Second Sicilian War: Siege of Akragos (406 BC)

The Pharos Lighthouse at Alexandria, Egypt

Pharos Information

The Pharors Lighthouse was built in 283 C -- and built to last.  It stood until the fourteenth century.

The Pharos was 360 feet high.

Fire was the light source refleced in a great mittor.

The light could be seen for more than thirty miles.

A central spiral staircase as used to get fuel up to the fire.

Antirrhodos Island

Key

1. Strabo, a geographer, visited Alexandria circa 27 BC and described the island as, "The private property of the kings, which has both royal palace and a small harbor." Maps later mistakenly placed the island further East;

2. Ceremonial Gateway;

3. Red Granite columns over four feet in diameter;

4. Sphinxes found here;

5. Priest's statue found here;

6. Temple to Isis may have been here;

7. Wreck of a Roman Boat;

8. Third Harbor;

9. Red granite colmns found;

10. Limestone pavement found throughout the island;

11.Wooden foundations; These indicate a structure 200 feet long dating from 250 BC.

12. Carbon Dating has fixed the date of construction as circa 450 BC;

13. Possible site of Cleopatra's Palace.

14. GODDIO (French Underater Archaeologist) -- "Using nuclear magnetic resonace, magnetometers and the satelite-based Global Positioning System, Goddio's team mapped the land mass that was submerged under 16 to 20 feet of water, probably by the earth-quake of AD365.  Many artifacts have been located beneath a three foot layer of sediment.  For centuries, scholars speculated on the great treasures of Cleopatra's Palace.  Yet, all the while, clues lay beneath the waters surface in the port. 

Eastern Port of Alexandria -- Ptolemaic and Roman Periods

Key

1. Site of the Pharos Lighthouse;

2. Antirhodos Island;

3. Possible Site, Cleopatra's Palace;

4. Timonium;

5. Ancient Shipwreck*;

6. Royal Harbor?;

7. Third Harbor;

8. Second Harbor;

9. Royal Harbor?;

10. Cape Lochias;

11. Main Passage;

12. Dock?;

13. Dock?;

14. Port;

15. Dock?;

16. Poseidium**;

17. Site of Heptastadion+;

18. Qait Bey Fort++;

19. Colosal Statue@

20. Site of the Island of Pharos;

21. Site of "Cleopatra's Needles";

22. Julius Caesar morred his fleet here;

23. City of Alexandria;

24. Harbor of the Galleys.

*Wreck of a Roman Boat (100 ft. long, and 25 feet wide);

**Possible Site of Mark Antony's Palace;

+Ancient Causeway;

++Built on the site of Lighthouse Ruins;

@May have stood at the foot of the lighthouse.

Orange = Ancient Sunken Lands and Structures;

Stripes = Ancient Reefs.

Private Houses of Roman Britain, Part 2

>>>> Private Houses of Roman Britain Part # 2 <<<<

If the private houses of Roman Britain differed a good deal, in plan, from the houses in Pompeii, the internal fittings were definitely classical.  There was the same painted wall plaster, the same mosaic floors, the same hypocausts, and bathing rooms as would have been found in Italy.  The wall-paintings and mosaics may have been of a poorer quality in Britain, and the hypocausts more numerous; even some fittings themselves were indicative of the ideas and products of a milder and more southerly climate, as well as a classical culture.  The picture of the head of Mercury (Fig. #3) against a background of red is a fragment of wall plaster that once ordained a house in Roman London.  Despite a certain crudity of execution, it is a vigorous piece of drawing.  However, that it should be a Roman and not a Celtic God, that is represented, is eminently characteristic.  So too, with the mosaics.  No mosaic has yet come to light in the whole of Roman Britain which presents any local subject or contains any non-classical feature.  

(I hasten to remind all my readers that the text from which this idea was taken was published in 1924, so the above statement may no longer be true.)

The usual ornamentation consists of mythological scenes such as Orpheus charming the animals, Apollo chasing dolphins, or Bacchus riding a panther (Fig. #4).

Traces of dwelling-houses conventionally called “villas” have been detected and excavated  in various parts of the civilized area of Britain.  Some sixty or seventy examples have been noted for instance in Somerset, about as many in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, some fifty in Kent,  and thirty in Northamptonshire.  The city of Oxford alone has yielded more than a dozen.

Note: Figures #3 and 4 can be found on my blog; http://RomanStudies.blogspot.com

Reference:

Haverfield, (revised by George MacDonald), “The Roman Occupation of Britain,” Oxford, At the Clarendon Press, 1924.

 Respectfully Submitted;

Marcus Audens

Private Houses In Roman Britain, Part !

>>>> Private Houses In Roman Britain <<<<

November, 1999 Issue of the Nova Roma Eagle, Part One

This survey will look at the various excavations of dwelling-houses in Roman Britain, and will compare structure, use, internal fittings, and grounds to the dwelling-houses in the Mediterranean areas of Roman civilization.  It will be seen that while the internal fittings and decorations remain standard from the Mediterranean culture, the structure and the use of the house will change to adapt in several ways to the variations of climate and temperature.  The residential houses of this survey fall generally into two classes exactly parallel to the houses unearthed at Caerwent and Silchester, England.  As the excavations at Silchester and Caerwent have proven, the private dwelling-houses in the Roman-British towns resembled the country houses in the rural districts of the province.

