Learnings: The Roman Fortress

A view of the Multangular Tower, part of the ancient Roman fortifications of York / 200-250

After the Vikings conquered the town and renamed it Jorvik, they built new fortifications around the ancient Roman fortress, whose Multangular Tower is pictured here. While its lower parts are Roman, the upper parts are late medieval. Eventually the eastern and southern walls of the fortress were torn down so that new settlements outside could join the rest of the town. Jorvik would continue to expand, eventually becoming larger than Hedeby (Denmark) and Birka (Sweden), two famous Scandinavian commercial centres.