Stanway Auxiliary Fort

Auxiliary Fort

This well-known Roman fort is sited just north of the B1022 Maldon Road near Brickwall Farm, Stanway (TL963227), within the earthworks of the oppidum of the Trinovantes tribe a few hundred yards to the north-west of the British royal enclosure. The fort’s defenses consisted of a single wide ditch backed by an earthen rampart 10-12 feet wide revetted front and back with timber. Roughly square in plan and measuring about 495 feet north-south by 485 feet transversely (c.150 x 147 m), these defenses enclosed an area of about 5½ acres (c.2.2 ha). Two Auxiliary units have been recorded at Stanway, both of which were composed of a nominal five-hundred peregrine (i.e. non-Roman) troopers, one cavalry Ala or ‘wing’, and a mixed unit of horse and foot soldiers, a Cohors Equitata.

RIB201 - Funerary inscription for Longinus Sdapeze
Longinus Sdapeze son of Matucus, duplicarius from the First Cavalry Regiment of Thracians, from the district of Sardica, aged 40, of 15 years' service, lies buried here his heirs under his will had this set up.
LONGINVS SDAPEZE
MATYCI DVPLICARIVS
ALA PRIMA TRACVM PAGO
SARDI ANNO XL AEROR XV
HEREDES EXS TESTAM [...] C
H S E
Sardi(ca), or more usually Serdica, in Thrace (now Sofia). See CIL iii 7847 (ILS 7151) for a pagus Mic(iae) in Dacia. Seure, Bulletin de l'Institut archéologique bulgare xvi (1950) 174, considers that Sdapezematygus is not a Thracian name. Detschew, Die thrakischen Sprachreste (1957) includes it, and makes Sdape a name separate from Zematygus. A duplicarius, duplarius or duplaris was soldier receiving twice the basic rate of pay, in particular the second-in-command of a turma

The First Wing of Thracians was a five-hundred strong cavalry unit recruited from among the tribes living along the lower Danube in southern Romania and Bulgaria.

RIB205 - Fragmentary funerary inscription
To the spirits of the departed: ... of the First Cohort of Va[...] who served ... by contributions ..
D [...]
AR[...]
RE[...]
VAL[...]
I VA[...]
QVI Ṃ[...]
EX Ạ[...  ...]
No commentary.

RIB205 - Fragmentary funerary inscription
To the spirits of the departed: ... of the First Cohort of Va[...] who served ... by contributions ..
D [...]
AR[...]
RE[...]
VAL[...]
I VA[...]
QVI Ṃ[...]
EX Ạ[...  ...]
No commentary.

Map References for Stanway

NGRef: TL 963 227 OSMap: LR89

OS National Grid Reference: TL963227
Dimensions: c.495 x 485 ft (c.150 x 147 m)
Area: c.5½ acres (c.2.2 ha)

Roman Roads near Stanway

None identified