Steve Kaye
Former research assistant in geophysics (Univ. Coll. London); gained a Ph.D.; worked for oil companies; now retired (sort of!).
Education: B.Sc. (1st), M.Sc. (Stratigraphy), Ph.D.(Geophysics)
Interests:
Roman military archaeology in Britain, especially that related to the Boudican uprising, at www.bandaarcgeophysics.co.uk/arch_intro.html
Gravity and other geophysics of the Banda Arc, Eastern Indonesia at www.bandaarcgeophysics.co.uk .
Education: B.Sc. (1st), M.Sc. (Stratigraphy), Ph.D.(Geophysics)
Interests:
Roman military archaeology in Britain, especially that related to the Boudican uprising, at www.bandaarcgeophysics.co.uk/arch_intro.html
Gravity and other geophysics of the Banda Arc, Eastern Indonesia at www.bandaarcgeophysics.co.uk .
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Papers by Steve Kaye
https://www.sidestone.com/books/current-approaches-to-roman-frontiers-limes-xxv-volume-1
The spreadsheet runs calculations for a campaigning Roman army of the early Imperial period. The spreadsheet is available on Academia.edu - the blue Download button. Also available at the links at the bottom of this text.
The spreadsheet allows the definition of army sizes, march rates and distances, and the building of camp defences (ditch, rampart and palisade) before calculating over 70 parameters and metrics associated with, for example, marching rates, energy expenditure and Roman marching camps, e.g. outer defences and internal roads. Calculated camps sizes are cross-matched to extant camps allowing comparisons.
Observations from the use of the spreadsheet, together with instructions on how to use, are available in an accompanying essay, "Early Imperial Roman army campaigning: observations on marching metrics, energy expenditure and the building of marching camps", available at www.bandaarcgeophysics.co.uk/arch_intro.html or from Zenodo.org ( https://zenodo.org/record/838275#.ZGSOIHbMIuU ) or Academia.edu (listed below).
DOWNLOAD THE XLSX FILE TO USE THE SPREADSHEET FROM:
https://zenodo.org/records/7943985
http://bandaarcgeophysics.co.uk/arch/Roman_campaigning.xlsx
Abstract of paper:
Relative Sea-Level (RSL) change since the mid-1st century AD places limits on the locations of Roman ports on the River Exe. Supplies from Northern Gaul, destined for the Neronian legionary fortress at Exeter and its dependent civilian sites, may be demonstrated to have been unloaded downriver from the fortress at Exeter.
Utilising a combination of available historical and archaeological data, glacial isostatic adjustment and estimated RSL over the past 2000 years, confirms that Roman sea-transports or river barges could not have reached the Exeter fortress on the tide. Furthermore, on the basis of the estimated tidal reach and depth of the River Exe in the mid-1st century AD, limitations may be placed on the location of both sea-port and barge-quay facilities, thus allowing the areas of search for these installations to be narrowed.
This essay contains a description of the spreadsheet, some observations arising and a description of all input and output variables.
A crucial step was to examine the choice of routes available to the Roman commander, Suetonius Paulinus, as he considered withdrawal from London after Boudica's destruction of Colchester and the rout of the 9th Legion. The pros and cons for each route are described, discussed and the results compared. The findings were: that Suetonius did not march north-east towards Boudica; that the London to Lewes road to the southern coast would not have been chosen as all the prospective battle-sites are less than one day's march from London; that taking Watling Street to the Kent ports would have been a strategic and tactical error; that marching further north than St. Albans along Watling Street could have led to conflict with flanking and rearward attacking rebel forces; that turning west at St. Albans to follow Akeman Street was a superior choice but one limited to prospective battle-sites (3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11 etc.) in the Bulbourne river valley, south-east of Tring, if the absence of burning and destruction at Alchester Roman fortress is correct; that the other southern route from London via Stane Street was strategically sound, and that tactically the prospective battle-sites at Dorking (1 and 2) were outstanding; and finally, that taking the Portway directly west out of London was strategically the most suitable of routes and one Suetonius would probably have viewed most favourably.
