Editing Fishbourne Roman Palace

{{Short description|Archaeological site in Fishbourne, Sussex, United Kingdom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox building
| name             = Fishbourne Roman Palace
| image            = Fishbourne palace north wing.JPG
| caption          = Mosaics at Fishbourne Roman Palace
| map_type         = West Sussex
| location         = [[Fishbourne, West Sussex]]<br />{{gbmapping|SU838047}}
| location_country = [[United Kingdom]]
| coordinates      = {{coord|50.8366|-0.8103|display=inline,title}}
| client           = 
| start_date       = 
| completion_date  = 1st century
| destruction_date = {{circa|270&nbsp;AD}}
}}
'''Fishbourne Roman Palace''' or '''Fishbourne Villa''' is in the village of [[Fishbourne, West Sussex|Fishbourne]], near [[Chichester]] in [[West Sussex]]. The [[palace]] is the largest known Roman residence north of the Alps,<ref>[[Barry Cunliffe|Cunliffe, Barry]] (1998), ''Fishbourne Roman Palace''. The History Press. {{ISBN|0752414089}}</ref> and has an unusually early date of 75&nbsp;AD, around thirty years after the [[Roman conquest of Britain]].

Much of the palace has been excavated and is preserved, along with an on-site museum. The rectangular palace surrounded [[formal garden]]s, the northern parts of which have been reconstructed.

Extensive alterations were made in the second and third centuries AD, when many of the original black and white mosaics were overlaid with more sophisticated coloured work, including the perfectly preserved Dolphin mosaic in the north wing. More alterations were in progress when the palace burnt down in around 270&nbsp;AD, after which it was abandoned.

== Discovery and excavation ==

The site was accidentally discovered in 1805, during the construction of a new home on the grounds of the ancient Roman ruin.<ref name=":22">{{Cite book |title=Archaeology of the Roman Empire: A tribute to the life and works of Professor Barri Jones |date=2001 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=978-1-84171-232-1 |editor-last=Higham |editor-first=N.J. |location=Ann Arbor, Michigan |doi=10.30861/9781841712321 }}</ref>&nbsp; Workers discovered {{convert|13|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} pavement as well as fragments of columns. In the following years, additional remains such as pottery fragments and portions of mosaic tiles were unearthed by local inhabitants who lived within close proximity to the site. However, the locals were unable to conceive the fact that the findings were part of a larger unknown structure that remained below the surface.<ref name=":32">{{Cite book |last=Guy |first=De la Bédoyère |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1114969255 |title=Roman Britain: a New History |date=2014 |publisher=Thames & Hudson |isbn=978-0-500-77183-9 |oclc=1114969255}}</ref> It wasn't until 1960, that Aubrey Barrett, an engineer working for the Portsmouth Water Company, discovered the foundations of a “masonry building” located north of the main road while digging a trench for a water main.<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Cunliffe |first=Barry |author-link=Barry Cunliffe |title=Fishbourne; a Roman Palace and Its Garden |publisher=Johns Hopkins Press |year=1971 }}</ref>

[[File:Fishbourne model.JPG|300px|thumb|Museum model (made in 1968) of how Fishbourne Roman Palace may have appeared]]
This rediscovery of the ancient structure caught the attention of the [[Sussex Archaeological Society|Sussex Archeological Society]] and triggered the first series of excavations, directed by the archeologist [[Barry Cunliffe]] and his team in 1961.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sussex Past {{!}} The Sussex Archaeological Society |url=https://sussexpast.co.uk/ |access-date=2021-04-11 }}</ref> Cunliffe's findings from his digs provide the most significant portion of the information associated with the site.<ref name=":03"/>&nbsp; In the years following the initial excavations led by Cunliffe, a series of further excavations were conducted, each of which focused on unearthing various other areas of the ancient site.<ref name=":03"/>

