Stone anchors found in River Wear could reveal Roman port

[Imperial Dave]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-56468718

another nice find

[Anton]

That's interesting. Somewhere nearby we have Caer Uedra, Koch thinks Chester le Street or Durham, that gets a mention in Marwanad Cunedda.  If the port remained in use it presumably serviced it.

[Imperial Dave]

thanks for the info Stephen, interesting stuff

[Jim Webster]

thanks for the info Stephen, interesting stuff

Yes it's interesting, there must have been an awful lot of river wharves and similar around the country that are long lost and forgotten

[DBS]

Interesting.  I have always been very sympathetic to Selkirk's "Piercebridge Formula" theory about the possible canalisation of even quite small rivers to enable logistics for Roman garrisons, even though I got a rather cold and dismissive reaction when I mentioned it to one of my Roman Britain professors...  Selkirk's sin was that he was a pilot who dared to go beyond just flying the archaeologists around to take aerial photographs and started to think up things himself.   

[Anton]

Yes that thinking for one's self stuff can be frowned upon. 

When you think about how hilly the North East was and is river transport would have been a very attractive option where feasible.

Currently some think there was a civitas centred on Corbridge.  I wonder if there was another centred on Caer Uedra?  The line in the poem opines that  "the civates will shake" upon hearing of Cunedda's death.

[Imperial Dave]

interesting thoughts on that point of the potential civitates in the North

[Anton]

This thread inspired me to have another poke around in Marwnad Cunedda.   Amongst the goodies available to the elite was olive oil and wine.  Those things would not have been arriving in Bryneich by road so perhaps our port was still in business.

[Imperial Dave]

Interesting question...and a further one

could it be more likely east coast or west coast?

[Anton]

That is an interesting question. 

I'd be inclined to think both, as there was both an eastern polity centred on Durham (ish) and a western polity centred on Carlisle involved.  Maryport (Alauna?) might be a good guess for the western port.

[Imperial Dave]

Not sure how much of the 'Western Seaboard' trend that became apparent in the 5th and especially 6th Centuries would have found its effects felt that far north but it is a consideration. Mediterranean traders were often more inclined to use the Western approaches to Britain

[Anton]

I've a memory that it is to do with the currents.

Of course there could be British middlemen buying from the traders and shipping further up country.

[Imperial Dave]

and also potentially less susceptible to Channel raiding presumably?

[Anton]

There is that consider too.  Speaking of raiders.

Niall of the Nine Hostages father had the sobriquet slave lord, his mother was a daughter (Cairenn) of the King of Britain -so we are told.  It always struck me as a very commercial and nautical sounding relationship.  I'd imagine Cairenn's father whoever he was would be based on the western seaboard.  A dynastic alliance on both sides of the sea would be good for business for both parties.

Off topic I know but I thought it might be of interest.

[Imperial Dave]

absolutely of interest!