Tripontium

Coordinates: 52°24′33″N 1°12′46″W / 52.409152°N 1.212683°W / 52.409152; -1.212683
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Tripontium (disambiguation).

Tripontium
Remains of the bath houses being excavated in 2005.
Tripontium is located in England
Tripontium
Shown within England
LocationWarwickshire, England
RegionBritannia
Coordinates52°24′33″N 1°12′46″W / 52.409152°N 1.212683°W / 52.409152; -1.212683
TypeSettlement
History
FoundedAround AD 50
Abandoned4th century
PeriodsRoman Empire
Site notes
OwnershipCommercial company, multiple owners
Public accessnone

Tripontium (

civil parish of Churchover in the English county of Warwickshire and partly in Leicestershire, some 3.4 miles north-east of Rugby and 3.1 miles south of Lutterworth
.

Character

Tripontium was established as a military frontier post soon after the

Roman invasion of Britain in AD 47. Its name references the bridges over the River Avon and two of its tributaries. Tripontium later developed into a civilian town which was inhabited for around 400 years, peaking in the 2nd century, before being abandoned in the late 4th century when the Romans left Britain.[1]

Excavations

The exact position of Tripontium remained a mystery for centuries, but it was found by the antiquarian Matthew Bloxam in 1836. Excavation works at the site were begun in 1961 by the Rugby Archaeological Society and have continued to 2006.[2]

From its out-of-the-way location, it was initially thought that Tripontium was a small wayside settlement of little importance. Excavations of the site have, however, revealed that it was an important

Romano-British town, with large public bath houses, an extensive administrative building, and an inn (mansio) . Numerous pieces of pottery, Roman coins, and other remains have been found. Some of the area of the town has been destroyed by gravel extraction in modern times and part of the site is unavailable for excavation.[3] Nevertheless, it seems highly likely that more buildings, such as the remains of a temple or a forum
, remain to be found at the site. The excavation of Tripontium has been the largest of its type to be carried out by an amateur archaeological society.

Tripontium was probably the most important Roman settlement in the area. The town is some 8 miles[

Antonine Itineraries, a third century document which recorded the places the Roman Emperors stopped and those they passed through.[4]

The site is a

metal detecting and its condition is declining.[6]

The site is not open to the public, but many of the finds from the excavations are on display at the Rugby Art Gallery and Museum.

Further reading

Tripontium, by Jack Lucas FSA (1997)

ISBN 0-9531265-0-1

References

  1. ^ "SITE OF TRIPONTIUM ROMAN SETTLEMENT". Our Warwickshire. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Excavations and History". rugbyarchaeology.org.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Site of Tripontium Roman Settlement". ourwarwickshire.org.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Tripontium". Rugby Archaeological Society. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  5. ^ Historic England. "Tripontium Roman Station (1005759)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  6. ^ Heritage at Risk Register 2017, West Midlands. Heritage at Risk (Report). English Heritage. p. 43. Retrieved 10 June 2018.

External links

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