9
I keep seeing people call that new Roman site in York a 'fort' and it's not right
The dig by the river found a stone building with hypocaust tiles and painted plaster, not a single defensive wall. I worked on a site near there in 2022 and the layout matches a large villa or a governor's residence, not a military post. Calling it a fort just because it's Roman and in Britain is lazy. Has anyone else looked at the floor plan and seen the bathhouse section?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
fiona_west211mo agoTop Commenter
That floor plan is clearly a villa, not a fort.
6
paige3311mo ago
Look at the bathhouse wing and the separate living quarters. That layout screams rich person's country house, not a place for a hundred grumpy legionaries. They keep finding forts because that's what they expect to find, but this whole area had big farms too. Someone with serious money wanted a nice view and their own hot bath.
3
tara6421mo ago
Oh wow, I totally called it a fort when the news first broke. Seeing that floor plan with the bathhouse part is a game changer though, you're right. It's way too fancy and laid out wrong for soldiers. I guess I just got used to every Roman find here being a fort or a road.
5