The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
New book highlights Roman army camp sites.
New book details more than 300 sites of Roman remains in Scotland
Tayside’s Roman treasures are spotlighted in a new book that brings together every site in Scotland for the first time – and uncovers the forgotten archaeology of the nation that defied the world’s greatest military machine.
Beyond the Empire: A Guide to the Roman Remains In Scotland details more than 300 sites that were occupied by the Roman Army. They include a number of locations in Tayside, not least the most northerly Roman fort in the world at Stracathro, near Brechin.
The volume, to be published on Monday, also focuses on the fortifications and watchtowers on the Gask Ridge, the earliest Roman land frontier in the world.
Built around AD70, 50 years before Hadrian’s Wall, the line is known to stretch from Doune, near Stirling, to Stracathro. The legionary fortress at Inchtuthil, near Blairgowrie, would have housed 5,000 Roman soldiers but was abandoned half way through construction, while Ardoch fort near Braco contains some of the bestpreserved bank and ditch earthworks to be found anywhere in the world.
Scotland was never conquered by the Romans but despite its failure to subjugate the Caledonian tribes, the empire’s influence was felt throughout the land, with archaeologists regularly finding evidence of its presence.
Author Andrew Tibbs, an archaeologist based at Durham University, said: “Scotland is home to over 300 known or suspected Roman sites, many of which are still to reveal their secrets.
“There are battlefields and forts, camps and long-forgotten temples, not to mention the Antonine Wall which cuts across central Scotland, separating the Romans from the ‘barbarians’. But what sets Scotland apart from the vast Roman Empire is that it was never conquered and held.”
The volume also includes sites in the heart of Scotland. In Edinburgh, the remains of a fort at Cramond are still visible, while Glasgow is home to the remains of a Roman bath house from a fort at Bearsden.
Suspected Roman sites include a missing fort that could be under Stonehaven and the lost battle site of Mons Graupius.
The book contains more than 100 location maps, information about the history of each site, details of the Roman archaeology and what can be seen on the ground, along with notable finds from the sites.
Mr Tibbs added: “The Romans were in Britain for almost 400 years, and in that time kept trying to invade Scotland. Sometimes they made it as far as the Highlands, and other times they didn’t get further than the Borders. As a result, we’ve got the remains of so many Roman monuments.”