Just to the south of Hadrian’s Wall, and at around the same time as the frontier fortifications were being built, the Romans constructed a fort on high ground overlooking the Solway estuary. Then, the site was known as Alauna Carvetiorum – today we call it Maryport – and it formed part of a chain of forts safeguarding the Cumbrian coast, which also represented an important communications and supply network.

Perhaps the most famous finds from the fort are a collection of freestanding stone altars dedicated to the god Jupiter, which were found buried in a series of large pits on the highest point of the local landscape. Between 2011 and 2015 these enigmatic objects formed one of the key foci of investigations on the site by Professor Ian Haynes and Tony Wilmott, but the story of their discovery actually dates back centuries earlier.

On this episode of The PastCast, Tony and Ian discuss their research in more detail with regular PastCast presenter Calum Henderson. Their article on Maryport in the latest issue of Current Archaeology, as well as the entirety of the magazine (and exclusive related archive features), are also available in full on The Past website.

The Past brings together the most exciting stories and the very best writing from the realms of history, archaeology, heritage, and the ancient world. You can subscribe to The Past today for just £7.99. If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider liking it, subscribing, and sharing it around.