Ratae Corieltauvorum
Encyclopedia
Ratae Corieltauvorum was a town in the Roman province
of Britannia
. Today it is known as Leicester
, located in the English
county of Leicestershire
.
oppidum
. Round houses
from this era have been excavated in the city. The suffix, Corieltauvorum, refers to the Corieltauvi, the Celt
ic tribe who had their civitas
capital there. Until 1983, the name of the town was thought to have been Ratae Coritanorum. However, newly discovered evidence in the form of an inscription shows the recorded forms as corrupt and the name of the tribe has since been revised.
, established between the two to help control the border. The Fosse Way crossed the Soar close to the site of the Iron Age settlement.
Although the suggestion, made by Wacher amongst others, that a Roman fort was established between two arms of the Soar around AD 50 cannot be ruled out., the identification of the ditch with a fort has never been substantiated. If there ever was a Roman military establishment at Leicester in the First century AD it may perhaps have been located elsewhere, maybe on the Eastern bank of the Soar where the Roman city later developed.
, there was a simple open market place at the centre. However, in the early 2nd century better quality spacious stone houses were erected with central courtyards. A particularly fine excavated example had tesselated and mosaic
floors, decorative plaster walls and, around its courtyard, an elaborate frieze of architectural features, theatrical masks, doves, pheasants, cupids and flowers. It was not occupied for long, however, and part of it became a factory for the manufacture of horn objects. Other industries in the town included pottery production and metal and glass working.
Eventually, the forum and basilica
was built, though it did not fill the previous market place. The public baths
soon followed, just to the west, around AD 145. Fed by an aqueduct
, they are of an unusual plan and had a large exercise room
alongside. A second market place was laid out in the early 3rd century and a basilican market hall erected. Its offices had decoratively painted plaster ceilings. A stone defensive circuit surrounded Ratae by the end of the 3rd century. There were four gateways with cemeteries
outside each and a suburb
to the north. Only two suggested temple
s have been discovered in the town, one a possible mithraeum
.
burials in the cemeteries suggest these people took control of the town soon after their arrival.
Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
of Britannia
Britannia
Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain. However, by the...
. Today it is known as Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, located in the 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 Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
.
Name
Ratae is the Brythonic word for 'ramparts', suggesting the site was a defended Iron AgeBritish Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
oppidum
Oppidum
Oppidum is a Latin word meaning the main settlement in any administrative area of ancient Rome. The word is derived from the earlier Latin ob-pedum, "enclosed space," possibly from the Proto-Indo-European *pedóm-, "occupied space" or "footprint."Julius Caesar described the larger Celtic Iron Age...
. Round houses
Roundhouse (dwelling)
The roundhouse is a type of house with a circular plan, originally built in western Europe before the Roman occupation using walls made either of stone or of wooden posts joined by wattle-and-daub panels and a conical thatched roof. Roundhouses ranged in size from less than 5m in diameter to over 15m...
from this era have been excavated in the city. The suffix, Corieltauvorum, refers to the Corieltauvi, the Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic tribe who had their 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...
capital there. Until 1983, the name of the town was thought to have been Ratae Coritanorum. However, newly discovered evidence in the form of an inscription shows the recorded forms as corrupt and the name of the tribe has since been revised.
Iron Age Settlement
The origins of the Roman city lay in a settlement that developed on the east bank of the River Soar, a tributary of the River Trent, in the late Iron Age (i.e. 2nd or 1st centuries BC). Little is known about either this settlement or the character of the Soar at this time. What evidence there is indicates the Soar in this vicinity split into two channels: a main stream running to the east and a narrower channel to the west. Between the two channels there was probably a marshy island. It seems that both the streams could be forded. The settlement appears to have consisted of a cluster of native round houses located close to the ford across the main channel, which probably extended over roughly 8ha. on the bank of the main stream.The Fosse Way
After the Romans invaded Britain in the 1st century AD they quickly established control over the southeast corner of the island, but for at least a couple of decades they did not advance north and west in an attempt to subdue the rest of the island. Two legionary fortresses were established; one in Exeter in the southwest corner of the territory, one at Lincoln in the northeast, and a road, now known as the Fosse WayFosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter in South West England to Lincoln in Lincolnshire, via Ilchester , Bath , Cirencester and Leicester .It joined Akeman Street and Ermin Way at Cirencester, crossed Watling Street at Venonis south...
