Pictures et al

of my trip to England

on a Roman Holiday

During the summer of 1999, my family and I visited England, and molded the trip on going to many Roman sites. We stopped at Cirencester (Roman Corinium), Bath (Aquae Sulis), Caerleon (Isca), Chester (Deva), Caernarvon (Saguntum), Hadrian's Wall: Vindolanda, Corbridge (Corstopitum), Chesters (Cilurnum), Housesteads (Vercovicium); Aldborough (Isurium Brigantium), and London (Londinium), and there are a few sites I can't recall the names of. We were going to stop at York (Eburacum), but I saw a notice that the renowned Roman military reenactment group the Ermine Street Guard would be doing a demonstration at Aldborough. So we drove past York as fast as we could, and arrive just as they began drilling. It was an excellent show, with legionaries, auxilliaries, cavalry, artillery, and a couple of civilians. After the morning show, I hung around as the morning crowd left and the afternoon people started arriving. One of the ESG members asked if I was thinking of joining; I replied that I'd love to, but I live across the Pond. He said that I could probably join for just the afternoon show. And so I found myself marching with the Ermine Street Guard, as an auxiliary. I am indebted to the member who invited me in and to Graham Sumner, who heads the auxiliary troops, as well as to the entire group. Thanks, guys. Unfortunately, my camera decided to take my pictures only half the times I wanted it to and didn't tell me until the film was developed, with the result of much frustration and many lost shots.

Phase I: Avebury, Cirencester, Bath and Chedworth Roman Villa.
1. avebury01.jpg, 21 KB- A view of the ditch and some of the stones at Avebury, location of the largest diameter stone circle in Britain.
2. avebury02.jpg, 46 KB- A woman and a rock, at Avebury.
3. cirencester.jpg, 64 KB- The remains of one of the gates in the Roman Wall around Corinium (Cirencester).
4. amph01.jpg, 66 KB- The grassy amphitheatre across the River (What river?) from the rest of Corinium.
5. dannicus.jpg, 115 KB- A tombstone of a Roman cavalry officer named Dannicus. From the Corinium Museum in Cirencester.
6. firkin.jpg, 38 KB- A brewery sign in Bath with a Classical bent.
7. drain.jpg, 86 KB- A drain in a bathhouse at the Chedworth Roman Villa, in the hills near Cirencester.
8. mosaic01.jpg, 154 KB- A mosaic from Chedworth.
9. mosaic02.jpg, 110 KB- A second mosaic from Chedworth.

Phase II: Wales: Caerleon, Saguntum, Snowdonia. Chester.
10. amph02.jpg, 57 KB- The Roman Amphitheatre of Isca in Caerleon, Wales.
11. shrine.jpg, 67 KB- A shrine, I suppose, from the Isca amphitheatre.
12. nemeseum.jpg, 59 KB- A similar shrine known as the Nemeseum from the amphitheatre in Deva (Chester).
13. altar.jpg, 29 KB- A close up of the altar at Chester. The Latin inscription reads:
DEÆ NEMESI
SEXT•MARCI
ANUS•

EX VISV
"To the Goddess Nemesis Sextus Marcianus the centurion (had this altar erected) after a vision." The

is Roman shorthand for a centurion.
14. wall.jpg, 31 KB- A view from, not of, the Roman and medieval wall around Chester. You can see rows of column bases and the well-preserved lower portions of a small bathhouse pr similar structure.
15. snowdonia1.jpg, 80 KB- We drove through Snowdonia in Wales. This is the most beautiful country I've ever seen, and also one of the hardest hit by camera malfunction.
16. snowdonia2.jpg, 64 KB- More Snowdonia.

Phase III: Hadrian's Wall.

17. hadrian1.jpg, 61 KB- A view from the highest point on Hadrian's Wall, near Twice Brewed and Housesteads Fort.
18. chestersbath.jpg, 69 KB- A picture showing the bathhouse at Chesters (Cilurnum) on Hadrian's Wall. You can see the supports and the floor raised for under-floor heating (the hypocaust).

Phase IV: The Ermine Street Guard at Aldborough Roman Town.

19. upclose.jpg, 58 KB- The Guard, after charging at the crowd in the morning demonstration.
20. centurio.jpg, 178 KB- The Guard gave up close demonstrations of the officers' equipment. This is their centurion stepping up to bat, and that's me, second from the right of this photo in the auxiliary line.
21. holding.jpg, 120 KB- Me, to the right of the onager, holding practice javelins for the cavalry.
22. holdingcav.jpg, 130 KB- Still holding the spears, but now you can see the horse.
23. danno.jpg, 130 KB- This is me in full auxiliary kit, on the right, and Graham Sumner leaning on his shield. I'm afraid I'm not smiling too broadly...
24. cabbage.jpg, 17 KB- This is a close up of a cavalry demonstration. If you look carefully you can see the two halves of a head of cabbage (A "Gaul") that have just been sliced apart by the chap on the horse.
25. advance.jpg, 60 KB- The entire group in a line, advancing to the beat of their swords against their shields. That's me second from the left.
26. charge.jpg, 130 KB- The group charging at the audience. I have taken the liberty of editing out a fence and some other stuff from the foreground in order to better show the charge. If you prefer your pictures undoctored, e-mail me and I can send you the original. I must admit, that's me in the back of the group with my sword in the air like a long-haired Gaul.

Phase V: London and anything else.

27. elgin.jpg, 35 KB- While in London we visited the British Museum. This is a picture of part of the frieze from the Elgin marbles, plundered from the Parthenon in Athens by Lord Elgin in the 1800's.

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