#A2ZChallenge W is for wattle and daub

W is for wattle and daub

Theme: Ancient Roman Scotland during the Flavian era

Dictionary definition of wattle and daub: form of wall construction consisting of interwoven twigs plastered with a mixture of clay, water and sometimes chopped straw.

During this #A2ZChallenge I’ve written about different fortresses, forts and fortlets in #Flavian #Caledonia (Scotland). The strategic sites of some have been mentioned, and I’ve written a little about the P is for Principia and Praetorium , but I’ve not mentioned much about what it may have been like inside the wooden built forts during the Agricolan era. We have no physical record left of a wooden built fort since little survives in the soil over the almost 2000 year period, but there are some clues to build up an interpretation of what they may have been like. Of course, as with all Roman archaeology in Scotland, the interpretation could change if new evidence alters current perceptions.

Wattled hurdle - Wikimedia Commons 

Some things can be surmised from the few pieces of ancient writings that have come down to us of the life of the Roman soldier, and more can be interpreted by archaeologists working on the sites. When test pits on sites of interest (possible forts) are dug there are priorities I personally don’t know of, since I’ve not trained as an archaeologist. However, I’ve read that changes to the soil colours, at the relevant depth for the Roman period, are incredibly important as are the markings and traces left from wooden support posts, or evidence in the soil of particles of clay and other materials.

When investigations at part of Trimontium Roman Fort (Newstead, Melrose) were done, traces from bonfires provided some evidence to surmise that when the original Agricolan fort was being deliberately dismantled (a theory) c. A.D. 86 before the withdrawal of the unit from Trimontium, interior panels of wattle and daub were placed on a bonfire and burned along with other rubbish. 

The wattle and daub construction method has been used for probably 6000 years, and was used by many communities around the world long before the Ancient Romans would have used it in their forts. No matter where the soldiers of the Roman legions had originally come from, it's highly likely that wattle and daub was the building method used in the area of their upbringing. 

Nancy Jardine - Trimontium Museum

Wattled hurdles, as in the photograph above,  have been used as fences and low walls. They were used as low partition walls in Celtic Roundhouses and were probably used by Ancient Roman soldiers to pen their livestock in the more permanent forts. 

To create interior wattle and daub walls within a barrack block would have been a simple process. Partition walls not attached to the roof could have been fairly basic and perhaps even installed as a ready-built partition - lifted into place just high enough to separate a soldier and his horse from another ‘pairing’, or to provide a separate space for a contubernium group if it was an auxiliary, or legionary infantry unit. 

The materials to create such simple barriers would have been easily gleaned from the local countryside and having read of the expertise of the Roman army in many other aspects of building – roads, temporary camp ramparts etc. – I’m sure that the interior walls in the barracks, or the praetorium, or the principia, would have been created very quickly and efficiently. 

Slightly more permanent wattle and daub walls could have been installed - wattled panels initially fixed to the wooden roof and wooden walls with iron brackets or nailed into place, and then the daub process added which would have bonded the panel to the roof beams and wall boards. 

There's evidence from other Roman forts from a later date (e.g. Severan era at Arbeia fort on Hadrian's Wall, approx. 120 years after Agricola) which confirm that doors were installed with iron hinges. I don't doubt it was within the skills of the Agricolan smiths of A.D. 80 to fashion hinges and brackets to attach the framework for a wattle and daub wall.

Nancy Jardine- Trimontium Museum 

The rooms created may not have been very sound proofed but the wattle and daub would have eliminated draughts, more effective if an exterior door was able to be firmly closed.

Separating rooms with wattle and daub would have made the interiors pretty dark, though, since I'm not sure that windows would have been a priority (I'd love to read evidence of this). 

Meagre lighting would have been provided by an oil lamp or a torch brand in a wall bracket. Drawbacks to that would have been smoke and smells from the oil - or fat - used and the fact that any naked 'light' would have been a fire hazard.

Wattle and Daub- Wikimedia Commons

The design and construction of a fort like Trimontium may have differed from others in Caledonia e.g. those on the Gask Ridge or the Highland Line forts. Trimontium was in a strategic situation to handle a lot of traffic: Roman troops and goods making their way northwards on Dere Street, or those going back down to southern Britannia. Even though the initial Flavian fort was of wooden construction it may have had more substantial interior walls, the intention for them to last a longer duration. 

Some of the other forts further north, on the Gask Line etc, may have been of the ‘overwintering’ very basic wooden fort type - intended only for a very short duration. In those any partitioning may have been more basic. On the other hand, the reason to eliminate draughts and weather conditions would have been the same regardless of where in #Caledonia the fort was installed. 

Tacitus wrote of Agricola's troops going south to 'overwinter' after the Agricolan summer campaign seasons. At first reading, I thought that must mean sending troops to southern bases like the supply base at Corstopitum which is in territory just south of the Scottish/ English border. However, more reading has indicated that some forts may have been created for the 'overwintering' of troops instead of having them endure heavy winter conditions in temporary encampments and living under 'leather' (tents). Such forts may have had the most basic interior constructions. 

When a wooden built fort was converted into a stone fort, the fixed interior walls of wattle and daub may have been further strengthened by the addition of a coat of limewash. (Arbeia evidence) The limewash would have served to brighten the room, as well as give that added extra draught-proofing! Some soldiers spent years in a Roman fort and even a few home comforts must have been very welcome. 

Were there many other choices of building styles in an ancient Roman wooden fort? -  I doubt it. 

What do you think? 

Till tomorrow and another #A2ZChallenge post...

Slainthe! 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wattle_hurdle_under_construction.JPG
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wattle_and_daub_construction.jpg