To the surprise of archeologists and historians alike, each stage of excavations revealed previously unknown details surrounding the site's vast and complex history.<ref name=":03"/> For instance, from 1995 to 1999, the archeologists [[John Manley (archaeologist)|John Manley]] and David Rudkin conducted digs that focused on southern portions of the site, which exposed significant evidence of human activity prior to the Roman conquest in 43&nbsp;AD.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Manley |first=John |title=A Pre-A.D. 43 Ditch at Fishbourne Roman Palace, Chichester |publisher=Britannia, vol. 36 |year=2005 |pages=55–99}}</ref> &nbsp;Over the course of five years, Manley's team of archeologists discovered nearly twelve thousand artifacts, including flint tools that are believed to date back to the [[Mesolithic|Mesolithic period]] (around 5000–4000&nbsp;BC) and could indicate the presence of a hunter and gatherer settlement near the present-day location of the Fishbourne palace.<ref name=":1" /> However, the most intriguing and significant evidence of [[British Iron Age|pre-Roman]] human activity at the site comes from a ditch containing nearly seven hundred fragments of pottery and a cup that can be traced back to a period within the [[Late Iron Age]].<ref name=":1" /> The findings made by Manley and his team challenge Cunliffe's earlier assumptions by suggesting the likely presence of significant human activity at Fishbourne prior to 43&nbsp;AD.

The site of the excavated [[Roman villa]] &nbsp;was so large that it became known as Fishbourne Roman Palace. In size, it is approximately equivalent to [[Nero]]'s [[Domus Aurea|Golden House]] in [[Rome]] or to the [[Villa Romana del Casale]] near to [[Piazza Armerina]] in [[Sicily]], and in plan it closely mirrors the basic organization of the emperor [[Domitian]]'s palace, the [[Domus Flavia]], completed in 92&nbsp;AD upon the [[Palatine Hill]] in Rome. Fishbourne is by far the largest Roman residence known north of the [[Alps]]. At about {{convert|500,000|sqft|m2}}, it has a larger footprint than [[Buckingham Palace]].

== Siting ==

The location of Fishbourne, in proximity to [[Chichester]] (''[[Noviomagus Reginorum]]''), is often looked to when discussing the opulent wealth represented at Fishbourne as well as solidification for the claim of [[Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus|Cogidubnus]] as the villa owner. The city of Chichester was in the heart of the dominant [[Atrebates]] tribe, but their early introduction to Roman imperialism created a pseudo-friendly relationship between the Romans and the Atrebates. The tribal people in the area were later called the ''[[Regni]]'' after being ruled by Roman client kings for so long.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Fishbourne: A Roman Palace and Its Garden|last=Cunliffe|first=Barry|publisher=Thames & Hudson|year=1971|location=London|pages=20}}</ref> A research article written by David Tomalin, suggests that the Fishbourne palace may have possibly been designated as a "seat of lordship", which meant that it may have had greater financial and social authority as opposed to other palaces or villas in its vicinity.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last=Tomalin|first=David|date=January 2006|title=Coastal villas, maritime villas; a perspective from Southern Britain|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11457-005-9005-4|journal=Journal of Maritime Archaeology|volume=1|issue=1|pages=29–84|doi=10.1007/s11457-005-9005-4|bibcode=2006JMarA...1...29T|s2cid=162346274|issn=1557-2285}}</ref> Furthermore, the palace's proximity to the Fishbourne channel, which provided ships with access to the sea, meant that it could have potentially had its own harbour that received trading ships at one point.<ref name=":4" />

==History and description==

[[File:Reconstruction Fishbourne 1.JPG|thumb|Reconstructed wall painting]]

The first buildings on the site were [[granary|granaries]], over {{cvt|33|m|ft}} long, apparently a supply base for the [[Roman army]] constructed in the early part of the [[Roman invasion of Britain|conquest]] in 43&nbsp;AD. Later, two residential timber-frame buildings were constructed, one with clay and mortar floors and plaster walls which appears to have been a house of some comfort.<ref>[[Barry Cunliffe|Cunliffe, Barry]] (1998), Fishbourne Roman Palace. The History Press. {{ISBN|0752414089}} p.39</ref>

