The Arbeia Roman Fort Bibliography

This is divided into two sections:

1. The short version: books and articles relevant for the most recent research on the site, plus some useful back-ground works

2. A full and detailed bibliography on the excavations and finds at Arbeia Roman Fort, divided by subject matter

Section 1

For a brief discussion of the history of the site, read the site guide, Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum, South Shields by Paul Bidwell, available from the site shop.

Another site summary can be found in Hadrian’s Wall 1989-99: a Summary of Recent Excavations and Research (1999) edited by Paul Bidwell.
There are also easily available magazine articles in issues 133 and 164 of Current Archaeology.

All previous excavations reports and summaries are superseded by:
Excavations at South Shields Roman Fort vol. 1, Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne Monograph 4 (1994) by Paul Bidwell and Steve Speak.

It is essential for anyone with a serious interest in the site to consult this.
There is no need to be daunted by the large size of the volume, as Chapter 2 is a self-contained summary of the present state of knowledge.

For work carried out since the publication of this volume, see:
The origins and development of the Roman military supply-base at South Shields: an interim report on the results of excavations in the Eastern Quadrant and Central area, 1999-2000, Arbeia Journal 6-7 (2001) by Nick Hodgson.

Good general introductions to Roman First and the Romano-British background are:

A Guide to the Roman Remains in Britain (third edition) (1988) by Roger Wilson

Britannia: a History of Roman Britain (third edition) (1987) by S S Frere

Roman Forts in Britain (1997) by Paul Bidwell

For Hadrian’s Wall and the northern frontier in Britain, the following are highly readable, standard accounts:

The Northern Frontiers of Roman Britain (1982) by David Breeze

Hadrian’s Wall (third edition) (1987) by David Breeze and Brian Dobson

Hadrian’s Wall 1989-99: a Summary of Recent Excavations and Research (1999) edited by Paul Bidwell

Section 2

Antiquarian reports

Hooppell, R. E. 1878a On the discovery and exploration of Roman remains at South Shields, Natur. Hist. Trans. Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle upon Tyne, 7, 1-43

Hooppell, R. E. 1878b On the results of the recent exploration of the Roman station at South Shields, J. Brit. Archaeol. Assoc., 25, 373-83

Bruce, J. C. 1880 The excavations at South Shields, Durham, Archaeologia, 46, 163-70

Bruce, J. C. 1884 The earlier and more recent discoveries in the Roman camp on the Lawe, South Shields, Archaeol. Aeliana, 2 ser. 10, 233-328

Site reports and discussions

Anon 1956 The well in the Roman Fort at South Shields, Pap. S. Shield. Hist. Soc. 1.4, 4-8

Thornborrow, J. W. 1959 Report on the excavations at Beacon Street, South Shields, Pap. S. Shields Archaeol. Hist. Soc., 1.7, 8-25

Thornborrow, J. W. 1960 Report on the excavations at Beacon Street, South Shields, Pap. S. Shields Archaeol. Hist. Soc., 1.8, 9-10

Thornborrow, J. W. 1961 Report on the excavations at Pearson Street, South Shields, 1961, Pap. S. Shields Archaeol. Hist. Soc. 1.9, 7-15

Thornborrow, J. W. 1964 Excavations on the Lawe, South Shields, 1962, Pap. S. Shields Archaeol. Hist. Soc., 2.1, 7-18

Breeze, D. J. 1970 Excavations at South Shields, 1966 and 1967, Pap. S. Shields Archaeol. Hist. Soc., 2.5, 41-6

Dore, J. N. 1976 Excavations at South Shields, 1975, Archaeol. Aeliana, 5 ser. 4, 185

Dore, J. N. and Gillam, J. P., 1979 The Roman fort at South Shields, Soc. Antiq. Newcastle upon Tyne Mon Ser. 1
Introduction; The defences; the headquarters building; the other internal buildings; extra mural activity; dating and conclusions; the coins; the samian; the decorated ware; the coarse pottery; mortarium stamps; lead seals; glass

Miket, R. 1983 The Roman Fort at South Shields: Excavation of the Defences, 1977-81, Newcastle upon Tyne
Excavation of structures by year; the small finds and their association; coins; samian; coarse ware; small finds; milling-stones; architectural fragments; painted plaster; mollusca; sequence and chronology; Beacon Street

