Housesteads Roman Fort

Housesteads Roman Fort was an auxiliary fort on Hadrian's Wall, at Housesteads, Northumberland, England [1]. It is dramatically positioned on the end of the 1-mile-long crag of the Whin Sill over which the Wall runs [1]. The name of the fort has been given as Vercovicium, Borcovicus, Borcovicium, and Velurtion [1]. Hadrian's Wall was begun in AD 122 and included no forts but smaller milecastles but before it was finished there was a change of plan to include forts [1]. Turret 36B on the site was therefore demolished to make way for the fort built in stone around AD 124 with its northern wall overlying the original Broad Wall foundation [1]. A major rebuilding in the late 3rd/early 4th century included interval towers on the walls, a huge horreum and new barracks [1]. In the 2nd century AD, the garrison consisted of an unknown double-sized auxiliary infantry cohort and a detachment of legionaries from Legio II Augusta [1]. By 409 AD the Romans had withdrawn [1].