Exeter: A Roman Legionary Fortress and Civitas Capital

This accessible summary of the archaeological evidence from Roman Exeter reveals its origins as a legionary fortress garrisoned by the Second Augustan Legion. After the legion departed to Wales, Exeter became a Roman regional capital and continued to flourish on the very western edge of the Empire before its ultimate demise in the la

Exeter has long been known as a Roman city, but it was only in 1971 that its origin as a legionary fortress of the mid-first century AD was revealed. That discovery was the result of excavation work undertaken by the first professional archaeological unit to be based in the city. The author was one of those involved and this book explains how innovative archaeological techniques introduced in the 1970s were employed, not only to construct a picture of the legionary fortress, but to demonstrate with some confidence that the 5,000 strong garrison which manned it was the Second Augustan Legion. Whilst at Exeter the legion built its own stone bathhouse. Constructed only around 15-20 years after the Roman invasion in AD 43, it is the earliest known monumental masonry building in the South-West of Britain. Significantly, it was also possible to establish that Exeter became a Roman regional capital around AD 80 after the departure of the legion to Wales. The redundant bathhouse was converted to a basilica (council chamber and administrative centre) for the fledgling city which went on to acquire a circuit of walls by the start of the third century. Exeter continued to flourish as a Roman city on the very western edge of the Roman Empire before its ultimate demise in the late fourth century.

Author's Note General Notes Introduction The Roman army arrives at Exeter The Legionary Fortress (and its stone-built bathhouse) Extra-mural sites of the prata legionum The fortress and its garrison at the time of the Boudican revolt Exeter as a Roman town and Civitas Capital Late Roman Exeter The end of Roman Exeter and the beginning of a new story Final Thoughts Further reading Index,

Author’s Note

General Notes

Introduction

The Roman army arrives at Exeter

The Legionary Fortress (and its stone-built bathhouse)

Extra-mural sites of the prata legionum

The fortress and its garrison at the time of the Boudican revolt

Exeter as a Roman town and Civitas Capital

Late Roman Exeter

The end of Roman Exeter and the beginning of a new story

Final Thoughts

Further reading

Index

John Pamment Salvatore began his archaeological career in 1972 with the Exeter Museums Archaeological Field Unit, undertaking multi-period excavation in the historic city under the tutelage primarily of the late Christopher Henderson. After a decade ‘in the field’ he left for Birmingham University where he gained a degree in Ancient History and Archaeology before completing a Doctorate on the Roman Republican siege-camps of Numantia in Spain. Returning to Exeter in the early 1990s, he had two subsequent spells with the Exeter Unit, interspersed with eight years at English Heritage and some time as the City Archaeologist at Plymouth. He was back at the Exeter Unit (by then known as Exeter Archaeology) when it was wound up in 2011. Following the disappearance of the city’s ‘own’ unit he spent the next decade working on various archaeological projects of all periods. However, he never lost his first heartfelt attachment to Exeter and its Roman past and he began to write this account of the Roman fortress and city only two weeks after his retirement in the Christmas of 2022.

• By (author) John Pamment Salvatore

'This book contains as fresh and up-to-date an account of Roman Exeter as one could wish for and will deserve a wide readership among visitors and Exonians alike. The illustrations are good, and include numerous evocative photographs, many of them entirely new. John Salvatore thus joins the select group of writers to contribute to the literature of Roman Exeter, from early luminaries such as Richard Goodchild; C.A. Ralegh Radford, Percy Morris and L.A. D. Montague of the Exeter Excavation Committee in the 1920s and 30s; via Aileen Fox, to John Collis, Mike Griffiths, Chris Henderson and Paul Bidwell; and in recent years to John Allan, Neil Holbrook, and Stephen Rippon.' – Stuart Blaylock (2024): Journal of the Devon History Society, Volume 94 

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