Dr David Woolliscroft with a map of the Roman fort.
Posted on 08/31/2012 6:27:25 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
A team of archaeologists has arrived in Angus to survey the world's most northerly Roman fort.
Directors of The Roman Gask Project, Dr David Woolliscroft and Dr Birgitta Hoffmann, are at the ancient site near Stracathro, which was part of a line of Scottish watchtowers believed to be the oldest Roman frontier.
Despite being discovered from the air almost 50 years ago, little is known about the structure of the fort near Brechin, which makes up part of the Gask Ridge frontier system.
Assisted by volunteers from Liverpool University, the experts will use non-invasive survey techniques such as magnetometry and geophysics to ascertain what is under the ground, without causing damage.
As well as examining the fort, the project will also survey the adjacent Roman marching camp, believed to have been constructed as part of the military campaigns of the invading forces. The camp is famed in the archaeological world for its unusual gate structure, examples of which are only found in Scotland.
In addition to surveying the Roman occupation of the site, the team will also be looking for evidence of an early Christian church which was constructed after the Roman period, before being replaced by an 18th-century structure.
The original church site played a crucial role in Scottish history, being the place where John Balliol -- who later became notorious as the puppet king of Edward I of England -- surrendered the Scottish crown in 1296...
The survey is expected to run until September 8 and forms part of the ongoing research into the Roman Gask frontier, which runs north of the Rivers Forth and Clyde.
The system is the earliest Roman land frontier in Britain and was built 50 years before Hadrian's Wall and 70 years before the Antonine Wall.
(Excerpt) Read more at thecourier.co.uk ...
Dr David Woolliscroft with a map of the Roman fort.
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They’ll find a Roman outhouse and some Roman Soldier will have written, “Centurion Flavius is an excrement head!”
Joe is the same throughout time.
Thanks FN, nice pic!
It’s maddening when the writer of articles like these mentions a fact like “the most unusual Roman fort gate in the world found only in Scotland’ and then fails to give some details on why the gate is unusual and rare. GRRRRR!
It’s made entirely out of local bricks, which were kiln-baked near the site. The records indicate that they needed so many that the Roman overseer kept shouting “more clay! more clay!”
Okay, yes, it wasn’t worth the setup.
:’)
Roman Legionnaire reenactors. Image: Hans Splinter
This line was to run along the hills south of the Highlands Massif, which would place all the Lowlands, including Fife, under Roman rule. It makes sense if you want all the best land for Rome, but it would make for a much less defensible line than the Antonine.
Thanks colorado tanker.
Ale, Caesar! Romans and Caledonian tribes went to pub together
http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/heritage/ale-caesar-romans-and-caledonian-tribes-went-to-pub-together-1-2514282
The Gask Ridge frontier system is the earliest Roman land frontier in Britain, built in the 70s AD, 50 years before Hadrian's Wall and 70 years before the Antonine Wall. Since German archaeologists have now re-dated the start of their frontier to the Trajanic period 20 years later, it now seems that the Gask system is the first Roman land frontier anywhere.
You sure it wasn’t “more peat!, more peat!” ?
And he shouted it until he was blue in the face.
/rimshot!
The Roman occupation of Strathearn saw the construction of the first recognizable road system as the occupants in their established tradition built a road system to enable communication between their various outposts . The road over the Langside from Braco to Comrie connected the main camp at Ardoch with the Dalginross “ glen blocker “ . The Gask Ridge represented a frontier of forts and watch towers stretching from Ardoch to Bertha where lies modern Inveralmond . The Romans constructed a military road to connect these various outposts and these have been partially excavated as part of an ongoing research programme undertaken by Dr DW Wooliscroft and a team of archaeologists many of whom are from Liverpool University .
The Story of Transport in the Strath
Maybe I am just dense. I read the entire article at your link, but I did not see anything there to indicate that the natives were coming to the “pub” that is described. Perhaps the building was just a well-designed mess hall.
Which sword would you rather wield?
A claymore or a peatmore?
I think it may have been a wee joke.
Thanks for explaining that, I had *no idea* what my original joke was about. [blush]
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