Full Tour of a Roman Naval Base - Fort Flevum

It is the year 28 AD on the Lower Rhine, the river that serves as a natural border between the Roman Empire and the fierce Germanic tribes to the east. Here, a series of forts and watchtowers closely monitor the river traffic and defend against incoming raiders. At this time, the frontier is still under construction and even lacks a proper road network for the military. Despite their recent withdrawal from their campaigns in Germania, the Romans made sure to still hold on to several key positions beyond the Rhine, one of which is the Fort of Flevum, positioned in the very heart of the Frisian tribe, where a Roman force of a thousand men stands on guard. Unlike our previous recreated forts of Vindolanda and Mobene, this one also doubled down as a naval base and hosted its own unit of marines. It quickly became a very crucial fort in defending Rome's largest border. Even the local Frisians enjoyed the protection of the fort for the past 40 years, since they signed a mutual treaty with the Romans, and have been peaceful ever since. But now this is about to change dramatically, as the locals are preparing for an attack against their oppressors, and their first target will be Fort Flevum and the 1,000 soldiers that dare occupy their homeland. The fort's epic battle and siege will also be recreated at the end of this video. Four decades ago, the Romans signed a treaty with the Frisian tribe, granting them access to build a strategic fort in their lands. But this was easier said than done. For the Romans, the homeland of the Frisians was an inhospitable and perilous land. The unpredictable storms and winds from the North Sea were complemented by the ebb and flow of coastal areas, which regularly flooded the land. This created a treacherous landscape of bogs, marshes, creeks, rivers and dunes. Roman writer Pliny the Elder happened to visit the region in mid-1st century and wrote about his personal impression of the place. There, the ocean in its awesome expanse floods over an immense plain twice a day with long intervals, so that you wonder whether this secret, constantly disputed region is now actually land or sea. In this place, a poverty-stricken tribe lives on high terps and hand-built platforms, which raise their homes above the known high water mark. When the waves wash over the surrounding land, the inhabitants look like seafarers, but when the water subsides, they have the appearance of shipwrecked people. He also remarked that to sail through Lake Flevum, the biggest lake in the region, sailors often had to fight naval battles with trees that had been uprooted by the storms. To make matters worse, the climate itself was not particularly pleasant either. The weather over there is more rainy than snowy, and even when the sky is clear, fog can remain for so long a time that during a full day, the sun can only be observed for some three or four hours about midday. After carefully surveying the land, the Romans chose a great location for a fort on the southern bank of the Oerli. The ground there was just solid enough to hold structural foundations, despite being surrounded by salt marshes and creeks, and it was protected by a series of dunes to the west, which shielded it from the wrath of the tidal storms of the North Sea. At the same time, the Oerli river connected the fort with Lake Flevum and the Rhine, allowing easy access to the entire border. As for the native Frisians, they saw no reason to live close together, so the lack of towns or major population centers was one of the striking features of the landscape, which instead was densely populated with modestly-sized farmsteads dedicated to farming and animal husbandry. Experts calculate that the area around the Roman fort had more than four times the population density compared to the other areas of the Netherlands at the time. This also supported the Romans' reasoning for building a fort there. But the final and most crucial reasoning for its location was that just three kilometers south of it stood the ancient Frisian sanctuary of Velserbroek, the tribe's religious center. From time to time, the local elites would host meetings here to settle legal disputes and discuss recent political developments. By building the fort so close to the sanctuary, the Romans could easily monitor the native aristocracy and their activities. As with all Roman forts, Flevum's location was the jack of all trades. The fort itself is a very recent construction, being built in 16 AD during the military campaigns of Germanicus. Despite its young age, it has already been reformed and expanded three times in the span of 12 years. It encompasses an area of two hectares and has a very unique trapezoidal shape, which is hardly ever seen in Roman forts. The inner layout reflects the constant expansions made in the last decade. The inner fort, corresponding with the oldest phase of construction and the newer expansion to the west, with many buildings still yet to be constructed. The fort's primary defense consists of a series of ditches filled with water from the river. There are two on the western side and three protecting the inner fort. The trenches are also filled with stakes and caltrops to injure enemies that are trying to swim across. The area to the east of the fort was flat and stable enough to accommodate the camp followers, cattle and other facilities. So it too was protected by a single canal and