Roman sources Aim: To examine the evidence for the Roman invasions of Northern Britain.

ROMAN MONUMENTS By “monuments” we mean the remains of Roman structures/architecture These show up on the ground as earthworks, or as cropmarks which can be identified by aerial photography The Roman occupation of Northern Britain was essentially military in character, and so Roman monuments in Northern Britain include marching camps, forts, fortlets and watchtowers, as well as roads and the two great walls – Hadrian’s Wall and the Antonine Wall

MARCHING CAMPS Temporary overnight structures built to protect the army as it was campaigning Simple ditch and bank Soldiers slept eight to a tent Indicate invasion routes Suggest size of Roman forces involved in any given invasion Severan camps were huge – 130 acres (55 hectares) – could have held six legions (30,000 troops) e.g. Ardoch, Stracathro, Strageath in Tayside

Marching camp at Chew Green, Northumberland Dere Street Roman road at Whitton Edge in the Scottish Borders – linked Eboracum (York) with the Firth of Forth

FORTS Forts were built to house regiments of 500 – 1,000 men (cohorts or double cohorts) The building of forts in any given period suggests that the Romans intended a permanent conquest Used to control surrounding area/population Housesteads and Vindolanda on Hadrian’s Wall Newstead/Trimontium and Inveresk in southern Scotland Bearsden, Rough Castle on the Antonine Wall Carpow and Inchtuthil in northern Scotland

Artist’s impression of Roman fort at Ardoch

Housesteads on Hadrian’s Wall – built to accommodate c.800 auxiliaries. Note the adjacent vicus (civilian settlement)

Inchtuthil in Perth and Kinross was built in the early AD 80s, during the Flavian invasions It was built to accommodate an entire legion – the XX Valeria Victrix Suggests permanent conquest was intended at this time – base for invasion of Highlands? 64 barrack buildings Abandoned incomplete c.86/7 AD Buildings were dismantled and 750,000 iron nails were buried

FORTLETS Small outposts built for 50 – 80 auxiliaries (a century) Housed in one or two barrack blocks Base for local patrols Usually only surrounded by a single bank and ditch Kinneil, Lurg Moor (Antonine Wall)

WATCHTOWERS AND SIGNAL STATIONS Used to monitor and control movement in frontier areas Accomodated a contubernium of eight men Gask Ridge frontier system, Tayside – Flavian period Ran along the Roman road, less than a mile apart e.g. Kirkhill, Roundlaw, Muir o’Fauld

THE ANTONINE WALL Construction began c.142 AD following Antoninus Pius’ invasion Abandoned in mid-160s AD about eight years after completion – briefly reoccupied in Severan period Built of turf on a stone base

12 feet high with a ditch 40 feet wide and 12 feet deep to north Most northerly frontier in the Roman Empire Stone base of Antonine Wall at Hillfoot cemetery Lilia (man traps) near Rough Castle Bath-house at Bearsden