December 17, 2004 John Briggs wrote:
>OK - but that still leaves us with the problem of nine names for ten forts!
ND's nine forts of the Saxon Shore, if limited to a stretch of coast from
Brancaster to Portchester and enumerated clockwise would run (1) Brancaster,
(2) Burgh Castle, (3) Walton Castle, (4) Bradwell, (5) Reculver, (6)
Richborough, (7) Dover, (8) Lympne, (9) Pevensey and (10) Portchester.
Their order in the Notitia Dignitatum is 4-7-8-1-2-5-6-9-10?
(solo-pair-pair-pair-pair?). Perhaps the first line with the otherwise
missing (3) Walton Castle was skipped in copying, with Portchester at the
end as (10) following (9) - as each of the pairs are n, n+1. Not the best of
reasons for assignment to Portchester, but what is left?
I don't have any objections to the assignment of PA to Portchester, other
than a lack of evidence. I do think that Holder's PA-Ardaoneon equivalence
remains questionable as long as a viable alternative remains.
Richmond & Crawford, '...there is no certainty as to the true location of
Portus Adurni.', is as true today as then.
Tom Ikins
http://www.RomanMap.com
The Roman Map of Britain
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