Isurium Brigantum facts for kids
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Isurium or Isurium of the Brigantes (which means Isurium of the Brigantes in Latin) was an important Roman fort and town. It was located in the Roman area of Britannia, which is now Aldborough in North Yorkshire, England. Today, the remains of this Roman site, known as the Aldborough Roman Site, are looked after by English Heritage.
Important Roman roads ran through Isurium. It was part of Dere Street, which connected Eboracum (modern York) to the Antonine Wall in Scotland. It was also on the Roman version of Watling Street, linking Eboracum with Luguvalium (modern Carlisle). Even today, the village of Aldborough still has some of the original Roman street layout. The local church stands where the Roman forum (a public square) used to be.
History of Isurium
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Isurium Brigantum was one of the most northern Roman towns in the entire Roman Empire. It was probably built in the late 1st or early 2nd century AD. This Roman civitas (a main city or administrative center) was the capital for the Brigantes tribe. The Brigantes were the largest and most northern tribe in Roman Britain. Other Roman towns like Exeter, Leicester, Chichester, and Canterbury had the same important status as Isurium.
The Roman writer Tacitus wrote that Isuer was where Venutius, the king of the Brigantes, lived. However, his wife, Cartismandua, took power from him with her lover, Volucatus, at the start of the 1st century. Cartismandua welcomed the Romans. At first, the Romans didn't see the Brigantes as a big threat, so their army focused on areas further south. But when Venutius and his followers started attacking Brigantian towns later in the 1st century, the Roman army moved further north. Tacitus reported that Julius Agricola finally brought the Brigantes under Roman control in 79 AD. After this, Agricola built Isurium.
The name Isurium is thought to come from the Latin name of the river Iseur, which is now called the River Ure. It's possible there was a Brigantian settlement at Isurium before the Romans arrived. There are many very old sites along the A1 road, which partly follows the routes of Watling Street and Dere Street. For example, there are three ancient standing stones called the Devil's Arrows in Boroughbridge, about a mile from the Roman site.
However, archaeologists haven't found much proof of a Brigantian settlement called Iseur. The most likely Iron Age settlement for the Brigantes was Stanwick, further north near Richmond, where Cartimandua had her main base. Isurium probably became a civilian settlement (a town for ordinary people) between a Roman fort at Roecliffe (see below) and the River Ure during the late 1st century. The Civitas Capital was likely set up around 160 AD.
People once thought Isurium was the site of a 1st-century Roman fort where Watling and Dere Streets crossed the River Ure. But excavations in 1993 found two forts at Roecliffe, near Boroughbridge. So, the 1st-century items found at Aldborough probably came from a related civilian settlement. Isurium Brigantum had large, well-built structures from an early time, probably by the early 2nd century. Later, banks and ditches were built for defense. Stone walls and four gates were added in the middle of the 3rd century. The parts of the Roman town you can see today are only a small piece of what was once there. Isurium thrived for the next hundred years, with fancy private homes that had beautiful mosaic floors. In the mid-4th century, strong towers called bastions were added to its defenses. General problems across the Empire seemed to affect the town's success around this time.
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There isn't much evidence of people living in Isurium after the end of Roman rule in Britain. By the 7th century, the Anglo-Saxons had taken control of the area.
Archaeological Discoveries
In the 16th century, an expert named John Leland wrote about Isurium. He noted that there were "large fields, full of corn, where the town's houses used to be." He also said that "every year, when ploughing, many silver and brass coins of the Roman stamp are found." He also mentioned finding "sepulchres" (tombs), "aqaue ductus" (water pipes), and "tessalata paviamenta" (mosaic pavements). Two centuries later, Daniel Defoe wrote that there weren't "so much ruins, especially not above ground."
In 2011, a special scan of the ground (called geomagnetic scanning) showed that an amphitheatre existed at Isurium. This discovery showed how important Isurium was as a major Roman town.
The site became well-known during excavations in 2004. A young archaeologist, Daniel Ebdon, was using a metal detector for the first time and found a Roman coin. This coin, along with others like it, can now be seen in The Yorkshire Museum in York.
Aldborough Roman Site Today
The Aldborough Roman Site is cared for by English Heritage. Here, you can see a section of the huge town wall with its defensive towers. You can also see two mosaic pavements still in their original places, which were once part of a Roman townhouse. Archaeological finds from the site are displayed in the museum. These items help us understand what life was like for Roman civilians in this northern capital.
The Aldborough Roman town has been officially recognized as a scheduled monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. This means it's a very important historical site that is protected.
The Aldborough Roman Town Project, led by Rose Ferraby and Martin Millett, has been studying the site since 2016. In 2019, Ferraby and sound artist Rob St John created a special audio tour that explores the Roman town.
See also
In Spanish: Isurium Brigantum para niños
