Mais (Bowness)
Encyclopedia
Mais, or Maia, in Cumbria
, England
was a Roman
fort
on Hadrian's Wall
, and was the last fort at the western end of the Wall.
The Notitia Dignitatum
does not mention the fort at Bowness on Solway, but the Ravenna Cosmography
gives the name of the fort as 'Maia', and the Rudge Cup
gives the name as 'Mais'. It is thought that the fort was called 'Maia' meaning 'The Larger' because it was the second largest fort on the Wall. However there is also a possibility that the fort was named after the Greek and Roman goddess Maia
.
milecastle
.
The fort was originally built with a turf and clay rampart, similar to the turf Wall in that area, but when the Wall was rebuilt in stone, the fort was also rebuilt in stone.
The fort is believed to have measured 710 foot by 420 foot, covering about 7 acres (28,328 m²). It is the second largest fort on the Wall, after Stanwix
(Petriana
). The Wall approached the fort from the east, joining it at the north-east corner. The Wall continued on from the north-west corner, and from there it is uncertain where it went. Old inhabitants reported that, 250 yards (228.6 m) west of the fort a large quantity of stone was dug out of the beach. This may be an indication that the Wall was taken down to the low-tide mark, as it was at Segedunum, at the eastern end of the Wall.
Over the years the cliff face has been eroded, and the north wall of the fort collapsed into the sea long ago. The fort had three gates, east, west and south. There was no need for a north gate as the north wall was on the cliff-tops.
A civilian settlement, or vicus
, existed south of the fort lining the road to Kirkbride
, and this was occupied well into the fourth century.
Little is known of the garrison, but its third-century commander was a tribune
, indicating that it was probably a thousand-strong (military) cohort of infantry, perhaps part-mounted.
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
was a Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
fort
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
on Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
, and was the last fort at the western end of the Wall.
The Notitia Dignitatum
Notitia Dignitatum
The Notitia Dignitatum is a unique document of the Roman imperial chanceries. One of the very few surviving documents of Roman government, it details the administrative organisation of the eastern and western empires, listing several thousand offices from the imperial court down to the provincial...
does not mention the fort at Bowness on Solway, but the Ravenna Cosmography
Ravenna Cosmography
The Ravenna Cosmography was compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around AD 700. It consists of a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland. Textual evidence indicates that the author frequently used maps as his source....
gives the name of the fort as 'Maia', and the Rudge Cup
Rudge Cup
The Rudge Cup is a small enamelled bronze cup found in 1725 at Rudge, in Wiltshire. The cup was found down a well on the site of a Roman villa. It is important in that it lists five of the forts on the western section of Hadrian's Wall, thus aiding scholars in identifying the forts correctly...
gives the name as 'Mais'. It is thought that the fort was called 'Maia' meaning 'The Larger' because it was the second largest fort on the Wall. However there is also a possibility that the fort was named after the Greek and Roman goddess Maia
Maia (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Maia is one of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes. The goddess known as Maia among the Romans may have originated independently, but attracted the myths of Greek Maia because the two figures shared the same name.-Birth:...
.
Description
The fort stands on a sea-cliff over 50 feet (15 m) high, rising steeply from the shore, and commanding lower ground in all directions. The name 'Bowness' means 'rounded headland', indicating the good position of the fort, having commanding views of the nearby coastline. It was built over the site of the eightiethMilecastle 80
Milecastle 80 was one of a series of Milecastles or small fortlets built at intervals of approximately one Roman mile along Hadrian's Wall. It was excavated in 1973, under the ruins of the Roman fort of Maia, the last Roman fort on the western end of Hadrian's Wall....
milecastle
Milecastle
A milecastle was a small fort , a rectangular fortification built during the period of the Roman Empire. They were placed at intervals of approximately one Roman mile along several major frontiers, for example Hadrian's Wall in Great Britain , hence the name.Along Hadrian's Wall, milecastles were...
.
The fort was originally built with a turf and clay rampart, similar to the turf Wall in that area, but when the Wall was rebuilt in stone, the fort was also rebuilt in stone.
The fort is believed to have measured 710 foot by 420 foot, covering about 7 acres (28,328 m²). It is the second largest fort on the Wall, after Stanwix
Stanwix
Stanwix is a district of Carlisle, Cumbria in North West England. It is located on the north side of River Eden, across from Carlisle city centre. Although long counted as a suburb it did not officially become part of the city until 1912 when part of the civil parish of Stanwix became part of the...
(Petriana
Petriana
Petriana was a Roman fort. It was the largest fort on Hadrian's Wall, and is now buried beneath the village of Stanwix, Cumbria, England.-Roman name:...
). The Wall approached the fort from the east, joining it at the north-east corner. The Wall continued on from the north-west corner, and from there it is uncertain where it went. Old inhabitants reported that, 250 yards (228.6 m) west of the fort a large quantity of stone was dug out of the beach. This may be an indication that the Wall was taken down to the low-tide mark, as it was at Segedunum, at the eastern end of the Wall.
Over the years the cliff face has been eroded, and the north wall of the fort collapsed into the sea long ago. The fort had three gates, east, west and south. There was no need for a north gate as the north wall was on the cliff-tops.
A civilian settlement, or vicus
Vicus (Rome)
In ancient Rome, the vicus was a neighborhood. During the Republican era, the four regiones of the city of Rome were subdivided into vici. In the 1st century BC, Augustus reorganized the city for administrative purposes into 14 regions, comprising 265 vici. Each vicus had its own board of...
, existed south of the fort lining the road to Kirkbride
Kirkbride, Cumbria
Kirkbride, Cumbria is a village in Cumbria in the north of England. Significant elements of ancient history are close to Kirkbride including the Kirkbride Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall. Hadrian's Wall in this western reach and the Kirkbride fort were predominantly of turf and timber construction...
, and this was occupied well into the fourth century.
Garrison
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
, indicating that it was probably a thousand-strong (military) cohort of infantry, perhaps part-mounted.
Excavations
When the site was excavated in 1930, the southern rampart was uncovered and the west gate was located. In 1967, further excavations found the western rampart. In 1973 more extensive excavations were carried out, and traces of the original turf and clay western rampart were found, as well as evidence of a timber gate-tower.External links
- Maia at www.Roman-Britain.org
- iRomans Selection of objects from Maia within Tullie House Museums collection