Milecastle 38

Milecastle 38
The site of Milecastle 38
Location within Northumberland
Type	Milecastle
Coordinates	55°00′26″N 2°21′25″W / 55.007253°N 2.35684°W / 55.007253; -2.35684
County	Northumberland
Country	England
UK-OSNG reference	NY77276813

Milecastle 38 (Hotbank) was a milecastle on Hadrian's Wall in the vicinity of Hotbank Farm, (grid reference NY77276813). It is notable for the joint inscription bearing the names of the emperor Hadrian and Aulus Platorius Nepos, the governor of Brittania at the time the Wall was built.

The site of Milecastle 38 is located in the vicinity of Hotbank Farm, Little remains of the milecastle except rubble walls outlined by robber trenches.

The milecastle was excavated in 1935 and found to be 18 metres east-west by 15 metres north-south. It was found to have a short axis, with a Type I gateway. Pottery finds indicated an occupation of the 4th century. There was a rectangular building in the south-west corner and a causeway, 3.6 metres wide, to the east. A tombstone was found, inscribed "...us.. xit annis... mensibus du...ebus quinque", re-used as a pivot stone in the south gateway.

Milecastle 38 is notable for the joint inscription bearing the names of the emperor Hadrian and Aulus Platorius Nepos, the governor of Brittania at the time the Wall was built. The left hand part was found c. 1715 and the right hand part was found in 1829.

The stone reads:

The first two lines identifies the emperor Hadrian, the third the Legion – Legio secunda Augusta (Second Augustan Legion) which erected the plaque, and the fourth the governor Aulus Platorius Nepos.

Each milecastle on Hadrian's Wall had two associated turret structures. These turrets were positioned approximately one-third and two-thirds of a Roman mile to the west of the Milecastle, and would probably have been manned by part of the milecastle's garrison. The turrets associated with Milecastle 38 are known as Turret 38A and Turret 38B.