The Roman Fort - Falkirk, Scotland
N 55° 59.896 W 003° 51.370
30U E 446600 N 6206217
The Roman Fort marker is located adjacent to the Antonine Wall in Falkirk, Scotland.
Waymark Code: WMMDKB
Location: Southern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/05/2014
Views: 4
The marker reads:
The Roman Fort
An Annex at Rough Castle
Immediately in front of you can see the Antonine Wall ditch, which forms the northern defences of the Roman fort. The drawing is a bird's-eye view of the site from this position, showing the Roman fort and annex as they would have appeared during their use.
The fort was excavated in 1902-03, 1932 and again in 1957-61. Most of our knowledge of the site comes from these excavations.
You are standing slightly to the left of the north entrance to the fort. The north gate would have been in front of you, slightly to your right. If you walk across the site of the gate you should be able to trace on the ground some of the remains of the fort.
The fort was small in size being just over one acre (0.4 hectares) enclosed within a couple of ditches and a rampart. The defences of the fort are the most obvious features that are visible on the site today. Inside the ditch was a stout wall of which traces can be seen on the ground in the form of a low, wide, grassy mound. The fort had a gateway in each of its four sides, with causeways crossing the ditches to allow access.
There were a number of substantial stone buildings inside the fort. Straight ahead of you, in the centre of the fort, is the site of the headquarters building, and to the right the site of a granary and the commanding officers house. After the Romans left, the buildings completely collapsed but excavations revealed their foundations. You should be able to see undulations inside the fort. These are the result of the filling of the old excavation trenches that revealed these buildings.
The self-guided walks continues over the site of these buildings and then out of the fort through its eastern entrance (in front, to your left).
Beyond this gateway a causeway gives access to the fort annex. Like the fort, this annex is also protected by multiple lines of ditches. If you walk this way you will find in the corner of the annex, on your right, the site of the bath-house of the fort. There would have been a number of additional buildings in the annex, but we do not known very much about them.
Inscriptions discovered during excavation indicate that this fort was the base of the Sixth Cohort of Nervians, a people who lived in what is now northern France. They were conquered by Julius Caesar 200 years before the Antonine Wall was built and some of them were recruited into the Roman Army and ended up serving at Rough Castle.
To continue, walk back along the southern defences of the fort and see the scale of these impressive earthworks. You can then leave the fort through its western entrance and walk down the hill, over the Burn by the wooden bridge and back to the car park. On the way you will see the slight earthwork of the Military Way, just beyond the burn. This was a Roman road that connected all the forts along the Wall.
Type of Historic Marker: Sign on stone blocks
Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Historic Scotland
Give your Rating: 
Age/Event Date: Not listed
Related Website: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Please submit your visiting log with a picture of the object and include some interesting information about your visit.