Reasons for Designation
Roman religion had adopted wholesale the classical pantheon of the
Greeks. To this the Romans grafted their own Italic or Estruscan beliefs
frequently associated with fertility and vegetation, and thus with the
conquest of Britain AD 43-410 brought to the province classical deities
covering a wide range of functions. The indigenous population of Britain
had already evolved a comprehensive mythology of its own, based partly
on the worship of natural phenomena and partly on the worship of those
aspects of life it considered vital - prosperity, fertility, war and
death. Roman toleration of native religions enabled the deities of both
conqueror and conquered to intermingle by means of a process of
identification known as syncretism. The Roman god Mars, for example,
originally an Italic deity associated with fertility and untamed
woodlands, became linked with Celtic warrior deities such as Cocidius
along Hadrian's Wall. Another Roman deity, Silvanus, was the woodland
god worshipped under his own name and in identification with native gods
in the northern frontier region.
"Robin of Risingham" Roman rock carving is the only known example of a
Roman statue cut out of solid rock in Northumberland. The bow and the
hare would associate the figure with hunting and the depiction has been
identified as the Roman deity Silvanus, god of woodland, in the guise of
the Celtic god Cocidius. This carving illustrates well the process of
syncretism as practised in the frontier region of northern England
during the Roman occupation.
Details
The monument consists of the lower half of a figure cut in relief on a
rock outcrop. It is located in an alcove formed by a retaining wall on a
steep incline immediately below a south-westerly spread of spoil from
Woodburn Quarries.
The carving, which has been identified as a native hunting god, was
recorded in the early 18th century by Horsley and other antiquarians
before being partially destroyed by the then landowner who thereby
attempted to stop people wishing to view it from trespassing on his
lands. Originally the figure stood 4ft high and had a panel, perhaps for
an inscription, above his head. The god holds a bow and a small animal,
possibly a hare, in his hands, and is dressed in a tunic and cloak, with
a square block or altar opposite his right knee.
A half size replica of the original was erected adjacent to the parent
rock by the Redesdale Society in 1983.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
13433
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
