ALMOST 2,000 years ago it was one of the most important military bases in northern Britain, home to 500 crack cavalry troops.

But since the last of the soldiers departed several hundred years later the secrets of the Roman fort have largely remained hidden.

Now archaeologists are looking at the possibility of excavating the eight-acre site at Malton, North Yorkshire, which could become a major tourist draw.

The fort was established around 70AD and was home to the Ala Picentiana unit, cavalry troops originally from Gaul, modern-day France.

Cavalry were considered second in importance to the legionnaires but well above the auxiliary troops who made up a large part of the Roman army.

But, despite the potential importance of the site, it has only ever been partially explored, with excavations looking just at short sections of the walls.

Now Paul Bidwell, head of archaeology at Tyne and Wear Museums Service and an expert on Roman military history, has conducted preliminary surveys to assess the site's suitability for a large scale excavation.

He said: "It was originally a turf and timber fort and then it was rebuilt in stone.

"It is one of the more important military sites in the north away from Hadrian's Wall. Excavations in the 1920s produced a lot of interesting finds but only on a small scale.

"A lot of sites in the North-East have been neglected in the past because Hadrian's Wall has been a big pull, but we now recognise that these forts were of similar importance," he said.

The fort was used to control the Vale of Pickering and would have been closely linked to the fortress at York, the cavalry forming a battle group with York's legion.

Ryedale District Council, along with English Heritage and other groups, is to look at carrying out a feasibility study for a full excavation.