Margidunum
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 1927 plan of Margidunum | |
 Interactive map of Margidunum | |
| Location | Bingham |
|---|---|
| Region | Nottinghamshire, England |
| Coordinates | 52°58′2″N 0°57′35″W / 52.96722°N 0.95972°W |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Periods | Romano-British |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Buried remains |
| Public access | Footpath |
| Official name | Margidunum Roman Station |
| Reference no. | 1006395 |
Margidunum was a Roman settlement on the Fosse Way at Castle Hill near present-day Bingham, in Nottinghamshire, England. The site is a protected Scheduled Monument.[1]
Margidunum in Latin means 'marly fort' (marl is a lime-rich clay soil).[2] However, archaeologist Felix Oswald expected that the Romans would have adopted an existing place name and he determined its Celtic meaning to be "the fort of the king's plain", the raised ground being a suitable position for the hill-fort of the king of the Coritani tribe.[3]
The Antonine Itinerary, a 2nd-century Roman register of places and roads, (Iter Britanniarum VI and VIII) locates Margidunum as MARGIDVNO midway between Ratae (Leicester) and Lindum (Lincoln) on the Fosse Way.[4][5] Finds of military equipment established that it was initially a military post in about 55–60 AD, although no parts of a fort structure have been found. Forts were sited at close intervals along the Fosse Way to protect the Roman territory from the hostile Brigantes and Iceni tribes.
A civilian settlement then developed in about 70–80 AD on either side of the Fosse Way, indicated by several simple rectangular buildings along about a 1 km stretch of the road. Two Roman villas have been found within 3 km of the settlement, as well as Roman farms in the surrounding area. A rhomboid-shaped earthwork defence was built in the late 2nd century around the camp, enclosing about 7 or 8 acres. A stone wall nearly 3m wide was later built in front of the earth rampart, with two ditches beyond it. The fort was protected to the south and east by marshland. The site remained occupied until about 500 AD.[3][6]