These buildings were demolished around 60&nbsp;AD and replaced nearby with an elaborate and substantial stone-walled villa, or proto-palace, in about 65&nbsp;AD which included a courtyard garden with colonnades and a bath suite, together with two other buildings, and using material taken from the earlier buildings. It was decorated with wall paintings, stucco mouldings and ''[[opus sectile]]'' marble polychrome panels. The life-size head of a young man carved in marble, found during excavations in May 1964, and identified as a likeness of [[Nero]] aged 13 created at, or shortly after, his formal adoption by the [[emperor]] [[Claudius]] in 50&nbsp;AD<ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.11141/ia.32.5 |title=Finding Nero: shining a new light on Romano-British sculpture |journal=Internet Archaeology |issue=32 |year=2013 |last1=Russell |first1=Miles |last2=Manley |first2=Harry |doi-access=}}</ref> probably originated from the proto-palace. Foreign, probably Italian, craftsmen had to be employed at this early period. This building was not unique in this area as the villa at [[Angmering]] was similar in many respects and suggests a number of aristocrats living in the area who must have used the same workforce.

The full-size palace with four residential wings surrounding a formal courtyard garden of {{convert|250|by|320|ft|m|abbr=off|round=5}} was built in around 75–80&nbsp;AD and took around five years to complete, incorporating the proto-palace in its south-east corner.<ref>[[Barry Cunliffe|Cunliffe, Barry]], ''Excavations at Fishbourne 1961-1969'', Society of Antiquaries (1971), p.49 et seq.</ref> Massive levelling of the vast site reached up to {{convert|5|ft|m|1|abbr=off}} in places. The gardens were surrounded by [[colonnades]] in the form of a [[peristyle]].

[[File:Unfinished hypocaust 2.JPG|thumb|left|Hypocaust]]

The north and east wings each consisted of suites of rooms built around courtyards, with a monumental entrance in the middle of the east wing. In the north-east corner was a huge aisled assembly hall. The west wing contained state rooms, a large ceremonial reception room, and a gallery. The south wing probably contained the owner's private apartments although the north wing has the most elaborate visible [[mosaic]]s. The palace included as many as 50 excellent mosaic floors, [[Hypocaust|under-floor central heating]] and an integral bathhouse. The garden was shown to contain elaborate plantings of shaped beds for hedges and trees with water supplies for fountains. In addition the south wing overlooked a vast artificial terrace laid out as a rectangular garden extending 300&nbsp;ft towards the sea where there was a quay wall. This garden was planted as a "natural" landscape with trees and shrubs, and with a pond and stream. It also had colonnades on at least one side.

[[File:Dolphin mosaic.JPG|thumb|The Cupid on a Dolphin mosaic]]

The decoration of the palace was elaborate, including wall paintings, stucco mouldings and ''opus sectile'', marble polychrome panels, examples of which are in the museum. As in the proto-palace, foreign craftsmen had to be employed at this early period.The palace outlasted the original owner and was extensively re-modelled early in the 2nd century, and maybe subdivided into two or more separate villas with the addition of a baths suite in the north wing. A remarkable new Medusa mosaic was also laid over an earlier one in the centre of the north wing in about 100&nbsp;AD.

In the middle of the second century AD, further major redesign included demolition of the recent baths suite and the eastern end of the north wing, probably due to subsidence from underlying earlier infill. New baths were built in the garden and peristyle in front of the east wing and a wall across the garden enclosed the northern half. The north wing was also extensively altered in plan, with four new polychrome mosaics including the Cupid mosaic dating from about 160&nbsp;AD. Further redevelopment was done at times in the late third century. The final alterations were incomplete when the north wing was destroyed in a fire {{circa|270&nbsp;AD}}.

