Iscalis

Iscalis was a Roman settlement described by Ptolemy.[1] The exact location has not been clearly identified but the possible sites are in the modern ceremonial county of Somerset, England.

One of the possible sites is at Gatcombe which was occupied from the middle of the 1st century until at least the fifth century, demonstrated by the coins of Theodosius, Magnus Maximus and Arcadius which have been found. The full extent of the site is unclear, beyond a specific villa but there is some evidence that the site is much more extensive, possibly forming a village or even a town.[2]

The second possible site identified is Charterhouse Roman Town.[3] The settlement grew up around the north-western edge of prehistoric lead and silver mines, which were exploited by the Romans.[4] Extraction is thought to have begun as early as AD 49.[5] An amphitheatre stood west of the settlement. It is the only one in England to exist at a lead mine and is additional evidence of the importance of Mendip lead to the Romans.[6]

Another suggestion is that Iscalis was at the mouth of the River Axe near Bawdrip.[7]

Another possible site is Cheddar Palace.[8]

References
  1. Cunliffe, Barry (1967). "Excavations at Gatcombe, Somerset, in 1965 and 1966" (PDF). Proceedings of the University of Bristol Spelæological Society. 11 (2): 126–60. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  2. Historic England. "Gatcombe Settlement (197955)". PastScape. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  3. Rivet, A. L. F.; Smith, Colin (1979). The Place-Names of Roman Britain. London: BT Batsford.
  4. Elkington, H. D. H. (1976). "The Mendip Lead Industry". The Roman West Country: Classical Culture and Celtic Society.
  5. Havinden, Michael (1981). The Somerset Landscape. The making of the English landscape. London: Hodder and Stoughton. pp. 58–9. ISBN 0-340-20116-9.
  6. Dunning, Robert (1983). A History of Somerset. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. ISBN 978-0-85033-461-6.
  7. "ISCALIS Suspected Romano-British Settlement". Roman Britain. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  8. Historic England. "Roman settlement site, Anglo-Saxon and Norman royal palace, and St Columbanus' Chapel (1017290)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
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