Deers Den is an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...

Kintore, Scotland Kintore (; Gaelic: ''Ceann Tòrr'') is a town and former royal burgh near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, now bypassed by the A96 road between Aberdeen and Inverness. It is situated on the banks of the River Don. Nearby are the remains ...

in Aberdeenshire. The site has mesolithic remains,

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

artefacts and is a known

Roman Camp 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 ...

History

The area includes evidence of settlement dating back to the

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 ...

, with at least seven roundhouses, likely to date from the

, up to the time of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

. Subsequently, the area would have been used as a Roman marching camp, and has associations with the

Severan The Severan dynasty was a Roman imperial dynasty that ruled the Roman Empire between 193 and 235, during the Roman imperial period. The dynasty was founded by the emperor Septimius Severus (), who rose to power after the Year of the Five Empero ...

invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity aggressively enter territory (country subdivision), territory owned by another such entity, gen ...

, ca 200 CE.Aberdeenshire Council: Recent Archaeological Work at Deers Den
The marching camp would have been large enough for 10,000 troops to rest. Excavations in the area have found 44 bread ovens and 20 separate buildings over the area. The excavation of 44 bread ovens is the largest number of Roman bread ovens found in one location in the UK. They would have been open flat breads topped with vegetables, similar to modern pizzas. The archaeological discoveries of the area came about due to a proposed housing development in about 2003. The roundhouses became

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 ...

s on 30 March 2009, under

Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...

Location and features

There are

ring ditch In archaeology, a ring ditch is a trench of circular or penannular plan, cut into bedrock. They are usually identified through aerial photography either as soil marks or cropmarks. When excavated, ring ditches are usually found to be the ploughed� ...

houses in the area, dating to the Bronze age, somewhere in the range of 1600 - 700 BCE. The scheduled monument roundhouses are located near the

A96 road The A96 is a major road in the north of Scotland. It runs generally west/north-west from Aberdeen, bypassing Blackburn, Kintore, Inverurie, Huntly, Fochabers and Forres, and running through Keith, Elgin and Nairn. The road terminates at the ...

, to the west of the River Don. They are not directly visible, but instead show through

cropmarks Cropmarks or crop marks are a means through which sub-surface archaeological, natural and recent features may be visible from the air or a vantage point on higher ground or a temporary platform. Such marks, along with parch marks, soil marks a ...

visible from the air. Two further roundhouses were likely demolished by the creation of the A96. It is likely there are burial grounds nearby. The site covers a total of site is partially disturbed and developed by the western part of Kintore itself.

References

Cook, M and Dunbar, L Rituals, Roundhouses and Romans: Excavations at Kinore 2000-2006, Volume 1, Forest Road. Edinburgh. {{coord, 57, 14, 08, N, 2, 21, 17, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title History of Aberdeenshire Buildings and structures in Aberdeenshire Archaeological sites in Aberdeenshire Roman fortified camps in Scotland Scheduled monuments in Scotland Kintore, Aberdeenshire

History

Location and features

See also

References