Housesteads

The Housesteads was the name given to a former Roman auxiliary fort on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, England. Like numerous other garrisons, it was during the Roman exodus from Britannia during the 5th century.

By the 9th century, the abandoned fort was largely covered in snow and notably housed the prized and personal battleaxe of the shieldmaiden Lagertha, the wife of Ragnar Lothbrok. In the 870s, the fort remains was visited by the Viking Eivor Varinsdottir, who recovered Lagertha's battleaxe from a treasure chest.^[1]