Noviomagus Reginorum
Encyclopedia
Noviomagus Reginorum was the Roman
town which is today called Chichester
, situated in the modern English
county of West Sussex
. Alternative versions of the name include Noviomagus Regnorum, Regnentium and Regentium..
, was first established as a winter fort in the friendly territory of the Atrebates
tribe, shortly after the Roman conquest in AD 43. It was the home of the Legio II Augusta
commanded by the future Emperor Vespasian
and their timber barrack blocks, supply stores and military equipment have been excavated. The army only stayed for a couple of years and the site was soon developed as a civilian settlement and capital of the Civitas
Reginorum, a client kingdom ruled by Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus
.
The Regnenses
were either a sub-tribe of the Atrebates or simply the local people designated the 'people of the Kingdom' by the Roman administration. Cogidubnus almost certainly lived at the nearby Palace of Fishbourne
. He is mentioned on the dedication stone of the temple
to Neptune
and Minerva
found in Chichester. Other public buildings were also present: the public baths
are beneath West Street, the amphitheatre
under the cattle market and the basilica
is thought to be beneath the cathedral
.
The town became an important residential, market and industrial centre, producing both fine tableware and enamel
work. In the 2nd century the town was surrounded by a bank and timber pallisade which was later rebuilt in stone. Bastions were added in the early 4th century and the town was generally improved with much rebuilding, road surfacing and a new sewerage system. There were cemeteries
outside the east, north and south gates.
raids along the south coast. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
the town was eventually captured towards the close of the 5th century by Aelle of the South Saxons
. It was renamed after his son, Cissa
, and probably retained as a royal residence.
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
town which is today called Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, situated in the modern English
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...
county of West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. Alternative versions of the name include Noviomagus Regnorum, Regnentium and Regentium..
Development
Noviomagus Reg(i)norum, meaning 'new field' or new clearing of the Reg(i)niRegnenses
The Regnenses, Regni or Regini were a British Celtic kingdom and later a civitas of Roman Britain. Their capital was Noviomagus Reginorum, known today as Chichester in modern West Sussex....
, was first established as a winter fort in the friendly territory of the Atrebates
Atrebates
The Atrebates were a Belgic tribe of Gaul and Britain before the Roman conquests.- Name of the tribe :Cognate with Old Irish aittrebaid meaning 'inhabitant', Atrebates comes from proto-Celtic *ad-treb-a-t-es, 'inhabitants'. The Celtic root is treb- 'building', 'home' The Atrebates (singular...
tribe, shortly after the Roman conquest in AD 43. It was the home of the Legio II Augusta
Legio II Augusta
Legio secunda Augusta , was a Roman legion, levied by Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus in 43 BC, and still operative in Britannia in the 4th century...
commanded by the future Emperor Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
and their timber barrack blocks, supply stores and military equipment have been excavated. The army only stayed for a couple of years and the site was soon developed as a civilian settlement and capital of the Civitas
Civitas
In the history of Rome, the Latin term civitas , according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the cives, or citizens, united by law . It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities on the one hand and rights of citizenship on the other...
Reginorum, a client kingdom ruled by Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus
Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus
Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus was a 1st century king of the Regnenses or Regni tribe in early Roman Britain.Chichester and the nearby Roman villa at Fishbourne, believed by some to have been Cogidubnus' palace, were probably part of the territory of the Atrebates tribe before the Roman conquest of...
.
The Regnenses
Regnenses
The Regnenses, Regni or Regini were a British Celtic kingdom and later a civitas of Roman Britain. Their capital was Noviomagus Reginorum, known today as Chichester in modern West Sussex....
were either a sub-tribe of the Atrebates or simply the local people designated the 'people of the Kingdom' by the Roman administration. Cogidubnus almost certainly lived at the nearby Palace of Fishbourne
Fishbourne Roman Palace
Fishbourne Roman Palace is in the village of Fishbourne in West Sussex. The large palace was built in the 1st century AD, around thirty years after the Roman conquest of Britain on the site of a Roman army supply base established at the Claudian invasion in 43 AD. The rectangular palace surrounded...
. He is mentioned on the dedication stone of the temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
to Neptune
Neptune (mythology)
Neptune was the god of water and the sea in Roman mythology and religion. He is analogous with, but not identical to, the Greek god Poseidon. In the Greek-influenced tradition, Neptune was the brother of Jupiter and Pluto, each of them presiding over one of the three realms of the universe,...
and Minerva
Minerva
Minerva was the Roman goddess whom Romans from the 2nd century BC onwards equated with the Greek goddess Athena. She was the virgin goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, magic...
found in Chichester. Other public buildings were also present: the public baths
Thermae
In ancient Rome, thermae and balnea were facilities for bathing...
are beneath West Street, the amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
under the cattle market and the basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
is thought to be beneath the cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
.
The town became an important residential, market and industrial centre, producing both fine tableware and enamel
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
work. In the 2nd century the town was surrounded by a bank and timber pallisade which was later rebuilt in stone. Bastions were added in the early 4th century and the town was generally improved with much rebuilding, road surfacing and a new sewerage system. There were cemeteries
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
outside the east, north and south gates.
Decline
By the 380s, Noviomagus appears to have been largely abandoned, perhaps because of SaxonAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
raids along the south coast. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
the town was eventually captured towards the close of the 5th century by Aelle of the South Saxons
Aelle of Sussex
Ælle is recorded in early sources as the first king of the South Saxons, reigning in what is now called Sussex, England, from 477 to perhaps as late as 514....
. It was renamed after his son, Cissa
Cissa of Sussex
Cissa is the name of a mythical King of Sussex, and Chichester whose placename is first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 895AD, is supposedly named after him.-Historical attestation:...
, and probably retained as a royal residence.
Remains
- The dedication stone of the temple of Neptune and Minerva is now set into the wall of the Assembly Rooms.
- Part of a fine Roman mosaicMosaicMosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
may be seen in situ beneath the floor of the cathedral. - A second mosaic from Noviomagus may be seen at Fishbourne Roman Palace.
- One of the town's bastions may be seen in the gardens of the Bishop's Palace.
- The Chichester District Museum houses many finds from across the city.
See also
- Chichester CastleChichester CastleChichester Castle stood in the city of the same name in West Sussex . Shortly after the Norman Conquest of England, Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, ordered the construction of a castle at Chichester. The castle at Chichester was one of 11 fortified sites to be established in Sussex...
– medieval castle established in the north of Noviomagus Reginorum