Mansio
Encyclopedia
In the Roman Empire
, a mansio (from the Latin
word mansus the perfect passive participle
of manere "to remain" or "to stay") was an official stopping place on a Roman road
, or via, maintained by the central government for the use of officials and those on official business whilst travelling.
. Probably originally established as simple places of military encampment, in process of time they included barracks
and magazines of provisions (horrea) for the troops. Over time the need arose for a more sophisticated form of shelter for travelling dignitaries and officials. The Latin term mansio is derived from manere, signifying to pass the night at a place while travelling. (The word is likely to be the source of the English word "mansion
", though their uses are entirely different). These substantial structures, normally in the form of a villa, were dedicated to the traveller's rest and refreshment. Guests were expected to provide a passport to identify themselves. In many cases infrastructure to sustain them sprang up around the mansio, but also the villas of provincial officials; forts and ultimately even cities.
Ox-drawn carts could travel about 30 km per day; pedestrians a little farther, so each mansio was about 25 to 30 km from the next. At each mansio cisiarii kept gigs for hire and for conveying government dispatches (Cisium; Essedum). Similar establishments, such as khans or caravanserai
s, are still found in the East. There were 111 such stations on the royal road from Sardes to Susa
, their average distance from one another being something less than 32 km. The khan, erected at the station for the accommodation of travellers, is called by Herodotus and . To stop for the night was . As the ancient roads made by the kings of Persia are still followed to a considerable extent, so also there is reason to believe that the modern khan, which is a square building, enclosing a large open court, surrounded by balconies with a series of doors entering into plain unfurnished apartments, and having a fountain in the center of the court, has been copied by uninterrupted custom from the Persic , and that, whether on occasion of the arrival of armies or of caravans, they have always served to afford shelter to both man and beast.
The mansio was under the superintendence of an officer called mansionarius. As the bishops assumed control in the Christian West during the fifth and sixth centuries, the office of mansionarius developed new connotations. Mansionarius is inserted as a synonym of prosmonarius/paramonariusin canon 2 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (451).
The Itinerarium Burdigalense
, which is a road-book drawn up in 333, mentions in order the mansiones from Bordeaux
to Jerusalem with the intervening mutationes, and other, more considerable places, which are called either civitates, vici, or castella
. The number of leagues (leugae) or of miles between one place and another is also set down.
e (Latin word taberna
("shed" or "hut"; from tabula, meaning "board"), which were hostels, rather than the "tavern
s" we know today. A tabernaculum or small taberna was a portable place of worship for the Hebrews, thus producing the word tabernacle
.
As Rome grew, so did its tabernae, becoming more luxurious and acquiring good or bad reputations as the case may be. One of the best hotels was the Tabernae Caediciae at Sinuessa
on the Via Appia. It had a large storage room containing barrels of wine, cheese and ham. Many cities of today grew up around a taberna complex, such as Rheinzabern
in the Rhineland, and Saverne
in Alsace
.
s serviced vehicles and animals: the mutationes ("changing stations") . In these complexes, the driver could purchase the services of wheelrights, cartwrights, and equarii medici, or veterinarians. Using these stations in chariot relays, the emperor Tiberius
hastened 500 miles in 24 hours to join his brother, Drusus Germanicus
, who was dying of gangrene as a result of a fall from a horse.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, a mansio (from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
word mansus the perfect passive participle
Participle
In linguistics, a participle is a word that shares some characteristics of both verbs and adjectives. It can be used in compound verb tenses or voices , or as a modifier...
of manere "to remain" or "to stay") was an official stopping place on a Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
, or via, maintained by the central government for the use of officials and those on official business whilst travelling.
Background
The roads which traversed the Ancient World, were later surveyed, developed and carefully maintained by the Romans, featured purpose-built rest stops at regular intervals, known as castraCastra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
. Probably originally established as simple places of military encampment, in process of time they included barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
and magazines of provisions (horrea) for the troops. Over time the need arose for a more sophisticated form of shelter for travelling dignitaries and officials. The Latin term mansio is derived from manere, signifying to pass the night at a place while travelling. (The word is likely to be the source of the English word "mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
", though their uses are entirely different). These substantial structures, normally in the form of a villa, were dedicated to the traveller's rest and refreshment. Guests were expected to provide a passport to identify themselves. In many cases infrastructure to sustain them sprang up around the mansio, but also the villas of provincial officials; forts and ultimately even cities.