Two illustrations  (Figs. #1 and 2), which though they may be ultimately derived from Mediterranean precedents, show that the housing types are not Italian.  They are rather Celtic or European.  Obviously houses of such irregular shape could not possibly have been fitted into continuous streets, nor was any attempt made to do so.  The “insulae” of Silchester  and Caerwent were not tenement blocks.  They were rather, simple rectangular spaces, each of which might contain two, three, or even as many as four, separate dwelling-houses with ample garden, or other open, land around them,  The above mentioned illustrations can be found at my blog:

http://RomanStudies.Blogspot.com

just as soon as I get them redrawn.  I will make the announcement when such is finished.

To be continued >>>>

Reference:

-- F. Haverfield,”The Roman Occupation of Britain” (revised by George MacDonald), Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1924.

Respectfully Submitted;

Marcus Audens

The Changing Pattern of Roman Fortification

Mosaic Floor from London, UK -- Fig. 4

"Mercury" -- Fig. #3

Colored Wall-Plaster, with the head of "Mercury"; from London, UK

Courtyard & Corridor House, Silchester, Figure #2

"Private Houses of Roman Britain"

Corridor House At Silchester -- Figure 1

"Private Houses of Roman Britain"

Corridor House --Fig. 7 -- "Private Houses of Roman Britian"

Corridor House at Brislington, near Bristol

Pont Julien

Pont Julien
Roman Bridge dating from the Third Century BC
Vaucluse, Provence, France

This bridge was located on the Domitian Way which connected Narbonne to Torino.
It is located 8 km West of the little town of Apt, then called "Apta Colonia Julia,"
which gave its name to the bridge.  The bridge consists of three arches,  The central
arch is taller and wider than the other two arches.  It has a range of 46 meters,  In the
pillars, canalisations serve to facilitate the evacuation of water during floods.  Upstream,
the pillars are protected from tree trunks, carried by the current, by cutwaters which
formerly had a semicircular shape.  The construction of the bridge is made up of
large blocks of limestone quarried from the Luberon Mountains.  The length of the
 bridge is 80 meters in length, 6 meters wide, and at its maximum hieght is 11.50
meters.

Since 2005, a new bridge was built 500 meters further East, to relieve the ancient
Roman bridge after 2000 + years of continuous service!

Calavon is a small river, over which the bridge was built, which is often almost dry,
but whose current can suddenly become very important, especially during heavy rainfalls.
Just upstream are the narrow gorges and castle of Roquefure (private).  The Pont Julien
served as a link to collecting the some eight communities of, Vaucluse, Bonnieux, Goult,
Lacoste, Lioux, Menerbes, Walls, Roussillion, and St. Pantaleon.

Scarborough Roman Signal Station

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Scarborough Roman Signal Station

Scarborough Roman Signal Station
The remains of signal stations have been found at Huntcliff, Goldsborough,
Ravenscar, Scarborough, and Filey.  A sixth was likely at Flamborough Head
 because four of the other signal stations could be viewed from that location.

In AD 383 these stations were built like smallforts.  Each had for its defense a
ditch, stone wall complete with corner towers.  The watch tower approximately
20 meters in hieght with a fire pit and beacon fire ready to light stood in the
center of the walled enclosure.

Note 1-- The Northeasternportion of the signal station (above) has been lost
to cliff erosion over the many years;

Note 2-- The Roman Inscription carved into a rock at the Ravenscar site reads;
"IUSTINIANUSPP
VINDIDANUS
MASBIERIURR
MCASIRUMEFOATO"
One translation of this above text records that Justinianus, the Commander, and
Vindicianus, the Magister, constructed the tower (burgus).

How these forts and their beacon fires operated is a mystery.  They may have
been used to send a signal inland to the cavalry fort at Derventio (Malton)
which might then dispatch a rapid reaction force.  Alternatively, the
beacons may only have signalled a warning to local settlements inland.
One theory is that signals passed along the coast to warn ships of the Roman
 Fleet docked along the Holderness coast or in the Humber estuary.
Perhaps all these theories are correct and the signal stations could serve
several purposes at once.  The garrisons for these signal stations was small,
but seem to have been purely military.  The fortifications were certainly
significant enough, and must have easily deterred Saxon raiders from besieging
and disabling them.

Reference: P. Elliott, "The Last Legionary,.....," Spellmount, Gloucester, G.B., 2007

     

Roman Warship "Imperator" -- Top View

Roman Warship "Imperator"

The Roman Warship "Imperator" is now under construction at a shipbuilding yard along the Rhine River in Germania.  The Trireme will be the "mother ship" for three fast-moving smaller armed vessels, the four ships making up the Rhine River Pirate Patrol Command.  The Pirate Patrol Command will patrol the extensive shallows at the mouth of the Rhine River as well as along its length so far as is navigable.  The story "Rhine River Patrol"  is a story of the political and social situations related to the construction of these vessels.  The construction of these vessels is going slowly as materials for this effort are being brought in from distant ports of call.
Respectfully Submitted
Marcus Audens

Ballistae and Mantlet (more detailed)

Here you can see the large arrow that is ready to launch.  The Mantlet in this case is protecting both the operating crew as well as the weapon itself from attack.

