Carpow () is a diffuse
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
in
Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is situated immediately to the east of the confluence of the
River Tay and
River Earn
, name_etymology =
, image = River Earn at Forteviot.jpg
, image_size = 250px
, image_caption = The River Earn viewed from Forteviot bridge.
, map =
, map_size =
, map_caption ...
, 2 km north east of
Abernethy
Abernethy may refer to:
Places Scotland
* Abernethy, Perth and Kinross, a village
** Abernethy (NBR) railway station, a former railway station in this village
* Nethy Bridge, Highland, a village formerly known as Abernethy
* Abernethy Forest, ...
.
Etymology
The name ''Carpow'' is of
Pictish
Pictish is the extinct Brittonic language spoken by the Picts, the people of eastern and northern Scotland from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Virtually no direct attestations of Pictish remain, short of a limited number of geographica ...
origin.
The first element is ''*cair'', meaning "fort, castle", and the second is ''*pol'', meaning "(sluggish) burn" (c.f.
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
''caer-pwll'').
Archaeology
Carpow is most notable for its archaeological remains.
Mesolithic hunter-gatherers arrived in the area more than 8,000 years ago. Nearby
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...
standing stones and circles followed the introduction of farming from about 4,000 BC, and a remarkably well preserved
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
log boat
A dugout canoe or simply dugout is a boat made from a hollowed tree. Other names for this type of boat are logboat and monoxylon. ''Monoxylon'' (''μονόξυλον'') (pl: ''monoxyla'') is Greek – ''mono-'' (single) + '' ξύλον xylon'' (t ...
dated to around 1,000 BC was found in the
mudflats
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal fl ...
of the River Tay at Carpow.
During
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
times the settlement was the site of a camp and fort, which was made of stone, signalling the intent to stay for an extended period. An early medieval
Picto-Scottish cross fragment once formed part the lintel of a well at Carpow House.
Roman fort
The Roman fort of Carpow was a Roman fortress situated at the confluence of the rivers
Tay and
Earn.
[The site record for the Carpow fort at RCAHMS](_blank)
/ref> The fortress is known to have been occupied from the late second century AD until the early third century AD. The site of the fort has not been comprehensively excavated but it is believed to have served as a naval supply depot for Roman forces in the central lowlands
The Central Lowlands, sometimes called the Midland Valley or Central Valley, is a geologically defined area of relatively low-lying land in southern Scotland. It consists of a rift valley between the Highland Boundary Fault to the north and ...
. Its occupation also coincided with the campaigns of Septimius Severus
Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary suc ...
in the area.
References
External links
Carpow Roman Fort
See also
*Abernethy
Abernethy may refer to:
Places Scotland
* Abernethy, Perth and Kinross, a village
** Abernethy (NBR) railway station, a former railway station in this village
* Nethy Bridge, Highland, a village formerly known as Abernethy
* Abernethy Forest, ...
*Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...
Villages in Perth and Kinross
Archaeological sites in Perth and Kinross
{{AncientRome-stub