The area that you are now walking through was full of burials, because people were buried outside the city walls of the town, something which was universal in the Roman empire. They hadn't really got very much space inside the walls, so they buried the dead outside, on the basis that they were not going to be attacked! At the top of this stretch of wall there are two sets of banks leading up to it and reason for this is also down to the lay of the land. This part of the city was at the top of the southern slope so its the one part of the town where you could be overlooked and an enemy could get an advantage. Therefore, there are two sets of banks there, with a walkway along the top of the wall, a bit like a Medieval castle. At the top of the slope you can see the terrain is still going up beyond the wall. So if you go up to the little bridge you can see the double bank and ditch system. It wouldn't have been easy to get in. The Romans wouldnt just have been waving at you, they would throw everything they'd got at you. It wouldnt have been impregnable but it would've been very difficult. Return to circular walk >> |