Catapult and Two Mantlets (more details)

This is a more detailed view of the Catapult and the two covering Mantlets that protect the men and machine from the besieged attackers.
Note the ball of stone in the "throwing pan" of the catapult.

Ballistae and protecting Mantlet

The Ballistae is designed to be able to raise or lower it's aiming point, and it can shoot large arrows or medium sized rock balls.  Smaller Ballistae are nick-named "scorpions."  These would be used against armed enemy trops, and could easiy put a stout arrow through a shield or a body.  The Mantlet is utilized to protect the men working the Ballistae.

Catapult and Two Mantlets

The catapult could throw large stones at the wall of a fortification in order to break the wall and cause a breach for the siege army to surge through.  The two mantlets were portable and could be placed to protect the men on the ground working the catapult.

Ballistae, Capult, and Mantlets

This photo is the same as the preceding one but more enlarged.

Siege Weapons

These siege weapons consist of a Catapult, Ballistae, and three Mantlets.  In the picture they are set up to attack a map of a fortress.  The map is one of my attempts to map a fort cite as a game-playing map.

The Jewish War, AD 66-74

The Jewish War, AD 66-74;

Emperor Vespasian's Forces (Roman) take the cities Jotapata, Gamla, Jericho, Emmaus, and Jerruselum.  They also captured the fortresses of Herodium, Machaerus, and Masada

Reconstruction of an Indian war elephant as used by the Macedonians during the third century BC.

Ref.  P. Connolly, "Greece and Rome at War,"(Prentice-Hall, 1981)

Elephants with towers.

1. Terracotta figure of an elephant with a tower attached by chains.  Towers were first used  by Pyyrrhus against the Romans in 280 BC.

2. Painted dish from Capena, Campania showing an Indian elephant with tower.  Probably from the Pyrrhus army.

3. Indian elephant with tower on a silver phalera.

The Byzantine Fortress of Charpete (Harput)

Rebuilt in the medieval period

Croyland Bridge (from the Topographia Britannica)

Antibes Aqueduct

Pont Ambroix, Gard Depi, France

Roman Empire, AD 395

The division of the Roman Empire into the West and East Empires at the death of Theodosius I, AD 395.

The Eurymedon Bridge, Near Selge Pisidia, Turkey

The church in the Byzantian city of Shivta, Israel

Roman Bathhouse at Avdat

A splendid Roman bathhouse is located at the bottom of the hill below the acropolis.  To get water for this bathhouse, a well over 60 meters deep was constructed.

Water Supply:-- The Nabateans built where no one had settled before.  The Israelite's territory stretched from "Dan to Beersheba," but not further South (except for military posts).  The annual precipitation was considered to be too little to support a settled population.  The Nabateans proved this wrong and built cities in the highlands.  They were able to prosper because of the rich trade that passed through the cities and their ability to carefully manage the water supply.  Elaborate drainage systems were constructed to collect every ounce of rainwater and channel it into family and public cisterns.

Ruins of Byzantine Fort at Nizana, Israel

Pontus Seaport

A Plan of the Roman Seaport at Pontus, near Ostia, Italy.

Avdat Acopolis

City of Avdat--The city's acropolis was the high portion of the area which includes a fortress surrounded by a wall, and in turn, an area of worship which includes two large Byzantine churches standing in close proximity.

The Roman Corbita or Merchantman

Reference:

Henry B. Culver, Gordon Grant (illus.) "The Book of Old Ships---,"Dover Pub. Inc., New York, 1962, Page 40.

Byzantium Fortress -- Avdat

After the Roman residential Quarter at the Avdat Site, the path runs through the South Gate into the rectangular Byzantine fortress.  A vantage point in the southeast corner offers a view over the whole extent of the site with its (partially restored) walls and towers, a large cistern in the center of the courtyard, and the remains of a Late Byzantine Chapel against the North Wall.  A passage in the North Wall gives access to the Roman Military Camp, which measures 90m (100 yds) each way.  The fortress along with the town of Avdat is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Avdat, National Park Map

Diagram of the remaining Ruins of the ancient city of Avdat on the Old Spice Road in the Negev Desert, about 50 km North of Beer-Sheva

Wall of the Acropolis

Byzantine Quarter -- Avdat

Section of walls in Avdat

Double Arch Construction , "Avdat"

(See preceeding drawing)

Stone Arch in "Avdat," known as The Southern Gate

"Avdat" was an important city on the Incense Route only after Petra. It was founded in the third century BC and lasted until its demise from an earthquake in the seventh century AD.  The city  was inhabited by Nabateans, Romans, and Byzantines.  See the article on the city of Avdat in the Sodalitas Militarium.