=== Owner ===

The accepted theory, first proposed by [[Barry Cunliffe]], is that the early phase of the palace was the residence of [[Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus]] (or Togidubnus), a pro-Roman local chieftain who was installed as king of a number of territories following the first stage of the conquest. Cogidubnus is known from a reference to his loyalty in [[Tacitus]]'s ''[[Agricola (book)|Agricola]]'',<ref>[[Tacitus]], ''[[Agricola (book)|Agricola]]'' [[Wikisource:Agricola#14|14]]</ref> and from an inscription commemorating a temple dedicated to [[Neptune (mythology)|Neptune]] and [[Minerva]] found in nearby [[Chichester]].<ref>J. E. Bogaers (1979) "King Cogidubnus in Chichester: another reading of RIB 91", ''Britannia'' 10, pp. 243-254</ref> Furthermore, around 60&nbsp;AD, Cogidubnus was granted the prominent title of [[Legatus Augusti pro praetore|''legatus Augusti'']], which normally restricted to the statesmen and aristocrats of Rome. Cunliffe correlates this event with the construction of a large masonry extension of the palace in 70&nbsp;AD, which was fitting for an individual of such a high status in order to support his theory.<ref name=":32"/>

Another theory is that it was built for another native, [[Sallustius Lucullus]], a [[Roman governor]] of Britain of the late 1st century who may have been the son of the British prince [[Adminius]].<ref>Norman Hammond, [https://archive.today/20070308194055/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,61-2292526.html "Whose busts are they?"], ''[[The Times]]'', 31 July 2006, retrieved 31 August 2006; Miles Russell, ''Roman Sussex'', Tempus (2006); Miles Russell, ''Bloodline - the Celtic Kings of Roman Britain'', Amberley (2010)</ref> Two inscriptions recording the presence of Lucullus have been found in Chichester and the re-dating, by Miles Russell, of the palace to the early 90s&nbsp;AD, would fit far more securely with such an interpretation. If the palace were designed for Lucullus, then it may have only been in use for a few years, for the Roman historian [[Suetonius]] records that Lucullus was executed by the delusional emperor Domitian in or shortly after 93&nbsp;AD.<ref>[[Suetonius]], ''[[The Twelve Caesars]]: Domitian'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Domitian*.html#10.3 10.3]</ref>

Additional theories suggest that owner of the palace was either [[Verica]], a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Roman client kingdoms in Britain|client king]] of the [[Roman Empire]] in the years preceding the [[Roman invasion of Britain|Claudian invasion]], or even one Tiberius Claudius Catuarus, whose gold [[signet ring]] was discovered nearby in 1995.<ref name="Britain AD, Episode I">{{cite web |url=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1674914830350674131# |title=Britain AD, Episode I}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Aldhouse-Green |first=Miranda |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dox9AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA51 |title=Boudica Britannia |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-86630-5 |page=51}}</ref>

== Destruction and aftermath ==

There is overwhelming evidence that the north wing was completely destroyed in a fire around 270&nbsp;AD. For instance, some of the rubble from the collapsed roof as well as its tiles and melted fittings were scattered on the ground floor, while some of the burnt doors remained standing.<ref name=":03"/> There is also evidence of extreme heat that can be found on the tiles, which were discoloured. The fire did not consume the east wing of the palace, although the decision was later made to demolish the baths located in that wing around 290&nbsp;AD.<ref name=":03"/>

It is unclear whether the fire was accidental or intentional; however, its destruction correlated with a period of instability. During this period, Rome's control over Britain was contested by a former Roman military commander named [[Carausius]], who revolted against the Roman hegemony and declared himself ruler of the Isle around 280&nbsp;AD. In turn, it is possible that the palace's destruction was a part of a more widespread period of disruption caused by the revolt, although this scenario is not certain.<ref name=":22"/>

All objects and furnishings within the palace were completely destroyed and the only thing that remained standing was the palace walls.<ref name=":03"/> The damage was too great to repair, and the palace was abandoned and later dismantled. Furthermore, the rising water levels and subsequent flooding in the surrounding area may have also influenced the decision not to restore the structure.<ref name=":03" /> Over the course of the following years, the local inhabitants of [[Chichester]] raided the site for its building stones, which is why the ground-stone foundations of the walls are the only part of the ancient structure remaining today.

