DID GHOSTS MARCH WITH THE ROMANS?

Whether you believe in ghosts or not is immaterial – belief in their presence has been around since very ancient times. They are mentioned in several ancient cultures, and the religions of Sumer, Babylon, Assyria, and other early Mesopotamian areas. Ghosts were – are – believed to be created at the time of death. They ‘pass’ to another world, where they are assessed, judged or appointed tasks. Some remain in that otherworld, others come back for various reasons. The surviving living were expected to place food, drink and useful goods within a burial chamber (of whatever sort) in order for the dead person to enjoy. The tomb of Tutankhamun as a good example.

The Hebrew Bible has several ghost references, although most are connected to occult activities. For instance, I Samuel 28:3–19 where King Saul commands the Witch of Endor to summon the ghost of Samuel. Christ returns from the dead as a Holy Spirit. And are angels a religious interpretation of ghosts?

Egyptian ideas of the afterlife evolved constantly through several thousand years of their history. However, the concept of a bandaged Mummy coming back to life to create havoc is modern. (Thanks Scooby Doo!) 

The Odyssey and Iliad feature ghosts, often useful to the heroes for predicting prophecies, but by the 5th century BC Greek ghosts had plumped for haunting and frightening the living. 

To the Romans, though, a ghost was useful for revenge against an enemy – scratch a curse on a stone or some pottery, place it on a grave and wait patiently for a satisfying result.

The baths at Chaeronea were haunted by the ghost of a murdered man, according to Plutarch. Fed up with the ghost’s loud groans, the townsfolk eventually sealed up the place. There doesn’t seem to be any follow-up indication that their work stopped the noise. Except, as it was probably caused by faulty drains, disuse of the place may have resulted in success?

Pliny the Younger (c. 50 AD) described the haunting of a house in Athens, referring to the Stoic philosopher Athenodorus, who lived in the house at least 100 years before Pliny started writing. Athenodorus deliberately put his writing desk where the ghost was assumed to appear, and wrote until late at night... He was eventually disturbed by a chain-bound ghost. Following the apparition outside, it pointed to a specific spot where Athenodorus later discovered a shackled skeleton. Giving the remains a proper burial the haunting ceased. A good story, or was Athenodorus a gifted Medium? 

Closer to modern day, though, was a report of Roman ghosts in York, England.

Back in 1953, an apprentice plumber, Harry Martindale, was working in the cellar of the Treasurer's House. He looked up and saw a Roman soldier walking through the wall, followed by several other Roman soldiers. All were visible upward from just below the knee, so they were walking on a lower, hidden, level. Martindale gave a good description of their shields, short swords, green tunics and the laces of the (unseen) sandals – the lacing going up the leg to what little he could see of below the knee.

Several who heard his tale disbelieved him, or put his account down to fantasy as his description did not tally with what was, then, known... BUT...

At a later excavation it was realised that the Treasurer’s House was, in fact, built above a Roman road, and new discoveries at Hadrian's Wall proved that auxiliary troops in the 4th century carried round shields and laced their sandals up to their knees, just as Martindale had described.

I’m disappointed that there do not seem to be many Roman remains here in North Devon. There are quite a few in South Devon, mind you – Exeter in particular. Known as Isca Dumnoniorum, meaning water or river of the Dumnonii, the town was a busy trade port, and several small settlements have been unearthed nearby. North Devon? Virtually nothing, though I cannot believe the Romans were not here along our coast. The two main rivers, the Taw and Torridge flow for miles from central Devon, with Barnstaple and Bideford (each only a few miles from the Bristol Channel) becoming exceedingly busy ports by the 17th Century. I personally believe that Roman foundations would be found beneath the present Georgian buildings that  dominate much of Barnstaple. But, of course, you can’t go knocking down old Georgian buildings to see what lies below them!

I haven’t heard of any Roman ghosts lingering in Barnstaple, so maybe it’s true? The Romans didn’t bother with our beautiful part of Britain.

© Helen Hollick

article originally posted on Alison Morton's blog