Bidwell, P. 1991 Later Roman barracks in Britain, in Maxfield, M., and Dobson, M. J., (eds), Roman Frontier Studies 1989. Proceedings of the XVth International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies, Exeter

Bidwell, P. and Speak, S. 1994 Excavations at South Shields Roman Fort Volume 1, Soc. Antiq. Newcastle upon Tyne Mon. Ser. 4
Aims and methods of the excavations and research; history of the fort; the principia; the south-west gate, intervallum street and fort ditches; inscriptions and building materials; the coins; the small finds; the pottery; the biological and human remains

Snape, M. E. 1994 An excavation in the Roman cemetery at South Shields, Archaeol. Aeliana, 4 ser 22, 43-66

Bidwell, P. 1996 Some aspects of the development of later Roman fort plans, Arbeia Journal. 5, 1-18

Hodgson, N. 1996 A late Roman courtyard house at South Shields and its parallels, in Johnson, P. and Haynes, I., (eds), Architecture in Roman Britain, CBA Rep. 94, 135-51

Hodgson, N. 1999 The late-Roman plan at South Shields and the size and status of units in the late-Roman Army, in Gudea, N. (ed.), Roman Frontier Studies 1997: Proceedings of the XVIIth International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies, Zalau, 547-54

Hodgson, N. 2001 The origins and development of the Roman military supply-base at South Shields: an interim report on the results of excavations in the eastern quadrant and central area, 1990-2000, Arbeia Journal. 6-7 (1997-98), 25-36

Hodgson, N., Stobbs, G. C., van der Veen, M., 2001 An Iron-Age settlement and remains of earlier prehistoric date beneath South Shields Roman Fort, Tyne and Wear, Archaeol. J. 158, 62-160

Hodgson, N. 2002 ‘Where did they put the horses?’ revisited: the recent discovery of cavalry barracks in the Roman forts at Wallsend and South Shields on Hadrian’s Wall, in Bennett, J., Fiema, Z. T., Hoffmann, B. (eds), Limes XVIII: Prceedings of the XVIII International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies held in Amman, Jordan (Septemeber 2000), British Archaeol. Rep. Int ser. 1084 (II), Oxford, 887-94

Murley, P. 2005 Archaeological fire investigation, Arbeia Journal 8, 77-86

Hodgson, N. and Bidwell, P. 2004 Auxiliary barracks in a new light: recent discoveries on Hadrian’s Wall, Britannia 35, 121-58

Site summaries

Richmond, I. A. 1934 The Roman fort at South Shields, Archaeol. Aeliana, 4 ser. 11, 83-102

Pilgrimage 1979?

Bidwell, P. T. 1989 South Shields, in Daniels, C. M., The Eleventh Pilgrimage of Hadrian’s Wall, Newcastle upon Tyne, 83-9

Hodgson, N. 1999 South Shields – Arbeia, in Bidwell, P. (ed.), Hadrian’s Wall 1989-1999: a Summary of Recent Excavations and Research, Carlisle, 73-94

Roman Britain in 19xx and 20xx
JRS 57 (1967), 177; Britannia 5 (1974), 407; Britannia 7 (1976), 306; Britannia 15 (1984), 277; Britannia 16 (1985), 268; Britannia 17 (1986), 374; Britannia 18 (1987), 315; Britannia 19 (1988), 431; Britannia 20 (1989), 272; Britannia 21 (1990), 315; Britannia 22 (1991), 232; Britannia 23 (1992), 267; Britannia 25 (1994), 264; Britannia 26 (1995), 342; Britannia 27 (1996), 403; Britannia 28 (1997), 416; Britannia 29 (1997), 385; Britannia 30 (1998), 340; Britannia 31 (1999), 385; Britannia 32 (2000), 322; Britannia 33 (2001), 290; Britannia 34 (2002), 306; Britannia 35 (2003), 271; Britannia 36 (2004), 402;

Magazine articles

Hodgson, N. 1993 Arbeia Roman Fort: a fort and supply-base on the northern frontier of Roman Britain, Minerva 4.3, 8-12

Hodgson , N. and Bidwell, P. 1999 Arbeia – death and destruction at the Roman fort of South Shields, Current Archaeology 164