a low earth mound. The actual walls were made of a steep turf rampart, on top of which a wooden crenellated palisade was built for the defenders to shoot from. For an even bigger height advantage and line of sight, a series of towers were built at every 30 meters of the wall. Controlling the river traffic was deemed so critical that the easternmost tower was purposely made larger and stronger than the rest, to accommodate for more defenders and light artillery pieces. The only land access to the fort was provided by two drawbridges followed by tower gates in the southern and southwestern walls. Finally, an inner wall with a gate of its own divided the two parts of the fort, creating a last refuge in case the newer area of the fort is overrun, as it later will be. It is in this first section where we find remains of the Principia, the fort's headquarters, where centurions and other officers meet up every morning to take on daily orders and make decisions. It is also where the garrison's finances and standards are neatly organized and stored. The building next to it is the Praetorium, the private villa of the fort's commander. When he is not needed in the Principia, he spends his free time here with his family and slaves, where he can enjoy his only taste of lavish life this far from home. The remains of these two buildings suggest they were made of brick and incorporated complex building techniques. Further findings of wooden doors, hinges, keys and locks also suggest the presence of a few barrack complexes for the infantry. The rest of the garrison was housed in common army tents, judging by the findings of thousands of tent pegs, as everywhere in Roman society, rank came hand in hand with more personal space, with the centurions and officers enjoying comfortable lodgings all to themselves, while each common soldier had to share his with seven others. In the other side of the fort, we could see the Granary building, where all the fort's provisions were safely stored. Logistically, the local garrison had to be as self-sufficient as possible. Fish was predominantly in the diet, as archaeologists have been able to find remains of fishing nets and equipment. Chickens and pigs were also raised locally, while game and small birds were hunted in large quantities. Whatever they couldn't produce was brought in from the local Frisian population, but the local landscape and population was incapable of producing the amount of wheat required to feed the garrison or provide them with other commodities like wine and fruits. However, the remains of wine from Italy, France and Greece together with garum from Spain meant that such goods were constantly imported by sea through supply convoys, which all had to be escorted by the garrison. To this end, the fort had a series of docking facilities with four open jetties, as well as waterfront installations and a small tower. It also had its own naval squadron atop several Libernian galleys, which would act as an escort detachment and also patrol the area. In order to ensure the highest performance of their ships, the fort housed three shipsheds in order to store them for repairs and maintenance. Large quantities of mallets, saws, nails, ship fittings and tar found at the fort revealed the intense activity associated with their naval unit. A small wooden aqueduct was also made to supply the ships with fresh water. Historians have also analyzed the names of the soldiers found at the fort and concluded that the origins of the garrison were very diverse. In fact, they were a mix of different units and contained elements from the Rhine fleet, local auxiliaries and even a small legionary detachment commanded by a Primus Pilus Olinius, who was their legion's most senior centurion at this time. The fact that he was stationed here gives great importance to the fort. Some famous members of the garrison were found to be called by nicknames by their comrades. Flaus, meaning the blonde, Dexter, the handy one and Taurus, the bull, were among some of those discovered by historians. In fact, Taurus was likely the strongest man in the fort and might have been found, as excavations found the remains of a huge 1.9 meter tall soldier with his arms damaged by deformities due to intense physical labor, a condition found in gladiators and other professional athletes. The life of the giant was unfortunately cut short by a fatal blow to the head. Many of his comrades were found to have shared the same fate in the events that followed. It was after the construction of the last phase of the fort when events would spiral out of control because of the garrison's commander, Olinius. In a sudden decision, he informed the locals that the annual tribute would now only be accepted in the form of large oxhides. This order violated the initial peace treaty with the Frisians and many of them felt resentful that they now had to slaughter their cattle for tribute, a move that would greatly reduce their wealth. The Frisians first complained about their mistreatment to Roman authorities, but it was to no avail. Very soon, talk of open rebellion started to gain momentum among many disaffected Frisians. Unaware of this, Olinius took a small Roman force to collect the overdue tribute of oxhides. As he marched, the Roman column was ambushed and swiftly massacred. All who surrendered were crucified by the natives. Unfortunately for the rebels, the despised Olinius managed to escape with his life