Ariconium facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ariconium |
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| Herefordshire, England, UK | |
Bury Hill, approximate site of Ariconium
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 Ariconium
Location in Herefordshire
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| Coordinates | 51°55′N 2°31′W / 51.91°N 2.52°W |
| Grid reference | SO6423 |
Ariconium was an important Roman site in Roman Britain. It was like a busy roadside stop, mentioned in an ancient Roman travel guide called the Antonine Itineraries. You can find its remains at Bury Hill in Weston under Penyard, Herefordshire. This is about 3 miles (5 km) east of Ross on Wye.
Even before the Romans arrived, people lived and worked here. The Romans later took control of the site. It was a very active place for making iron. However, Ariconium was eventually left empty, probably around the year 360. We don't know exactly why or how this happened.
Historians and archaeologists have learned about Ariconium through careful research and digging. They found that it was a major center for making iron. There were many furnaces and workshops for working with metal.
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Why Ariconium Was Important
The Forest of Dean area, which is nearby, had lots of iron ore and charcoal. These are key materials for making iron. People had been mining and smelting iron here for a very long time. There were many small workshops where iron was made.
Ariconium was built on a hill. This was a smart choice because the wind helped to make the fires hotter. This was important for "bloomeries," which were old furnaces that made a basic kind of iron. This early iron wasn't perfect and contained a lot of waste material called "cinders."
The Romans improved this process by using bellows. These pumped air into the furnaces, making them even hotter. This produced better iron, but it still needed more work. It also used a lot of charcoal. Huge piles of cinder waste were left behind at these sites.
How Ariconium Was Found
For a long time, people weren't sure where Ariconium was located. An early researcher, William Camden, thought it might be at a place called Magnis. This is near modern-day Hereford.
Later, another expert named John Horsley did more research. He carefully studied the old Roman travel guides. His work helped to pinpoint Ariconium's true location at Bury Hill. This site is about 17 miles (27 km) west of Glevum (modern Gloucester) and 13 miles (21 km) northeast of Blestium (modern Monmouth).
Once people were confident about the location, local residents started clearing away the overgrown plants. They discovered huge piles of cinders. They also found the remains of old building walls. There were many stories about Roman objects being found there.
Today, research shows that Ariconium was a very large iron-making site. The massive piles of waste cover about 100 acres (40 hectares). Archaeologists have also found pieces of pottery and many other ancient objects. They found old British coins, including one from a king named Cunobelin. Roman coins were also found, dating from when the Romans arrived until about 360 AD. After that year, no more Roman coins have been discovered.
Ariconium's Story
People lived at this site even before the Romans came. They were likely already involved in making iron. The site continued to be used throughout the Roman period. In fact, the amount of iron-making activity grew bigger over time.
It seems that people lived in different areas around Ariconium, not just in one big town. Ariconium is only mentioned once in Roman history, as a stop on a travel route. This shows its main importance was as a road station.
The site seems to have been abandoned shortly after 360 AD. Its sudden abandonment might be connected to a time when Roman authority weakened. There were reports of widespread problems during that period. Some parts of Roman Britain never fully recovered from these troubles. No evidence of people living at Ariconium after this time has been found.
What's in a Name?
The exact meaning of the name Ariconium is not fully known. We also don't know its name before the Romans. The Romans often named places based on the land or the people living there.
The name Ariconium sounds a bit like other Roman place names, such as Viroconium. However, there's no clear link between them.
Many people believe that Ariconium is where the name of the later kingdom of Ergyng came from. This was a kingdom that existed after the Romans left Britain. Even though Ariconium was outside Ergyng's later borders, both names might have come from an even older name for the wider area. In turn, Ergyng is thought to be the origin of the name Archenfield.
Since 2008, Ariconium has also been used as the name for a group of six Church of England churches in the area. These include Aston Ingham, Hope Mansell, Lea, Linton, Upton Bishop, and Weston under Penyard.
Ariconium in Stories
Sometimes, people write stories that try to connect Ariconium to characters from the Arthurian legends. Some writers are careful to say these are just ideas, not historical facts. Others are less careful and might present fiction as if it were true.
Ariconium is also mentioned now and then in poems. But these mentions usually don't have anything to do with the actual Roman site. They might be referring to other places or even just using a similar-sounding word. As poetry, they might not refer to anything real at all.
See Also