Site guides

Richmond, I. A. 1953 The Roman fort at South Shields: a guide, South Shields

Bidwell, P. 1996 The Roman Fort of Arbeia at South Shields

Bidwell, P. 2003 Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum, South Shields

Finds
See also site reports

Antiquarian

Blair Album: scrap book of newspaper cuttings and drawings of finds, kept in the Local History section of South Shields Library

Lister 1683 Roman altar found at South Shields, Philosophical Transactions 13, 70, 1763, pl. 1 1-5

Sculpture and inscriptions

Watkin, W. T. 1879 Roman inscriptions discovered in Britain in 1878, Archaeol. J. 36, 154-68

Smith, D. 1959 A Palmyrene sculptor at South Shields?, Archaeol. Aeliana, 4 ser. 37, 203-11

Collingwood, R. G. and Wright, R. P. 1965 The Roman Inscriptions of Britain. Volume 1, Inscriptions on Stone, Oxford
Catalogue numbers: 1052-1071

Philips, E. J. 1977 Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani: vol 1, fasc.1. Corbridge and Hadrian’s Wall east of the Tyne, Oxford 181 - altar to Aesculapius; 182 – altar to the Di Conservatores; 198 – altar to the Mars Alator; 199 – statue of Mars; 233 – altar to Brigantia; 235 – relief of the Tres Matres; 246 – gravestone; 247 – gravestone of Regina; 248 – gravestone of Victor; 249 – gravestone; 250 – gravestone; 251 – pine-cone and shaft; 275 – dedication slab; 276 – building stone; 277 – building stone; 278 – relief of an eagle; 301 – altar to an unknown deity; 302 – altar to an unknown deity; 312 – statue of a God; 313 – male torso

Graffiti and sealings

Blair, R. 1880 Roman leaden seals, Archaeol. Aeliana 2 ser. 8, 57-9

Wright, R. P. 1984 A record of three groups of leaden seals found in 1890 from Brough-under-Stainmore and South Shields, Archaeol. Aeliana, 5 ser. 12, 239-40

Collingwood, R. G. and Wright, R. P. (S. S. Frere, M. Roxan and R. S. O. Tomlin) 1990 The Roman inscriptions of Britain. Volume II, 1, Instrumentum Domesticum, Gloucester
Cat. nos:
2411.1 – 15; 2411.24; 2411.68; 2411.70; 2411.86; 2411.100 -105; 2411.296;
2415.55; 2419.68; 2419.113; 2420.26; 2422.68; 2422.78; 2426.1; 2433.23; 2435.12; 2440.17; 2440.37; 2440.62; 2440.100; 2440.101; 2440.301; 2441.3; 2429.13-4; 2456.6; 2473.1-9; 2491.7; 2491.83; 2491.85; 2491.139; 2491.161; 2491.167; 2491.176; 2491.177; 2491.192; 2491.202; 2491.222; 2493.77; 2494.2; 2494.21; 2494.26; 2494.27;

Roman Britain in 19xx and 20xx
JRS 50 (1960), 237, no. 8, altar; JRS 52 (1962), 193, no. 13, building stone; Britannia 2 (1971), 295, nos 35-6, graffiti; Britannia 5 (1974), 464, no. 15, pipeclay figurine; Britannia 8 (1977), 371, solidus of Magnus Maximus; Britannia 15 (1984), 347, no. 55, bronze spoon; Britannia 16 (1985), 325, no. 11, inscription; Britannia 17 (1986), 449, nos 75-7, graffiti; Britannia 18 (1987), 367, nos 6-8, altars, building stone; Britannia 19 (1988), 492, no. 9, altar; Britannia 23 (1992), 315, no. 11, inscription; Britannia 26 (1995), 379, no. 6, building stone; Britannia 27 (1996), 452-3, nos 30-1, belt plate; Britannia 27 (1996), 453-5, no. 32-47 graffiti; Britannia 27 (1996), 442, no. 2, block of sandstone; Britannia 28 (1997), 466, nos 35-7 lead sealings; Britannia 28 (1997), 467, no. 38, graffiti; Britannia 30 (1998), 383, no.20, lead sealing; Britannia 32 (2000), no.17, building stone; Britannia 34 (2002), nos. 47-8, graffiti;

