Othona
Encyclopedia
Othona or Othonae was the name of an ancient Roman
fort of the Saxon Shore
at the location of the modern village Bradwell-on-Sea
in Essex
, England
. The Anglo-Saxon
name Ythanceaster for the locality derives from the Roman name.
, making it contemporary with the forts at Dubris
, Portus Lemanis
and Garrianum According to the Notitia Dignitatum
, which is the only contemporary document mentioning Othona, the fort was garrisoned by a numerus Fortensium ("numerus
of the brave ones").
was ideal for control of the estuaries of the rivers Blackwater
and Colne
, the latter leading to the important city of Camulodunum
(Colchester
). The fort's shape is roughly trapezoid
al, with rounded corners. The stone rampart was 4.2 meters thick, indicating a tall superstructure, and enclosed over 2 ha. A single exterior ditch surrounded the site. Although some of the Roman building material was re-used in the 7th century church of St Peter-on-the-Wall
, enough of the rampart survived until the 17th century, when it was described by Philemon Holland
as a "huge ruin".
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
fort of the Saxon Shore
Saxon Shore
Saxon Shore could refer to one of the following:* Saxon Shore, a military command of the Late Roman Empire, encompassing southern Britain and the coasts of northern France...
at the location of the modern village Bradwell-on-Sea
Bradwell-on-Sea
Bradwell-on-Sea is a village in Essex, England. The village is on the Dengie peninsula. It is located about north-northeast of Southminster and is east from the county town of Chelmsford. The village is in the District of Maldon in the parliamentary constituency of Maldon whose boundaries were...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, 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...
. The Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
name Ythanceaster for the locality derives from the Roman name.
History
The fort of Othona is in a typical late 3rd century style, and was possibly constructed in during or shortly prior to the Carausian RevoltCarausian Revolt
The Carausian Revolt was an episode in Roman history, during which a Roman naval commander, Carausius, declared himself emperor over Britain and northern Gaul. His Gallic territories were retaken by the western Caesar, Constantius Chlorus, in 293, after which Carausius was assassinated by his...
, making it contemporary with the forts at Dubris
Dubris
Dubris or Portus Dubris was a town in Roman Britain. It is now Dover, Kent, England.As the closest point to continental Europe and the site of the estuary of the Dour, the site chosen for Dover was ideal for a cross-channel port...
, Portus Lemanis
Portus Lemanis
Portus Lemanis was the name of an ancient Roman fort, settlement and port in southern Kent. The modern village of Lympne derives its name from the ancient port.-History:...
and Garrianum According to 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...
, which is the only contemporary document mentioning Othona, the fort was garrisoned by a numerus Fortensium ("numerus
Numerus
Numerus may refer to one of the following*Grammatical number*A military unit of 200–400 men, in the Roman EmpireSee also:*Roman numerals...
of the brave ones").
Location and construction
Othona's location at the edge of the Dengie peninsulaDengie peninsula
Dengie is a peninsula in Essex, England, that once formed a hundred of the same name .The peninsula is formed by the River Crouch to the south, the Blackwater to the north, both of which are tidal, and the North Sea to the east...
was ideal for control of the estuaries of the rivers Blackwater
River Blackwater, Essex
The River Blackwater is a river in England. It rises in the northwest of Essex as the River Pant and flows to Bocking, near Braintree, from where its name changes to the Blackwater. Its course takes it near Stisted, and then via Bradwell Juxta Coggeshall and Coggeshall and near Witham where it is...
and Colne
River Colne, Essex
The River Colne is a small river that runs through Colchester, England. It is not a tributary of any other river, instead having an estuary that joins the sea near Brightlingsea.-Source:...
, the latter leading to the important city of Camulodunum
Camulodunum
Camulodunum is the Roman name for the ancient settlement which is today's Colchester, a town in Essex, England. Camulodunum is claimed to be the oldest town in Britain as recorded by the Romans, existing as a Celtic settlement before the Roman conquest, when it became the first Roman town, and...
(Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
). The fort's shape is roughly trapezoid
Trapezoid
In Euclidean geometry, a convex quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides is referred to as a trapezoid in American English and as a trapezium in English outside North America. A trapezoid with vertices ABCD is denoted...
al, with rounded corners. The stone rampart was 4.2 meters thick, indicating a tall superstructure, and enclosed over 2 ha. A single exterior ditch surrounded the site. Although some of the Roman building material was re-used in the 7th century church of St Peter-on-the-Wall
St Peter-on-the-Wall
The Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex is a Grade I listed building and among the oldest largely intact Christian church buildings in England still in regular use, dating from the 7th century...
, enough of the rampart survived until the 17th century, when it was described by Philemon Holland
Philemon Holland
Philemon Holland was an English translator.His father, John Holland, was a clergyman who fled the Kingdom of England during the persecutions of Mary I of England...
as a "huge ruin".