What is "mamucium"

Mamucium, also known as Mancunium, was a fort in the Roman province of Britannia. The remains of the fort, protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, are in the Castlefield area of Manchester in North West England . Founded c. AD 79, Mamucium was garrisoned by a cohort of auxiliary soldiers and guarded the road running from Chester to York. A vicus, or civilian settlement made up of traders and the families of the soldiers, grew outside the fort and was an area of industrial activity.

The site lay in ruins until the Industrial Revolution when Manchester expanded and the fort was levelled to make way for new developments. It was damaged by the construction of the Rochdale Canal and the Great Northern Railway. The site is now part of the regenerated area of warehousing alongside the Rochdale Canal, part of the Castlefield Urban Heritage Park. Reconstructed remains of the fort's gatehouse, granaries, and some buildings from the vicus are on display to the public.