Ox-drawn carts could travel about 30 km per day; pedestrians a little farther, so each mansio was about 25 to 30 km from the next. At each mansio cisiarii kept gigs for hire and for conveying government dispatches (Cisium; Essedum). Similar establishments, such as khans or caravanserai
Caravanserai
A caravanserai, or khan, also known as caravansary, caravansera, or caravansara in English was a roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey...
s, are still found in the East. There were 111 such stations on the royal road from Sardes to Susa
Susa
Susa was an ancient city of the Elamite, Persian and Parthian empires of Iran. It is located in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris River, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers....
, their average distance from one another being something less than 32 km. The khan, erected at the station for the accommodation of travellers, is called by Herodotus and . To stop for the night was . As the ancient roads made by the kings of Persia are still followed to a considerable extent, so also there is reason to believe that the modern khan, which is a square building, enclosing a large open court, surrounded by balconies with a series of doors entering into plain unfurnished apartments, and having a fountain in the center of the court, has been copied by uninterrupted custom from the Persic , and that, whether on occasion of the arrival of armies or of caravans, they have always served to afford shelter to both man and beast.
The mansio was under the superintendence of an officer called mansionarius. As the bishops assumed control in the Christian West during the fifth and sixth centuries, the office of mansionarius developed new connotations. Mansionarius is inserted as a synonym of prosmonarius/paramonariusin canon 2 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council (451).
The Itinerarium Burdigalense
Itinerarium Burdigalense
The Itinerarium Burdigalense is the oldest known Christian itinerarium, written by an anonymous pilgrim from Burdigala...
, which is a road-book drawn up in 333, mentions in order the mansiones from Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
to Jerusalem with the intervening mutationes, and other, more considerable places, which are called either civitates, vici, or castella
Castella
is a popular Japanese sponge cake made of sugar, flour, eggs, and starch syrup, very common at festivals and as a street food.Now a specialty of Nagasaki, the cake was brought by way of Portuguese merchants in the 16th century. The name is derived from Portuguese Pão de Castela, meaning "bread from...
. The number of leagues (leugae) or of miles between one place and another is also set down.
Britannia
- Alfoldean, HorshamHorshamHorsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, SussexSussexSussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
(Time TeamTime TeamTime Team is a British television series which has been aired on Channel 4 since 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode features a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining...
2006 series) - ChelmsfordChelmsfordChelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
- DubrisDubrisDubris or Portus Dubris was a town in Roman Britain. It is now Dover, Kent, England.As the closest point to continental Europe and the site of the estuary of the Dour, the site chosen for Dover was ideal for a cross-channel port...
- GodmanchesterGodmanchesterGodmanchester is a small town and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, in England. It lies on the south bank of the River Great Ouse, south of the larger town of Huntingdon, and on the A14 road....
, Roman Mansio in Godmanchester - WallLetocetumLetocetum is the remains of a Roman settlement. It was an important military staging post and posting station near the junction of Watling Street, the Roman military road to North Wales , and Icknield Street . The site is now within the parish of Wall, Staffordshire, England...
- RutupiaeRutupiaeRichborough Castle contains the ruined remains of a Roman Saxon Shore Fort. It situated in Richborough near Sandwich, Kent.The site has many phases of Roman remains, collectively known as Richborough Fort or Richborough Roman Fort, still visible today and under the care of English Heritage.Rutupiæ ...
- TripontiumTripontiumTripontium was a town in Roman Britain. It lay on the Roman road later called Watling Street at a site now chiefly within the civil parish of Newton and Biggin in the English county of Warwickshire and partly in Leicestershire, some 3.4 miles north-east of Rugby and 3.1 miles south of...
Other
- Little St Bernard PassLittle St Bernard PassThe Little St Bernard Pass is a mountain pass in the Alps on the France–Italy border. Its saddle is at 2188 metres above sea level. It is located between Savoie, France and Aosta Valley, Italy to the south of the Mont Blanc Massif, precisely on the main alpine watershed. There is also a Great St...