Coins
See also site reports

Shiel, N. 1973 The legionary antoninianus of Allectus, Britannia 4, 224-6

Pottery
See also site reports

Dore, J. and Greene, K., 1976 North African pottery from South Shields, Archaeol. Aeliana, 5 ser 4, 186-9

Small finds
See also site reports

Philipson, J. 1885 Roman horse trappings, compared with modern examples, with special reference to Roman bronzes found at South Shields and Chesters, Archaeol. Aeliana, 2 ser. 11, 204-331

Bosanquet, R. C. 1948 A bone weaving-frame from South Shields in the Black Gate Museum, Archaeol. Aeliana, 4 ser. 26, 89-97

Allason-Jones, L. 1979 Two unrecognized Roman surgical instruments, Archaeol. Aeliana, 5 ser. 7, 239-41

Allason-Jones, L. and Miket, R. 1984 The catalogue of Small Finds from South Shields Roman Fort, Soc. Antiq. Newcastle upon Tyne Mon. Ser. 2
Catalogue of material without provenance from the Victorian excavations and some material from excavations up until the 1970s. Material from both Arbeia Roman Fort collection and the Museum of Antiquities, Newcastle.

Henig, M. 1986 Caracalla as Hercules? A new cameo from South Shields, Antiquaries J. 66, 378-80.

Croom, A. T. 1995 A hoard of military equipment from South Shields, Arbeia Journal., 4, 45-53

Croom, A. T. and Snape, M. E. 1996 Lost small finds from South Shields Roman Fort and vicus, Arbeia Journal., 5, 19-47

Croom, A. T. 2001 A ring mail shirt from South Shields Roman Fort, Arbeia Journal, 6-7, 55-60

Croom, A. T. 2001 Torc beads from South Shields Roman Fort, Arbeia Journal, 6-7, 60-63

Snape, M. 2001 Roman brooches of Dacian type found at South Shields Roman Fort, Arbeia Journal, 6-7, 63-4

Croom, A. T. 2001 Some finds from the 1997-8 excavations at South Shields Roman Fort, Arbeia Journal, 6-7, 68-73

Hodgson, N. 2005 Destruction by the enemy? Military equipment and the interpretation of a late-third century fire at South Shields, in ‘Archäologie der Schlachtfelder – Militaria aus Zerstörungshorizonten’: Akten der 14. Internationalen Roman Military Equipment Conference, Carnuntum Jahrbuch, 207-16

Environmental material

See Bidwell and Speak 1994

Hodgson, G. 1967 Report on the animal remains recovered from the site of the Roman Fort at South Shields (County Durham), Archaeol. Aeliana, 4 ser. 49, 135-7

Veen, M. van der 1988 Carbonised grain from a Roman granary at South Shields, north east England, in Küster, K. (ed), Der Praehistoriche Mensch und seine Umwelt, Forschungen und Berichte zur Vor- und Frügeschichte in Baden-Württemberg 21, 353-65

Croom, A. T. & Caffell, A. 2005 Human remains from South Shields fort and its cemetery, Arbeia Journal 8, 101-118

Other

Place name

Kennedy, D. L. 1986 The place-name Arbeia, Britannia 17, 332-3

Hodgson, N. 2002 The Roman place-names Arbeia and Corstopitum: a rejection of recently suggested meanings’ Archaeol. Aeliana 5 ser 30, 173-4

Hodgson, N. 2005 The Roman place-names Arbeia and Corstopitum: a response to the response, Archaeol. Aeliana 5 ser 34, 151-2

Shipwreck

Bidwell, P. 2001 A probable Roman shipwreck on the Herd Sands at South Shields, Arbeia J. 6-7 (1997-98), 1-23

Bidwell, P. 2005 Additional notes on a probable Roman shipwreck on the Herd Sands at South Shields, Arbeia Journal. 8, 132-3

Reconstructions

Bidwell, P. T., Miket, R., and Ford, W. J. (eds) 1988 Portae cum turribus: studies of Roman stone-built fort gates, BAR 206, Oxford

Croom, A. 2005 The reconstruction of Roman military buildings, in C. Pérez-Gonzáles and E. Illarregui (eds) Arqueología Militar Romana en Europa, 131-6

Bidwell, P., Hodgson, N., Griffiths, B. 2002 The settlements at the eastern end of the Hadrian’s Wall, in Los Banos Publicos como Símbolo de la Romanidad,
With CD of virtual reconstructions.