In the year 122AD the Emperor Hadrian ordered the building of a wall across the northern expanse of Britannia. Each mile there was to be a small fort, the purpose of which was twofold, to provide a watchful garrison and to allow for passage through the wall for trade and forays. One such mile castle was sited overlooking a ford, the legion assigned to its construction, Legio I Sionicus.

The legionaries constructed a short axis fort and wall that spanned the river on pillars sunk into the river bed. The fort interior provided a small barracks block for 8 men, a store room and a small stabling area for a single horse. The fort successfully weathered the trials and troubles of the frontier with many raids from Caledonian tribesmen.

By the mid 4th Century AD however the series of civil wars was taking its toll on the military presence in Britannia, this culminated in 407 AD with Constantine  III withdrawing the remaining forces from Raxtomessavadum for his campaign on the continent. The fort, inhabited almost continually for 250 odd years now slowly falls into disrepair and ruin, anything of value being stripped and its stones robbed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 19, 20213 yr by Sionicus Rex
replaced pics with embedded links

Wonderful diorama. Reminds me of my visit to Hadrian's Wall. The fort styling appears spot on, and the action scenes enhance the feel. Kudos.