, established between the two to help control the border. The Fosse Way crossed the Soar close to the site of the Iron Age settlement.
A Possible Roman Fort
One of the enigmas of Ratae's early development was whether or not there was ever a garrison stationed in the vicinity of the river. The location on a river crossing on a strategic road and near a settlement, would have been an ideal place for a fort. As yet, however, the evidence for the presence of a fort is unclear. The only evidence we have is based on the discovery of a single 'V-shaped' ditch, with a dranage slot at the bottom, which was found on the island between the two river channels. This ditch is similar in form to a type of military ditch known as a punic ditch, with one side steeper than the other and a drainage slot at the bottom, but to date there is no evidence that this supposed 'fort' ever had an interior.Although the suggestion, made by Wacher amongst others, that a Roman fort was established between two arms of the Soar around AD 50 cannot be ruled out., the identification of the ditch with a fort has never been substantiated. If there ever was a Roman military establishment at Leicester in the First century AD it may perhaps have been located elsewhere, maybe on the Eastern bank of the Soar where the Roman city later developed.
Town development
Ratae seems to have remained a rather poor settlement at first. Although there was a rapid rebuilding programme to develop larger shops and houses, there were few amenities and none of the usual public buildings. Instead of a forumForum (Roman)
A forum was a public square in a Roman municipium, or any civitas, reserved primarily for the vending of goods; i.e., a marketplace, along with the buildings used for shops and the stoas used for open stalls...
, there was a simple open market place at the centre. However, in the early 2nd century better quality spacious stone houses were erected with central courtyards. A particularly fine excavated example had tesselated and mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic 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...
floors, decorative plaster walls and, around its courtyard, an elaborate frieze of architectural features, theatrical masks, doves, pheasants, cupids and flowers. It was not occupied for long, however, and part of it became a factory for the manufacture of horn objects. Other industries in the town included pottery production and metal and glass working.
Eventually, the forum and 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...
was built, though it did not fill the previous market place. The public baths
Thermae
In ancient Rome, thermae and balnea were facilities for bathing...
soon followed, just to the west, around AD 145. Fed by an aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
, they are of an unusual plan and had a large exercise room
Palaestra
The palaestra was the ancient Greek wrestling school. The events that did not require a lot of space, such as boxing and wrestling, were practised there...
alongside. A second market place was laid out in the early 3rd century and a basilican market hall erected. Its offices had decoratively painted plaster ceilings. A stone defensive circuit surrounded Ratae by the end of the 3rd century. There were four gateways with 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 each and a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
to the north. Only two suggested 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...
s have been discovered in the town, one a possible mithraeum
Mithraeum
A Mithraeum is a place of worship for the followers of the mystery religion of Mithraism.The Mithraeum was either an adapted natural cave or cavern or an artificial building imitating a cavern. Mithraea were dark and windowless, even if they were not actually in a subterranean space or in a natural...
.
Decline
In the late 4th century, Ratae was occupied by a detachment of the Roman army and towers may have been added to the town walls. However, a serious fire spread through the town centre and the forum, basilica and market hall were never rebuilt. Early 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...
burials in the cemeteries suggest these people took control of the town soon after their arrival.
Remains
- A large wall of the public baths survives and is known as the Jewry WallJewry WallThe Jewry Wall in Leicester, England is the substantial ruined wall of a public building of Roman Leicester .-Description of the wall:...
- Raw DykesRaw DykesRaw Dykes is a Roman earthwork and scheduled monument in Leicester. The monument consists of two parallel banks up to 20 metres apart, with an excavated channel running between them...
, an earthwork thought to be the remains of an aqueduct - The exercise room of the baths is incorporated into St Nicholas' Church
- A large collection of artefacts from Ratae are on display in the Jewry Wall MuseumJewry Wall MuseumThe Jewry Wall Museum is a museum in Leicester. It faces the Jewry Wall ruins, and houses artifacts from iron age, Roman, and medieval Leicester....