back to Flevum and raise the alarm. Messengers were sent immediately to Governor Lucius Apronius in the neighboring province, asking for reinforcements. All the understrength garrison could do now is prepare for the imminent siege. Large amounts of low quality sling bullets were quickly made and stockpiled, together with javelins and arrows, as the defenders prepared to fight for their lives. It didn't take long for the rebel army to assemble and put the fort under siege. Communications by land and sea were severed and the Roman garrison was cut off from the outside world. Archaeologists have found traces of three major attacks launched simultaneously at different parts of the fort. The first one was aimed at the southeastern corner. The garrison, aided by mounted artillery on the large corner tower, was able to easily repulse the enemy. The second attack came as a diversionary landing from the river using small boats, but once again the Romans, firing down from the high towers, promptly pushed back the attackers. The last identified attack was launched at the southwestern corner and managed to breach the defenses and penetrate into the fort itself. The garrison threw everything they had in a desperate counterattack to dislodge the Frisians. A fierce battle ensued. The situation escalated when the Romans ran out of ammunition and resorted to making sling bullets on the spot by pouring molten lead into holes in the sand. After suffering many casualties, the garrison was able to push back the attackers and seal the breach. But the siege was still on and the garrison would not be able to survive another attack. Moments later, ships were spotted in the distance. The garrison quickly recognized it was Governor Apronius at the head of his Germanic Auxiliary Infantry and Cavalry, and behind them was the entire famed 5th Allaudet Legion, which was also sent to the rescue. The Romans were able to mobilize an impressive relief force right on time. As they came ashore, they wasted no time and quickly scattered the rebels. With the defenders rescued, it was time to suppress the rebellion. Bridges and trunk roads started being built in order to bring the fight to the Frisians. As the engineering works carried on, Roman scouts caught sight of a large contingent of Frisians in Battle Oreilles, near the Badouhenna woods. Apronius immediately sent his Germanic Infantry and Cavalry in a wide flanking maneuver around them. The Auxiliaries soon surprised the enemy and smashed into their rear. But impressively, the Frisians managed to hold their ground and push back the Auxiliaries. Realizing the danger, Apronius kept sending waves of legionary cohorts and cavalry into the fray, hoping to stabilize the situation and not lose too many men. But by sending reinforcements at intervals, he only managed to increase the chaos among the Roman soldiers, as the newly arrived units struggled to maintain cohesion and form a straight line. Just then, the commander of the 5th Legion, Cethegus Labbeo, noticed the impending collapse of the line and urged Apronius to send forward the whole might of the 5th Legion. In a matter of seconds, the legionaries of the 5th sprang into action and restored the cohesion of the line. In a slow and methodical advance, they sent the Frisians running for their lives. But the casualties were staggering and many tribunes, prefects and 1st cohort centurions have fallen victim to the spears of the Frisians. Even worse, several legionary cohorts were still missing and haven't returned. Despite winning the day, there was no celebration in the Roman fort that night. The next day, several deserters came bearing news that in the heat of the last battle, 900 Romans were cut off inside the forest and after many hours of heroic resistance were massacred to the last man. And another 400 have found themselves isolated and resorted to collective suicide to avoid capture. Apronius was shocked that the missing cohorts were not going to return. Unable to spare more men, Apronius made the hard decision to not risk any more engagements and withdraw all Roman forces from Frisia. Just like that, Fort Flevum was abandoned. All defenses and structures were demolished and burned and the fallen 1.9 meter tall man was thrown into the well to contaminate the water, where he was recently found. The fact that they did not even strip him of his gear proves that everything that couldn't be carried was abandoned and even the dead were left unburied. Such was the speed of their retreat. And so the Frisians had driven back an entire legion and a fort's garrison, a great testament of their resistance to oppression. But unfortunately for them, the Romans did not forget the defeat and only in a few months they regained control over the territory and Fort Flevum was rebuilt from scratch. The fort continued to be a key position for several more campaigns against neighboring tribes. Soon however, Emperor Claudius would order the withdrawal of all troops from Frisia, fearing a war on two fronts, and the fort was once again abandoned. If you enjoyed this tour of Fort Flevum, make sure to visit the Cavalry Fort of Mobene and the Auxiliary Fort of Vindolanda, as they each have their own remarkable stories and findings. We would like to give a big thanks to our Patreons for making projects like these possible. Feel free to join them and forever engrave your name in our videos. As always, we hope to see you in the next one!