Archaeologists in Scotland have discovered the remains of one Novel the “fortlet” which was built next to a massive wall that ran across Scotland.
Known as the Antonine Wall, the defensive boundary separated what is now southern Scotland, which had been conquered by the Romans, from unconquered northern Scotland. The 38-mile-long (62-kilometer) wall was made primarily of turf or earth materials, and construction began in 142 AD. by order of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (reigned 138 to 161 AD) following the Roman conquest of southern Scotland.
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The newly discovered fort dates to the mid-second to mid-third century AD, radiocarbon dating revealed. It was built on the south side of the Antonine Wall in the town of Bearsden, about 8km north-west of Glasgow, and spans the gardens of three private residences on an “elevated site immediately adjacent to the Antonine Wall,” archaeologists from Guard archeology said in a statement. “It commanded an impressive view of the countryside, especially to the north, which was beyond Roman control.”
The fort also had a good view of a nearby Roman fort and could potentially have signaled the garrison if they spotted an enemy force. Most fortresses along the Antonine Wall could house between 20 and 50 soldiers at a time, the team noted.
Archaeologists first discovered the fortress in 2017 in the backyard of a private residence that had an archaeological survey carried out ahead of the construction work. The team later carried out a larger excavation and recently published the findings in the journal Archeology reports online.
The fort was built on a stone base, the archaeologists wrote in the journal article. There was also a ditch just outside the fort which may have helped to defend it.
Guard Archeology created a digital reconstruction of the fort, which shows two buildings capable of housing a small garrison of Roman troops along with two watchtowers and a series of ditches and walls to protect them.
The fort would likely have been “an integral part of the Roman wall defenses that included forts and forts along its length,” the archaeological team wrote in the journal article.
