Cataractonium: Establishment, Consolidation and Retreat Digital Monograph, 2021
Northern Archaeological Associates, 2021. https://doi.org/10.5284/1078331. How to cite using this DOI
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- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1078331
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
Cataractonium: Establishment, Consolidation and Retreat is the third of three monographs that present the results of archaeological investigations carried out by Northern Archaeological Associates during Highways England’s upgrading of 19km of the A1 dual carriageway to motorway status between Leeming and Barton in North Yorkshire from 2013–17. The first monograph concentrates on human burials, and the second upon the Late Iron Age and Early Roman transition period at Scotch Corner, and this work is focused principally on the Roman period. This monograph explores the research theme "Establishment, Consolidation and Retreat", along with a wide range of attendant research questions concerning the evidence from Cataractonium and its hinterland.
It charts developments at Cataractonium from its establishment during the late 1st century AD to the eventual withdrawal of the army from the provinces of Britain in the early 5th century. The character of roadside settlements at Bainesse, Low Street, Scurragh House and Scotch Corner are explored, as is the evidence for Early Anglo-Saxon occupation of Cataractonium during the mid- to late 5th and early 6th centuries.
Due to the scale and significance of the Roman remains, Cataractonium: Establishment, Consolidation and Retreat is presented in two volumes. Volume 1 details the structural, stratigraphic and chronological evidence, and each chapter deals with a clearly defined time-period, prescribed by the evolution of Cataractonium. Volume 2 presents the associated artefactual and environmental evidence, and concludes with a discussion, which synthesises the constituent elements.
The Roman settlement of Cataractonium occupied a commanding position above the strategically important crossing of the River Swale by the main transport route north, which later became known as Dere Street. First established as a military vicus, the settlement developed into an extensive and wealthy fortified small town, with wide-ranging trade connections providing access to continental imports and rare and exotic items from the Mediterranean region and Africa. During more than 400 years of continuous occupation, Cataractonium played a crucial role as a military base responsible for supervision and control of the movement of goods and people along the central section of Dere Street, and as a regional economic centre of trade and administration.
