Milecastle 8 1.33

Milecastle 8 was a milecastle of the Roman Hadrian's Wall. Its remains are located in what is now West Denton, Newcastle upon Tyne. The milecastle has two associated turret structures which are known as turret 8A and turret 8B. The turrets and milecastle were excavated in the 1920s, yielding some pottery and stone carvings, but have since been overlain by modern roads. The exact locations of the structures is disputed, with the road now hiding any surface traces.ConstructionThere is some dispute over the exact location, with one study in 1929 locating it 1627yd east of Milecastle 9, and historian Madeleine Hope Dodds stating in 1930 that it is 1602yd from Milecastle 9. The Ordnance Survey uses an average of these positions on its mapping. The site of Milecastle 8 has been buried beneath the A69 dual carriageway.Excavations and investigationsThe milecastle was excavated in 1928, when it was located on a natural hillock. Excavations uncovered pottery and other relics but all structural remains of the milecastle had been removed by stone-robbers.Excavations near the site have uncovered carved stone "Celtic heads", possibly representative of local Celtic religions or imported from Europe with a unit of auxilia. The heads were discovered in 1969 and 1980.Associated turretsEach milecastle on Hadrian's Wall has two associated turret structures. These turrets were positioned approximately one third of a Roman mile apart and would have been manned by part of the milecastle's garrison. The turrets associated with Milecastle 8 are known as turrets 8A and 8B.