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BBC
Roman souvenir of wall found
A unique Roman "souvenir" of the building of Hadrian's Wall has been discovered.
Tuesday September 30, 2003
The bronze pan, dating from the second century AD, when the Romans built the dividing wall across the north of England, was found in the Staffordshire moorlands.
Archaeologists are excited because the names of four forts located at the western end of Hadrian's Wall.
The names that can be read on the cup are Mais (present city of Bowness),
Coggabata (Drumburgh), Uxelodunum (Stanwix) and Cammoglanna (Castlesteads).
The problem - said english archaeologist Roger Wilson of the Nottingham
University - is that the Coggabata fort had never been spoken of, nor were
any traces of it found.
Between them they name seven forts, but the present pan is the first to include Drumburgh. It also has the inscription of a person's name on it.
Sally Worrell, Roman expert for the PAS, said the name, Aelius Draco, was "perhaps a veteran of a garrison of Hadrian's Wall", who had the vessel made on retirement.
She said: "This is an absolutely wonderful find - the most important Roman object recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme."
Elaborately decorated with Celtic-style motifs, the vessel is inlaid with coloured enamel.
It is hoped the find will go on display at the British Museum as part of a special exhibition opening in November, called Buried Treasure: Finding Our Past.
Earlier this year a coast-to-coast walk route was launched, which opened up the entire length of the wall to walkers for the first time in 1,600 years.
Thousands of people have taken advantage of the 84-mile walk from Wallsend on Tyneside to Bowness in Cumbria, since it was opened to the public in
May.
For more detailed info go to the related PAS page.
The Hadrian's Wall
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