What evidence exists to identify what "camps" were used by armies in antiquity?

[CarlL]

Thanks for posting Keraunos.

It looks like a permanent site, with its access to fishing in river and seasonal migration of wild animals to hunt. It could be a fortified BUA on table? Or even an edifice, perhaps modelling a gateway or a nearby sacred site (sacred grove? or burial mound?).

I was thinking of evidence for armies erecting camps during their invasion / raiding a neighbour or when on campaign and a defensive structure when in same area for overnight or over days and weeks.

It shows that early man could build defensive structures in wood, which presumably was plentiful in Siberia then as it can be in non tundra Siberia today?

CarlL

[Old Sarum]

The Royal Archaeologcal Institute has an online lecture about Roman camps which may be of interest:

Roman Camps in Britain: Known Unknowns - Dr Rebecca Jones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0ARMA9HoZk

This mostly covers camps in Scotland and Wales, including campaigning, training and construction camps. The training camps will be of interest to Dave as they were mostly in Wales and designed to get new Roman squaddies up to speed with how to build marching camps.

[Duncan Head]

Do William's prefab castles count?

http://www.normaninvasion.info/william-builds-pre-built-castle-pevensey.htm

[Erpingham]

Do William's prefab castles count?

Odd you should mention this, as I had the same thought yesterday.  I decided not to raise it because they are post-antiquity.  However, now you have, one point that occurred to me that prefab castles are fine if you came by boat.  You couldn't really haul one about in a pack train very easily.  The even bigger prefabricated castle intended for the French invasion of England in 1386 needed 71 ships to transport.

[Duncan Head]

Fair point!

[Jim Webster]

But some ancient armies did haul things about on boats. Siege machines seem to be broken down and reassembled on site by some armies. So I think it might be worth having a check to see if anybody does mention an ancient army having their camp brought in by boat

[DBS]

Worth remembering the Roman assault on Hanno's fortified camp outside Beneventum (Livy 25.13-14) which was sited at the top of a steep hill and had earthworks, the combination of which nearly defeated the Roman attack until the Paeligni did their favoured "tossing the standard into the enemy ranks" stunt.  Now, it may be that Hanno's camp was intended to serve for more than a couple of days, since he was trying to gather in supplies from Italian allies for redistribution to the Capuans, but that may mean simply a difference in degree of works, rather than the principle of a fortified camp.

Oh, and the Roman attack followed a night approach march, with the assault seemingly happening just after first light.