Carrawburgh Archaeological Site

Carrawburgh is the site of a Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, historically known as Brocolitia. The location is notable for Roman military remains and a shrine to the god Mithras uncovered there.

Remains include earthwork outlines of the fort, sections of the Wall and scattered stone foundations. The site is best known for the excavated Mithraeum and associated altars and inscriptions which illustrate Roman religious practice on the frontier.

Established in the Roman period as part of the frontier system built under the emperors in the 2nd century AD, the fort was occupied by Roman garrison units and used to control movement along the Wall. Excavations in the 20th century revealed religious dedications and artifacts from the site’s occupation.

The site sits on Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, England, beside the modern roadside that follows the line of the Wall and within the rural landscape of the northern frontier region.

• Alternate name and highlight: Also known historically as Brocolitia, the site contains one of the better-known Mithraic shrines discovered on Hadrian’s Wall.
• Access note: Accessible from the B6318 military road that runs alongside sections of Hadrian’s Wall, with visible ruins in agricultural land.

What to See#

• Mithraeum: A Roman shrine to the god Mithras discovered within the fort, with archaeological finds including altars and votive objects now conserved in regional collections.
• Fort and wall remains: Remains of the fort’s earthworks, stretches of Hadrian’s Wall, and scattered stone foundations visible along the roadside and in the surrounding pasture.

Carrawburgh is beside the B6318 (Military Road) near the village of Heddon-on-the-Wall and roughly 3 miles east of Hexham. The site is accessible from nearby car parks along the Hadrian’s Wall Path; walkers can approach on the footpath that follows the wall. Nearest rail station: Hexham (on the Tyne Valley Line) with local bus or taxi onward. Drive via A69 to the B6318 and look for small lay-bys and heritage signage.