Roman past is under spotlight
Exhibition looks at occupation
Perthshire’s Roman heritage will goes under the spotlight when a touring exhibition stops off in the area.
Until Sunday, September 23, the historic Innerpeffray Library near Crieff will host the ‘Roman Frontiers’ exhibition as part of the European Year of Cultural Heritage.
Exploring the history of the Roman occupation across the continent, the touring exhibition is travelling along the route of the Northern Roman Frontier in Scotland.
Although it is not as well known as the frontier lines of Hadrian’s Wall, built by Emperor Hadrian in 122 AD, or the Antonine Wall, built by Antonius Pius in 142 AD, there were at least three recorded occasions when Roman armies travelled further north.
This included passing through and occupying what is now Perth and Kinross, known as Bertha to the Romans.
The exhibition explores the ‘Roman frontier’, which is a boundary line running right across Europe.
It will look at how all the places on the line are interconnected and have a shared history with one another.
Although it has just left London, where it was exhibiting in the Stars Gallery at Europe House, the exhibition is set to tour across Scotland for Scottish Archaeology Month and Doors Open Days.
Graham Bell from the North East Civic Trust, explained a bit about the exhibition and its map: “The aim is to use the Roman Frontier, which runs right across Europe (and the Middle East and North Africa) as a basis of shared heritage and look at what that really means in the sense of common themes and values to societies and communities in contemporary society.
“The map shows the frontier but the white squares are ‘blogs’ in which ‘ordinary’ people from countries across Europe shed light on what it means to them. Hillfort in Fendoch is an example of a Roman fort in Perthshire Picture by Alec Findlay
“The side panels provide some historical and modern context set withinthe 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage. In the UK we feature the relationship between Hadrian’s Wall and the Antonine Wall and have been in close collaboration with Historic Environment Scotland about relevant content.
“However, the main message is that heritage should have meaning in daily life and inspire everyone wherever they are across Europe.”
Rome’s presence in Perthshire, from the first military campaign in the region in 79 AD, can be seen through its archaeology and architecture.
At its heart, there was a supervised supply line of a well-engineered allweather road running from just north of Dunblane to beyond Perth, passing through strategic locations such as Strathearn and Strathallan, where virtually every invasion of northern Scotland passed through.
The road takes an elevated route along the Gask Ridge with a chain of small timber towers and fortlets, as well as three larger forts along the path.
These towers allowed for supplies and troops passing on the road to be observed closely. From the second century AD, these Gask forts and the military road connecting them served as outposts of the Antonine Wall.
The Roman involvement in Perthshire shows a changing spirit within the soldiers would once have been a familiar site in Perthshire empire, as Rome began to explore the creation of fortified land frontiers.
Although the Gask system may only have been a temporary and informal type of Roman frontier, the concepts and design contributed to the model applied to thousands of miles of the empire’s defences across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust said: “The Roman heritage of Perth and Kinross is an immensely popular element of the region’s rich historic environment.
“Its significance to residents and visitors is in evidence in the high numbers of people attending talks, picking up brochures and visiting archaeological sites every year.
“Perth and Kinross is proud to be home to Rome’s first frontier.
“Although not physically part of the World Heritage Site, the foundations laid in Perthshire for the later Empire-wide frontier systems creates a common link to the other communities living in the Roman frontier zones across Europe and the rest of the world.”
Free tours of the exhibition at Innerpeffray Library will be offered during its stay, including on Saturday and Sunday when Scotland’s oldest public library marks Doors Open Day.
It will also be at Innerpeffray on Heritage Awareness Day, Tuesday, September 20.
Perth and Kinross is proud to be home to Rome’s first frontier ...