Ardoch Roman Fort is an archaeological site just outside the village of Braco in

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, about south of Crieff. At Ardoch are the remains of a

Roman fort In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term. In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...

and several marching camps which included a signal tower. Part of the Roman

Gask Ridge The Gask Ridge is the modern name given to an early series of fortifications, built by the Romans in Scotland, close to the Highland Line. Modern excavation and interpretation has been pioneered by the Roman Gask Project, with Birgitta Hoffmann ...

, it is said to be one of the most complete Roman camps in Britain, and is one of the best-preserved series of Roman military earthworks in the whole Empire. It is protected as a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

Description

The remains consist of grass-covered earthworks, and are considered among the best preserved Roman earthworks in Britain.David John Breeze, (2002), ''Roman Forts in Britain'', page 60. The site, which has a complex history, comprises two intersecting forts. The earliest fort is believed to be associated with the campaigns of Agricola (1st century). The later fort was apparently reconstructed within two outer ditches so that this later fort was protected by five ditches on both the east and north sides. The field to the north is the remnant of a large annexe.David E. Johnston, (2002), ''Discovering Roman Britain'', page 144. Osprey. Archaeology has demonstrated the existence of a watch-tower (or signal tower) and at least six overlapping marching camps to the north and northeast. Ardoch was one of a chain of camps separated by one-day marches in a generally north–south direction. Other Roman camps in this chain include

Strageath Strageath is a Roman camp near the River Earn in eastern Scotland. Strageath was one of a chain of camps that the Romans used in their march northward. Other notable camps in this chain are Ardoch, Battledykes, Stracathro, Raedykes and Normandyk ...

Inchtuthil Inchtuthil is the site of a Roman legionary fortress situated on a natural platform overlooking the north bank of the River Tay southwest of Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland (Roman Caledonia). It was built in AD 82 or 83 as the advan ...

Battledykes Battledykes is a Roman camp slightly to the north of Forfar, Scotland. According to Hector Boece, Pictish chiefs met at a castle by Forfar Loch to plan how to repel the Roman armies, who invaded several times between the 1st and 4th centuries ...

Stracathro Stracathro ( gd, Srath Catharach) is a small place in Angus, Scotland. It was the site of a Roman marching camp as their forces invaded to the north. Location Stracathro is located southeast of Edzell in north-east Angus. It lies to the north ...

, Raedykes and thence taking the Elsick Mounth trackway to Normandykes.

Name

The fort has sometimes been identified with the "Alauna" mentioned in Ptolemy's ''Geography''. Ptolemy placed Alauna in the area occupied by the

Damnonii The Damnonii (also referred to as Damnii) were a Brittonic people of the late 2nd century who lived in what became the Kingdom of Strathclyde by the Early Middle Ages, and is now southern Scotland. They are mentioned briefly in Ptolemy's ''Geo ...

tribe, and the name may be associated with the

River Allan The Allan Water ( gd, Uisge Alain) is a river in central Scotland. Rising in the Ochil Hills, it runs through Strathallan to Dunblane and Bridge of Allan before joining the River Forth. It is liable to cause floods in lower Bridge of Allan. ...

which flows about to the south of the fort. However the identification of Ardoch with Alauna is considered tentative.Michael Grant, (1986), ''A Guide to the Ancient World: A Dictionary of Classical Place Names'', page 19. H.W. Wilson.

Later history

The site was reused in the medieval period when a

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

was built near the centre of the fort.L. J. F. Keppie (2004), ''The legacy of Rome: Scotland's Roman remains'', page 163. John Donald. The remains of the graveyard enclosure and the site of the chapel are the only archaeological remains which are visible within the fort. A

hoard A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...

of Roman

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

coins was found north of Ardoch in 1671. At that time, Lord Drummond wrote that the ditches were deep enough to hide a man on horseback. Other trenches to the northeast had been damaged by cultivation against his grandfather's orders. In 1726 Alexander Gordon claimed that at Ardoch Roman Fort a subterranean passage was said to run from the fort, under the River Tay to the fort or 'Keir' on Grinnin Hill. This tunnel was said to contain a great deal of treasure. Ardoch was visited by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

and

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

in 1842, although only Albert investigated the earthworks, Victoria preferred to remain in their carriage.

Ownership and access

Ardoch Roman Fort is part of the Ardoch estate, and is in private ownership, although access is allowed at reasonable times. To the north, the earthwork remains of two Roman marching camps, known as

Black Hill Roman Camps Black Hill Roman Camps are two Roman camps that are part of an extensive complex of Roman military sites centred around the fort at Ardoch, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. They were built during the re-conquest of Scotland by the emperor Septimius ...

, are in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

References

External links