- Le MesnilLe MesnilDeriving from Latin 'mansionile', meaning a small 'mansio', or dwelling, Le Mesnil may refer to:-Belgium:* Le Mesnil, Belgium, a commune in the municipality of Viroinval in the Namur province-France:...
- StorgosiaStorgosiaStorgosia was a road station of Ancient Rome located in the vicinity of modern Pleven, nort central Bulgaria, in the modern Kaylaka Park. It accommodated detachments of Legio I Italicas Novae garrison. The station grew to become a fortress in Late Antiquity due to Gothic and other Barbarian raids...
- Three TavernsThree TavernsThree Taverns was a place on the ancient Appian Way, about 18 km from Rome, designed for the reception of travellers, as the name indicates....
- Via AugustaVia AugustaVia Augusta was a Roman road crossing all the Hispania Province, from Cádiz in the southern tip of current Spain, to the Coll de Panissars, where it crossed the Pyrenees close to the Mediterranean Sea, and joined the Via Domitia...
Other types of way stations
Non-official travellers needed refreshment too, and at the same locations along the road.Cauponae
A private system of cauponae were placed near the mansiones. They performed the same functions but were somewhat disreputable, as they were frequented by thieves and prostitutes. Graffiti decorate the walls of the few whose ruins have been found.Tabernae
Genteel travellers needed something better than cauponae. In the early days of the viae, when little unofficial travel existed, houses placed near the road were required by law to offer hospitality on demand. Frequented houses no doubt became the first tabernaTaberna
A taberna was a single room shop covered by a barrel vault within great indoor markets of ancient Rome. Each taberna had a window above it to let light into a wooden attic for storage and had a wide doorway....
e (Latin word taberna
Taberna
A taberna was a single room shop covered by a barrel vault within great indoor markets of ancient Rome. Each taberna had a window above it to let light into a wooden attic for storage and had a wide doorway....
("shed" or "hut"; from tabula, meaning "board"), which were hostels, rather than the "tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
s" we know today. A tabernaculum or small taberna was a portable place of worship for the Hebrews, thus producing the word tabernacle
Tabernacle
The Tabernacle , according to the Hebrew Torah/Old Testament, was the portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. Built to specifications revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, it accompanied the Israelites...
.
As Rome grew, so did its tabernae, becoming more luxurious and acquiring good or bad reputations as the case may be. One of the best hotels was the Tabernae Caediciae at Sinuessa
Mondragone
Mondragone is a comune or municipality in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region of Campania. It is located about 45 km northwest of Naples and about 40 km west of Caserta.-History:...
on the Via Appia. It had a large storage room containing barrels of wine, cheese and ham. Many cities of today grew up around a taberna complex, such as Rheinzabern
Rheinzabern
Rheinzabern is a small town in the south-east of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany near the Rhine river.Currently, Rheinzabern, that belongs to the "Landkreis Germersheim" has approx...
in the Rhineland, and Saverne
Saverne
Saverne is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It is situated on the Rhine-Marne canal at the foot of a pass over the Vosges Mountains, and 45 km N.W...
in Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
.
Mutationes
A third system of way stationWay station
Way station may be:*Way Station a 1963 science fiction novel by Clifford D. Simak*The Way Station - chapter 2 of The Dark Tower I – The Gunslinger by Stephen King.*Waystation Studio-See also:*mansio *Station *stopover...
s serviced vehicles and animals: the mutationes ("changing stations") . In these complexes, the driver could purchase the services of wheelrights, cartwrights, and equarii medici, or veterinarians. Using these stations in chariot relays, the emperor Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
hastened 500 miles in 24 hours to join his brother, Drusus Germanicus
Nero Claudius Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus , born Decimus Claudius Drusus also called Drusus, Drusus I, Nero Drusus, or Drusus the Elder was a Roman politician and military commander. He was a fully patrician Claudian on his father's side but his maternal grandmother was from a plebeian family...
, who was dying of gangrene as a result of a fall from a horse.
External links
- Mansio from A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London, 1875.