Reverse engineering

[Boreades]

I have just found this excellent piece of historical detective work, on where Boudica's last battle might have been.
http://bandaarcgeophysics.co.uk/arch_intro.html
and
http://bandaarcgeophysics.co.uk/arch/bo ... stics.html

It appealed to me, because it's not orthodox history regurgitated, but based on (what seems to me to be) sensible reasoning based on military logistics, supplies and marching camps a day apart. Not least because Ogbourne St.George ranks as one of the very most likely places! But it might have been Hattie's Silchester, or Arthur's Mount Badon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liddington_Castle

Anyway, my point is, what was true for your average Roman footsoldier was true for your megalithic tin-mover. You needed a safe place at the end of each day's slog to rest your weary feet and mules. You and the mules needed water and protection from whatever. Especially if you are enforcing Roman control over existing trade.

So - from the known map of known (and predictable) Roman Marching Camp sites, can we reverse-engineer where there must (for practical functional reasons) have been megalithic trade route enclosures as well?

See http://www.bandaarcgeophysics.co.uk/arc ... ps_uk.html

[spiral]

[Boreades]

In Cornwall, Devon and Dorset, Roman forts and marching camps are still being found, and they all coincidentally sit on or near Bronze and Iron age trade ports and routes.
e.g.
St.Austell: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10372659
Calstock: http://www.tamarvalley.org.uk/wp-conten ... t-13MB.pdf
Restormel, near Lostwithiel: http://www.roman-britain.org/places/restormel.htm
Nanstallon, near Bodmin: http://www.roman-britain.org/places/sta ... asteno.htm

Not forgetting the Roman-era tin mines
at Carnanton: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/715163
and at Treloy: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1963220
Both near Newquay

A few days ago I had the pleasure of seeing a Roman Vase that was found by a diver near Cremyll. It reminds me that a lot of ancient ports were further inland than our current ports. For a variety of reasons, like old ports on rivers have silted-up, or the reason for going further up river has been lost, or massive container/cargo ships need massive ports in deeper water. But sometimes (like in Poole Harbour) the old ports have sunk.

Either way, we don't need to get fixated on where our existing ports are exactly, as it's very likely Megalithic ports were somewhere else.

[spiral]

Given the level of fuel required for smelting, and the landscape we are left with, I would hazard a guess that we should be also looking for evidence of ancient timber rafting...? Or Log driving?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timber_rafting

But feel free to head off in another direction....

[Boreades]

[Mick Harper]

[Boreades]

[macausland]

If you are interested in Bronze Age boats there's an interesting video on youtube of the 'Morgawr' a reconstruction of the Ferriby boat found some time ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG_b5Ghfmy0

An online article gives construction details etc.

http://indigenousboats.blogspot.co.uk/2 ... ction.html

http://www.ferribyboats.co.uk/

The above site refers to the Ferriby boats' discovery and other details.

This site discusses the possible connection between the area and Egypt.

http://lorraineevans.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... boats.html

And this one is Hull museum's article.

http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/museumcollecti ... hp?irn=470

The BBC has an article on the boats.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1234529.stm


I suppose this doesn't answer the question of river navigation but there must have been similar technology for inland sailing.

The larger rivers would certainly have been capable of accepting boats transporting people and goods. As for cattle and the like, a common method of moving them by water in Scotland was to tie them together and to a boat and make them swim following the boat to the destination.

[macausland]

And here is a series of videos showing the construction of the replica Ferriby boat. The team used mainly handmade tools which are based on what was available at the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22chM3wY ... 19C3B218C7

It's well worth watching the lot. The final video shows the stitching technique used.

[Boreades]

Ortho Romano-British history says the Romans stopped around Exeter. But recent field work has found three Roman forts in Cornwall and West Devon.
1) Nanstallon, west of Bodmin
2) Restormel, near Fowey
3) Bere Ferrers, on the Devon side of the Tamar river

The site at Restormel has produced an "unusual" amount of "exotic" material imported from the Continent and the Mediterranean.
No surprise there, as Fowey is an excellent well-sheltered deep water port, only one day's sail from Brittany.

Nanstallon and Restormel are hilltop forts overlooking the highest navigable parts of rivers. For Nanstallon, it is the River Camel flowing to Padstow. Nanstallon is within two miles of deposits of silver, lead, tin and copper. The two forts are only 5 miles apart, separated by a pre-roman Ridgeway. Which we would expect if the Romans were taking over and controlling the existing trade routes. Castle Canyke (a pre-roman hillfort which we would expect to have megalithic connections) is on the same ridge.

Another Roman marching camp has been found at North Tawton, near Okehampton in Devon

Can we plot the proximity to the Michael Line of Nanstallon, Restormel, Castle Canyke and North Tawton?

Also, what has been a surprise is the find at Restormel (by Jonathon Clemes of St.Austell) of slag from iron smelting, and iron ore deposits only 300m from Restormel.

See http://www.associationromanarchaeology. ... _part2.pdf
and http://www.associationromanarchaeology. ... news21.pdf

Meanwhile, back in Hattie's part of the world, at Silchester, archeo fieldwork had found evidence of
1) an older Iron Age town beneath Calleva Atrebatum, with a planned street pattern aligned northeast to southwest. The Roman grid has a different alignment.
2) a major fire in Colchester between AD50 and AD80. Possibly during the Boudiccan revolt of AD60