A simple combination of the ranked sites and the most likely choice of route from London would logically indicate that the actual battle took place in the west at Ogbourne St. George (4), Donhead St. Andrew (6), or Shalbourne (9). However, in acknowledging that not all events, dispositions, circumstances etc. were known, it was concluded that the next investigative phase will be best served by examining not only the western Portway locations but also those along Stane Street at Dorking, and the higher ranking sites within the Bulbourne river valley along Akeman Street.
However, prior to the Romans reaching the Thames, Dio relates that a unit of the auxiliaries, the Keltoi, unexpectedly, as far as the British were concerned, swam another river while in full-armour. This event, the opening phase in a two-day battle adjacent to a river, eventually led to the withdrawal of the British force across the Thames.
The goal described in this essay was to use this swimming episode to provide locational information for the two-day river battle and hence the most likely location for the invasion-ground.
To that end, all the rivers existing in 43 AD in the southeast of England were reconstructed, the wadeability of rivers assessed, relative sea-level changes since 43 AD examined and tidal regimes determined.
The conclusion is that only the river Medway required the Keltoi to swim across and that, consequently, the most likely location for the invasion-ground is on the coast of Kent.
Detailed analysis resulted in 263 possble battle sites rather than the thousands commonly envisaged.
The area of the Kennet river valley was thought to be the most favourable region for the actual battle."
3M.yr. old collision between the northward migrating Australian Plate and the Banda Sea microplate(s).
Following collision in the Timor region, approximately 60 km of continental and volcanic margin crust may have been subducted. Further convergence caused the steepening of the Benioff Zone, resulting in the rupturing of the continental margin along new subduction decollements, thereby progressively
isolating the continental crustal units in the north of Timor from the later formation of the southern imbricate wedge. Shortening between the inner arc and the suture zone, situated off-shore of north Timor, was possibly by eastward translation of crustal blocks, thickening of the arc and tectonic erosion. Timor was dissected by a number of large left-lateral faults during the collision process giving rise to a number of variably sized, crustal blocks. The same process was, and probably still is, active in the Tanimbar Islands, which has a similar gravity field to Timor. The Kai Islands, to the north of the Tanimbars, are part of a large, displaced, continental crustal block, with a geology similar to Tanimbar and Timor.
The gravity field from Timor around the Banda Arc to Tanimbar has a common Bouguer anomaly profile, with values of +50mGal over the Australian Shelf decreasing to 0mGal over the Timor - Tanimbar - Aru Troughs, before decreasing further to -30 to -50 mGal over the thickened crust of the forearc. Anomaly values in the north of the forearc create a steep, northerly positive, gradient reaching 180 to 200mGal at the junction of the continental and arc crusts. Gravity profiles over the Kai block
also have a form common to the Banda Arcs except for the eastern margin where instead of values decreasing away from the Australian Shelf they rise steeply to 150 to 200mGal. This elongated high is probably due to thin crust related to present-day crustal extension in Eastern Indonesia.
The curved form of the Banda Arcs probably results from the NNE-SSW pincer convergence of the Irian Jaya continental crustal block from the north, the NNE convergence of the Australian Continental margin from Timor to Tanimbar and the presence of the New Guinea Continental block to the east. The
NNE-SSW convergence has led to ESE-WNW extension of the Banda Sea region, particularly in the Weber - Kai -Aru region, which has tectonically overprinted the earlier, arc/continental collision, compressional phase. Strike-slip faulting and associated rotation and translation of crustal blocks is at a
maximum in this eastern region.
We will discuss the development of a comprehensive fault pattern characterisation quantatively with a set of parameters arising from non-linear methods of analysis. This allows for the standardised comparison of seismic interpretations and a precise method for testing interpretations from the same dataset.
