Stage 16 in aula

The Palace at Fishbourne at the site of Fishbourne, underneath the palace, excavators have found the remains of earlier wooden buildings, dating back to the time of the Roman invasion or very shortly afterwards one of buildings found was a granary where pieces of metal and a helmet were also found the discoveries showed the presence of soldiers-maybe the soldiers of the Second Legion, commanded by Vespasian, a brilliant young general who led the attack against the Durotriges in the southwest

there was a harbor nearby where the Roman supply ships docked Fishbourne may have been used first as a military port and supply base when the soldiers left from Fishbourne, they left some buildings and some roads over the next 30 years the roads were resurfaced and the drainage of this low-lying, marshy site was improved the harbor was developed and merchant ships called regularly in the 60’s a new house was built with a set of baths-maybe a residence built by Cogidubnus for himself only 3 miles from his new capital, Noviomagus

69AD-Vespasian became emperor and renewed work on the Fishbourne area in 75AD an area of about 10 acres was cleared, leveled and landscaped the original villa and its baths became part of the southeast corner of a huge new palaceta specialist craftsmen were brought in from Italy-makers of mosaics, marble workers, plasterers to make friezes, painters, carpenters, iron smiths, hydraulic engineers to construct fountains, and others all construction was done on site, where the builders worked and lived for many years evidence of these workers is found in floors used by stonemasons there were fragments of marble and colored stone imported from Italy, the Greek island of Scyros, Asia Minor, and other areas there is also evidence of iron working where the smiths had manufactured door-hinges, handles, and bolts

A Roman Palace for a British King the palace was laid out in four long wings around a central garden north wing-3 suites of rooms arranged around 2 internal courtyards where important guests could stay aisled hall-had access only from the outside the palace, was probably a public assembly hall entrance hall-visitors entered the palace through this hall in the middle of the east wing. some other rooms in this wing may have provided guest accommodations for less important visitors

west wing-built on a platform five feet higher than the rest of the palace. in the center there was an impressive audience chamber where the king received his subjects and interviewed officials; the other rooms may have been offices south wing-now lies under a modern road and houses, but excavations suggest it may have been the residential suite for King Cogidubnus and his family; has a colonnaded veranda overlooking an informal terraced garden extending to the sea bath house-in the southeast corner was part of the original villa

Elegant Walls Romans’ decorative schemes have been reconstructed from the fragments one fragment of painted wall plaster from Fishbourne is similar in size to a painting from Stabiae

The Palace Gardens the garden was planned, laid out, and decorated in the most fashionable Italian style the owner must have wanted the British palace to be as Roman as possible the open area (100 by 80 yards) was laid out as a formal garden the grass was kept short and tidy on the edges of the lawns archaeologists have found deep bedding trenches filled with a mixture of loam and crushed chalk where shrubs and flowers such as roses, flowering trees, box, rosemary, lilies, and acanthus would have been planted a line of deep post holes show where wooden poles and trellis’ supported fruit trees and climbing plants

some of these plants may have been rambler roses-the Romans were fond of roses and were good at growing them a broad path, 13 yards wide and surfaced with stone chippings, ran through the middle of the garden leading from the entrance hall to the audience chamber paths ran around the outside of the lawns there were drains and the garden was irrigated by spring water through ceramic pipes a system of underground pipes brought water to the fountains which stood at intervals along the paths small marble and bronze statues were also decorations

WEBSITES ?url_id=546http:// ?url_id=546 (Fishbourne 1) ?url_id=548 (Fishbourne 2) ?url_id=548 ?url_id=554 (Mosaics 1) ?url_id=554 ?url_id=555 (Mosaics in Britain) ?url_id=555 ?url_id=559 (Make your own mosaic) ?url_id=559