Introduction to the Dorset Roman Roads group
Posted on Saturday 02 January 2010 11:14
West Dorset seen from Eggardon. Famous Dorset landmark Golden Cap in distance, centre left.
'To recover a Roman road, therefore, to establish its exact alignment, even in detail, is not one of those half-futile historic tasks, whose achievement ends in itself. The re-search has indeed its “sporting” side. It presents all the fascination that attaches to any form of hunting, with that element added which comes from tracking of a trail in the open air’
(Belloc 1913, p16)
The Roman campaign following the invasion of 43 AD marked the end of the ancient tribal life of our British ancestors and the start of the modern world in which we still live. In Dorset, as elsewhere, the round huts, the oval hillforts succumbed to the square forts, houses and minds of the Romans. From that moment wild Celtic dreams were slowly forgotten and life became safer, richer, duller.
We can follow some of the thinking of the two sides in the archaeology. The commander of II Legion Augusta, who fought their systemactically across Dorset, was Titus Flavius Vespasian, later the ninth Emperor of the Roman Empire. We can look into Vespasian’s face and ask ourselves questions he must have had to answer. We can understand something of his strategy, we can stand where he stood, we can look out at the same landscape.
We can recognise the distinctive handiwork of his Prefect of the Camp, the Turk Publius Anicius Maximus, who laid out the campaign roads that we drive or walk over every day and which we are now trying to understand. We can also put ourselves on the parapets of the windswept hillforts and imagine the thoughts of the Durotrigan defenders as the glittering legion assembled below to bring them the benefits of law, order, taxation, profit and loss.
The Roman Roads Group are amateur archaeologists, active and retired professional people, a school student all of whom bring a range of skills and experience to our interest. We live around Bridport and are interested in understanding the history of Dorset by tracing the road system at different periods. Currently we are concentrating on campaign roads built by the II Legion Augusta around 46AD and shortly afterwards which mark the important transition from the ancient world to the modern.
We want to keep the group small and informal. Membership is by invitation. We would very much like to hear from anyone who would like to contribute to the project.
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