We will show how fractal mathematics may give a measure of the density of the fault set, the number of faults below the limit of seismic resolution, resolve small fault clusters below the limit of seismic resolution and aid in the description and analysis of fault sets.
https://www.sidestone.com/books/current-approaches-to-roman-frontiers-limes-xxv-volume-1
The spreadsheet runs calculations for a campaigning Roman army of the early Imperial period. The spreadsheet is available on Academia.edu - the blue Download button. Also available at the links at the bottom of this text.
The spreadsheet allows the definition of army sizes, march rates and distances, and the building of camp defences (ditch, rampart and palisade) before calculating over 70 parameters and metrics associated with, for example, marching rates, energy expenditure and Roman marching camps, e.g. outer defences and internal roads. Calculated camps sizes are cross-matched to extant camps allowing comparisons.
Observations from the use of the spreadsheet, together with instructions on how to use, are available in an accompanying essay, "Early Imperial Roman army campaigning: observations on marching metrics, energy expenditure and the building of marching camps", available at www.bandaarcgeophysics.co.uk/arch_intro.html or from Zenodo.org ( https://zenodo.org/record/838275#.ZGSOIHbMIuU ) or Academia.edu (listed below).
DOWNLOAD THE XLSX FILE TO USE THE SPREADSHEET FROM:
https://zenodo.org/records/7943985
http://bandaarcgeophysics.co.uk/arch/Roman_campaigning.xlsx
Abstract of paper:
Relative Sea-Level (RSL) change since the mid-1st century AD places limits on the locations of Roman ports on the River Exe. Supplies from Northern Gaul, destined for the Neronian legionary fortress at Exeter and its dependent civilian sites, may be demonstrated to have been unloaded downriver from the fortress at Exeter.
Utilising a combination of available historical and archaeological data, glacial isostatic adjustment and estimated RSL over the past 2000 years, confirms that Roman sea-transports or river barges could not have reached the Exeter fortress on the tide. Furthermore, on the basis of the estimated tidal reach and depth of the River Exe in the mid-1st century AD, limitations may be placed on the location of both sea-port and barge-quay facilities, thus allowing the areas of search for these installations to be narrowed.
This essay contains a description of the spreadsheet, some observations arising and a description of all input and output variables.
A crucial step was to examine the choice of routes available to the Roman commander, Suetonius Paulinus, as he considered withdrawal from London after Boudica's destruction of Colchester and the rout of the 9th Legion. The pros and cons for each route are described, discussed and the results compared. The findings were: that Suetonius did not march north-east towards Boudica; that the London to Lewes road to the southern coast would not have been chosen as all the prospective battle-sites are less than one day's march from London; that taking Watling Street to the Kent ports would have been a strategic and tactical error; that marching further north than St. Albans along Watling Street could have led to conflict with flanking and rearward attacking rebel forces; that turning west at St. Albans to follow Akeman Street was a superior choice but one limited to prospective battle-sites (3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11 etc.) in the Bulbourne river valley, south-east of Tring, if the absence of burning and destruction at Alchester Roman fortress is correct; that the other southern route from London via Stane Street was strategically sound, and that tactically the prospective battle-sites at Dorking (1 and 2) were outstanding; and finally, that taking the Portway directly west out of London was strategically the most suitable of routes and one Suetonius would probably have viewed most favourably.
A simple combination of the ranked sites and the most likely choice of route from London would logically indicate that the actual battle took place in the west at Ogbourne St. George (4), Donhead St. Andrew (6), or Shalbourne (9). However, in acknowledging that not all events, dispositions, circumstances etc. were known, it was concluded that the next investigative phase will be best served by examining not only the western Portway locations but also those along Stane Street at Dorking, and the higher ranking sites within the Bulbourne river valley along Akeman Street.
