of the Roman world'. Were the villas around Trier exclusively agricultural in purpose or were they, in some cases at least, the country mansions of wealthy private families or entrepreneurs such as pottery manufacturers, financiers or tax collectors? Villas tended to cluster around towns and settlements for ease of access to markets, lower transport costs and commuting. Were they on the sites of earlier Gaulish farms? Were they acquired by local leaders through a process of emulation of the Roman lifestyle? The villa at Ahrweiler Silberbergvilla, was 'improved' through the 1st to 3rd centuries; abandoned; converted in the 4th C to a roadside inn with upgraded cooking facilities (presumably to cater for an increased number of people); and eventually had at least one room used for metal-working. One particularly interesting element of the original design is the clear, but now very rare evidence of a laconium or domed/niched Turkish bath.
'tuff and pumice'
To those of a technical bent, the stone quarries at Kruft are particularly interesting. A volcanic explosion some 13,000 years ago created a plume of dust and ashes extending NE as far as modern Finland and left several cubic kilometres of stone material in the form of tuff and pumice in deep and extensive layers on the countryside around the middle Rhine. These were worked by the Romans for building materials in an area NW of Koblenz, initially by quarrying but later by mining the tuff from beneath the surface layers of pumice. This extraction process created a system of galleries and shafts, some 4m to 6m beneath ground level, extending over an area of several square kilometres. A small portion of these workings has survived subsequent exploitation and is preserved for posterity. Amongst many other destinations, this material could be readily shipped up the Mosel to Trier, where it was much in demand for construction work in the provincial capital.
'the statement being made by the Porta Nigra'
Trier exhibits all the trappings of a Roman city, including a huge basilica (actually the 30m high audience hall of the imperial palace, the Aula Palatina); an amphitheatre (the subterranean chambers of which - for operating machinery, accommodating performers and caging animals - can still be inspected); several impressive bath complexes; a bridge over the Mosel; and a truly spectacular entrance 'gate', the Porta Nigra (see below). Even to the modern eye, accustomed to large buildings, these are impressive structures. Whatever the limes may have lacked in 'presence', there could have been no doubt at all in the minds of both new arrivals and residents alike of the statement being made by the Porta Nigra and the other imperial buildings of Augusta Treverorum. Unquestionably, Rome was the dominant power of the age and the remains of these structures must have been a constant reminder of that heyday to the inhabitants for many centuries after the glory had departed.
ODE TO WALTER
Walter Elliot retired from the Chairmanship of the Trust, after thirteen years, in 2005. How do you honour such a man? Nancy suggested that we ask Val Gillies, Trimontium's own poet and seer (poeta vatesque) and after a period of incubation she produced this
Your shepherd's plaid
is a thread in the solar mantle.
Your tough skull
is the crest of the hill,
a cranium of Ettrick thickness.
Bead-bright eyes
spark in the land's kist
Fancy gaun a walk somewhere ?
Ah used tae gaun an fence there
As a lad you saw
a skirmish of rain-horsemen,
pillars of light and storm
spilling across the slopes for you,
those reivers at a gallop.
On Capper Law grow hazels
where your bairns hulled nuts.
Nae sign on the ground
it's pure speculation
Walter, guide fellow-wanderers
where the hills swell and billow,
open those honeycombs of history.
Hidden valleys hold parallel lives:
each one comes to you,
each makes a pact to return
and tell you what it's like.
Ah've been oot in the rain afore
Ah wullnae melt
The first sealstone, the dolphin
swims out of the sea of furrows
and leaps into your hand.
The little head of Minerva
in her wisdom-helmet
turns toward you
where you walk across the field.
Ah wudnae hae caa'd the king ma cousin
on the day Ah found that
A mouse snatches an ear of corn,
leaves footprints fired in the tile
for you to track,
showing the world's grain.
Wherever something half-hidden
lies just under your feet,
this, to you, is the Borders.
It gets better, actually,
you could aa dae it an aa
Look, winding through damp bog
and coming uphill towards us
a prehistoric pathway
wrinkles the turf,
a ripple of land surfacing.
You never forget
the past is also the future.
Rhyme seems tae run in the hills
it gauns better in the hills
The land is around us
and my friend at my side
who can divine time and place.
This ode sets me down
to walk the green road
with you in the moment when
the wave of the hills carries us along.
Updating of the website by I-NetSupport Date: May 2006