The granaries
It was important to the Roman army to have enough grain to feed its soldiers. The grain was stored in large granaries inside the fort. Granaries were large buildings with raised floors to keep the grain dry and out of reach of pests such as rats. A wooden granary was later replaced by a stone building.
The timber granary
The granary was built on a solid base of compacted gravel and the timber foundations were put in narrow trenches. The structure had to be strong to hold the weight of the grain. Later the timber granary was dismantled and a new stone granary was built in the same place.
;)
1. The archaeologists found the narrow trenches which had held the wood foundations of the timber granary. Posts which supported the floor above were set along the line of the beams.
The stone granary
The stone granary was slightly bigger and had stone walls on stone foundations. Like the timber granary, the raised timber floor was supported by upright wooden posts inserted into wooden beams. Stone buttresses outside the walls added extra strength to the building.
;)
2. The stone granary had stone walls and a raised wooden floor supported by beams and posts. The large post-holes close to the road are part of a loading platform.
;)
3. This artist’s reconstruction is based on the plan of the stone granary found by the archaeologists, and shows what it may have looked like.
Timeline:
© Cultural Services, Library Headquarters, Balne Lane, Wakefield, WF2 0DQ