The site of the palace was later used as a burial ground during the early Saxon period, which became clear upon the discovery of four corpses within the foundation of the ancient ruin. During the Medieval period, the palace lay below several feet of built-up soil and was forgotten about until its re-discovery in the 19th century.<ref name=":03"/>

=== Legacy ===

[[File:Fishbourne Roman Palace MMB 25.jpg|thumb|left|The museum]]

A museum was erected over the excavated palace by the [[Sussex Archaeological Society]], in order to protect and preserve some of the remains ''in situ''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The largest Roman Palace in Britain with outstanding mosaics, set in England's first garden. {{!}} The Sussex Archaeological Society |url=https://sussexpast.co.uk/properties-to-discover/fishbourne-roman-palace |access-date=2021-04-11}}</ref> The museum incorporates most of the visible remains, including one wing of the palace. The gardens were re-planted using authentic plants from the [[Roman Britain|Roman period]], including roses, lilies, rosemary, various fruit trees and boxed hedges.<ref name=":03"/> A team of volunteers and professional archaeologists are involved in a continuing research [[archaeological excavation]] on the site of nearby, possible military buildings as well as a harbour area located on the southern portion of the Fishbourne site. The latest excavation season was conducted in 2002.<ref name=":03" />

The Fishbourne Roman Palace Museum was closed to the public in March 2020 as a result of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in England|COVID-19 pandemic]]. The Sussex Archaeological Society lost an estimated £1 million in income from visitors, and in June began a fundraising appeal so that it could continue maintaining Fishbourne Roman Palace along with other properties.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Correspondent |first=Mark Bridge, History |title=Fishbourne Roman Palace faces closure after huge loss of visitor income |newspaper=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/history/article/fishbourne-roman-palace-faces-closure-after-huge-loss-of-visitor-income-6w7l8kp5h |access-date=2021-03-01 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> The Fishbourne Roman Palace has since reopened to the public.<ref>https://sussexpast.co.uk/attraction/fishbourne-roman-palace/</ref>

== Gallery ==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="140">
File:Formal garden.JPG|Re-planted garden using authentic plants
File:Stucco fragment fishbourne.jpg|Stucco fragment from Fishbourne
File:Fishbourneromanpalaceshellmosaic.jpg|Shell mosaic with dolphins
File:Mosaic room N7.jpg|Walled City mosaic, room N7
File:Dolphin mosaic middle.JPG|Dolphin mosaic
</gallery>

== References ==

{{reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==

* [[Barry Cunliffe|Cunliffe, Barry]] (1998), ''Fishbourne Roman Palace''. The History Press. {{ISBN|0752414089}}
* Russell, Miles (2006), ''Roman Sussex''. The History Press. {{ISBN|0752436015}}
* Russell, Miles (2006), "Roman Britain's Lost Governor", ''Current Archaeology'' 204, pp.&nbsp;630–635

== External links ==

{{Commons category|Fishbourne Roman Palace}}

* [http://sussexpast.co.uk/properties-to-discover/fishbourne-roman-palace Fishbourne Roman Palace Museum]

{{Villas in Roman Britain}}
{{Roman visitor sites in the UK}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in West Sussex]]
[[Category:Museums in West Sussex]]
[[Category:Museums of ancient Rome in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Archaeological museums in England]]
[[Category:Roman villas in West Sussex]]
[[Category:1960 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:1st-century establishments in Roman Britain]]
[[Category:270s establishments in the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:3rd-century disestablishments in Roman Britain]]
[[Category:Fishbourne]]