Vindolanda Fort and Museum ***
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© Copyright Andrew Curtis and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
Description:
Not long after Hadrian’s Wall was completed, most of its garrison was sent north to the newly built Antonine Wall. At Vindolanda, a stone fort was constructed, likely for the 2nd Cohort of Nervians. Between 208 and 211 AD, a major rebellion broke out in Britain, prompting Emperor Septimius Severus to lead an army there himself. The old stone fort was torn down and replaced with an unusual mix of military buildings to the west and a curious cluster of round stone huts where the fort had once stood.
© Copyright Chris Gunns and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
A few circular huts can still be seen near the north and southwest walls of the final stone fort. The Roman army might have built them to house families of British farmers during a turbulent time. After Septimius Severus died in York in 211 AD, his sons paid off the rebels and returned to Rome. The stone buildings were torn down, and a large new stone fort was constructed on the site of the huts for the 4th Cohort of Gauls.
For the museum: Roman Army Museum