However, prior to the Romans reaching the Thames, Dio relates that a unit of the auxiliaries, the Keltoi, unexpectedly, as far as the British were concerned, swam another river while in full-armour. This event, the opening phase in a two-day battle adjacent to a river, eventually led to the withdrawal of the British force across the Thames.
The goal described in this essay was to use this swimming episode to provide locational information for the two-day river battle and hence the most likely location for the invasion-ground.
To that end, all the rivers existing in 43 AD in the southeast of England were reconstructed, the wadeability of rivers assessed, relative sea-level changes since 43 AD examined and tidal regimes determined.
The conclusion is that only the river Medway required the Keltoi to swim across and that, consequently, the most likely location for the invasion-ground is on the coast of Kent.
Detailed analysis resulted in 263 possble battle sites rather than the thousands commonly envisaged.
The area of the Kennet river valley was thought to be the most favourable region for the actual battle."
3M.yr. old collision between the northward migrating Australian Plate and the Banda Sea microplate(s).
Following collision in the Timor region, approximately 60 km of continental and volcanic margin crust may have been subducted. Further convergence caused the steepening of the Benioff Zone, resulting in the rupturing of the continental margin along new subduction decollements, thereby progressively
isolating the continental crustal units in the north of Timor from the later formation of the southern imbricate wedge. Shortening between the inner arc and the suture zone, situated off-shore of north Timor, was possibly by eastward translation of crustal blocks, thickening of the arc and tectonic erosion. Timor was dissected by a number of large left-lateral faults during the collision process giving rise to a number of variably sized, crustal blocks. The same process was, and probably still is, active in the Tanimbar Islands, which has a similar gravity field to Timor. The Kai Islands, to the north of the Tanimbars, are part of a large, displaced, continental crustal block, with a geology similar to Tanimbar and Timor.
The gravity field from Timor around the Banda Arc to Tanimbar has a common Bouguer anomaly profile, with values of +50mGal over the Australian Shelf decreasing to 0mGal over the Timor - Tanimbar - Aru Troughs, before decreasing further to -30 to -50 mGal over the thickened crust of the forearc. Anomaly values in the north of the forearc create a steep, northerly positive, gradient reaching 180 to 200mGal at the junction of the continental and arc crusts. Gravity profiles over the Kai block
also have a form common to the Banda Arcs except for the eastern margin where instead of values decreasing away from the Australian Shelf they rise steeply to 150 to 200mGal. This elongated high is probably due to thin crust related to present-day crustal extension in Eastern Indonesia.
The curved form of the Banda Arcs probably results from the NNE-SSW pincer convergence of the Irian Jaya continental crustal block from the north, the NNE convergence of the Australian Continental margin from Timor to Tanimbar and the presence of the New Guinea Continental block to the east. The
NNE-SSW convergence has led to ESE-WNW extension of the Banda Sea region, particularly in the Weber - Kai -Aru region, which has tectonically overprinted the earlier, arc/continental collision, compressional phase. Strike-slip faulting and associated rotation and translation of crustal blocks is at a
maximum in this eastern region.
We will discuss the development of a comprehensive fault pattern characterisation quantatively with a set of parameters arising from non-linear methods of analysis. This allows for the standardised comparison of seismic interpretations and a precise method for testing interpretations from the same dataset.
We will show how fractal mathematics may give a measure of the density of the fault set, the number of faults below the limit of seismic resolution, resolve small fault clusters below the limit of seismic resolution and aid in the description and analysis of fault sets.
Utilising a combination of available historical and archaeological data, glacial isostatic adjustment and estimated RSL over the past 2000 years, confirms that Roman sea-transports or river barges could not have reached the Exeter fortress on the tide. Furthermore, on the basis of the estimated tidal reach and depth of the River Exe in the mid-1st century AD, limitations may be placed on the location of both sea-port and barge-quay facilities, thus allowing the areas of search for these installations to be narrowed.
Poster presented at LIMES Congress XXV, Nijmegen, 2022.