![Gask Ridge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Gask_Ridge.jpg)
The Gask Ridge is the modern name given to an early series of
fortifications
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, built by the
Romans
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 ...
in
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 ...
, close to the
Highland Line. Modern excavation and interpretation has been pioneered by the Roman Gask Project, with
Birgitta Hoffmann
Birgitta Hoffmann (born 18 May 1969) is an archaeologist and adult education teacher. Her research covers the Roman military, especially the Roman frontiers and ancient glass and beads of the first millennium AD.
Education and career
Hoffmann stu ...
and David Woolliscroft. The ridge fortifications: forts, fortlets and watchtowers were only in operation for a few years, probably less than ten.
Name
The name "Gask Ridge" refers to the ridge of land to the north of the
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 ...
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, ...
. In
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...
, a ''gasg'' is a projecting tail or strip of land. In the early 20th century, a line of Roman signal-towers (or watch-towers) was discovered along this ridge between the Roman forts of
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 ...
and
Bertha
Bertha is a female Germanic name, from Old High German ''berhta'' meaning "bright one". It was usually a short form of Anglo Saxon names ''Beorhtgifu'' meaning "bright gift" or ''Beorhtwynn'' meaning "bright joy".
The name occurs as a theonym, s ...
.
History
The Gask Ridge system was constructed sometime between 70 and 80 AD. Construction on
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. R ...
was started 42 years after completion of the Gask Ridge (from 122 to 130 AD), and the
Antonine Wall
The Antonine Wall, known to the Romans as ''Vallum Antonini'', was a turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Built some twe ...
was started 12 years after completion of Hadrian's Wall (from 142 to 144 AD). Although the Gask Ridge was not a wall, it may be Rome's earliest fortified land frontier. The fortifications approximately follow the boundary between Scotland's fertile
Lowlands
Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland.
Definitions
Upland and lowland are portions of p ...
and mountainous
Highlands
Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau.
Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to:
Places Albania
* Dukagjin Highlands
Armenia
* Armenian Highlands
Australia
*Sou ...
, in
Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross ( sco, Pairth an Kinross; gd, Peairt agus Ceann Rois) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Highland and S ...
and
Angus
Angus may refer to:
Media
* ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film
* ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record''
Places Australia
* Angus, New South Wales
Canada
* Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario
* East Angus, Quebec
Scotland
* An ...
. The later Hadrian's Wall and Antonine Wall were further south and considerably shorter.
![Ardoch Roman Fort - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Ardoch_Roman_Fort_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1981385.jpg)
The principal forts of the Gask Ridge frontier system were (from south to north):
Camelon
Camelon (; sco, Caimlan, gd, Camlann)
is a large set ...
,
Drumquhassle
Drumquhassle was a Roman fort associated with the Gask Ridge in Scotland. It was found from aerial photography in the late 1970s. The name selected for the fort deliberately made it hard for English born readers to pronounce. The fort was from t ...
,
Malling,
Doune
Doune (; from Scottish Gaelic: ''An Dùn'', meaning 'the fort') is a burgh within Perthshire. The town is administered by Stirling Council. Doune is assigned Falkirk postcodes starting "FK". The village lies within the parish of Kilmadock and mai ...
,
Glenbank
Glenbank was the site of a Castellum, Roman fortlet associated with the Gask Ridge in Scotland. It was discovered from aerial photography by G. S. Maxwell in 1983. It was confirmed by geophysics and excavations which were carried out in 1984 and ...
(fortlet), Bochastle,
Ardoch, Kaims Castle (fortlet),
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 ...
, Dalginross,
Bertha
Bertha is a female Germanic name, from Old High German ''berhta'' meaning "bright one". It was usually a short form of Anglo Saxon names ''Beorhtgifu'' meaning "bright gift" or ''Beorhtwynn'' meaning "bright joy".
The name occurs as a theonym, s ...
, Fendoch, Cargill (fort and fortlet),
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 ...
(
Legionary
The Roman legionary (in Latin ''legionarius'', plural ''legionarii'') was a professional heavy infantryman of the Roman army after the Marian reforms. These soldiers would conquer and defend the territories of ancient Rome during the late Republi ...
fortress), Cardean,
Inverquharity
Inverquharity is a Roman fortlet in Scotland, close to the Highland Line about north of Kirriemuir, Angus.
Although very little archaeological work has taken place, it is assumed that Inverquharity forms part of the Roman occupation during the ...
(fortlet) and
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 ...
.
Glenblocker forts
The forts of Drumquhassle, Menteith/Malling, Bochastle, Doune, Dalginross and Fendoch in the south-west were collectively referred to as glenblocker forts in the older literature; they are also called the Highland line forts. ''Glenblocker'' describes their location at the exit of some of the glens.
All of the forts were originally built during the
Flavian Flavian may refer to:
* A member of the Flavian dynasty of Roman emperors, during the late 1st century AD, or their works
* Flavian Zeija, a Ugandan lawyer, academic and judge. Principal Judge of Uganda, since December 2019.
* A person named Flavian ...
occupation in Scotland. A broader group consists of
*
Drumquhassle
Drumquhassle was a Roman fort associated with the Gask Ridge in Scotland. It was found from aerial photography in the late 1970s. The name selected for the fort deliberately made it hard for English born readers to pronounce. The fort was from t ...
(near
Drymen
Drymen (; from gd, Druiminn ) is a village in the Stirling district of central Scotland. Once a popular stopping place for cattle drovers, it is now popular with visiting tourists given its location near Loch Lomond. The village is centred arou ...
), overlooking the southern end of Loch Lomond and the road back to the Clyde)
*
Malling (on the Lake of Menteith, overlooking the access to the
Duke's Pass
Duke's Pass or Dukes Pass is a pass on the A821 road (Great Britain), A821 road between Aberfoyle, Stirling, Aberfoyle and Brig o' Turk in the glen of the Trossachs in the Scottish Highlands. It climbs to a height of above sea level.Ordnance Sur ...
and a narrow point between the mountains and the Forth Mosses)
* Bochastle (near
Callander
Callander (; gd, Calasraid) is a small town in the council area of Stirling, Scotland, situated on the River Teith. The town is located in the historic county of Perthshire and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands.
The town ser ...
), overlooking the road to
Loch Katrine
Loch Katrine (; or ) is a freshwater loch in the Trossachs area of the Scottish Highlands, east of Loch Lomond, within the historic county and registration county of Perthshire and the contemporary district of Stirling. The loch is about lon ...
and the Pass of Leny
* Dalginross (near Comrie) overlooking the Eastern end of
Loch Earn
Loch Earn (Scottish Gaelic language, Scottish Gaelic, ''Loch Eire/Loch Éireann'') is a freshwater loch in the southern Scottish Highlands, highlands of Scotland, in the districts of Perth and Kinross and Stirling (council area), Stirling.
Th ...
* Fendoch (north of Crieff) overlooking the Sma' Glen
*
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 ...
(below
Dunkeld
Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...
) The legionary fortress at the mouth of Strath Tay, guarding the main roads to Inverness
*
Inverquharity
Inverquharity is a Roman fortlet in Scotland, close to the Highland Line about north of Kirriemuir, Angus.
Although very little archaeological work has taken place, it is assumed that Inverquharity forms part of the Roman occupation during the ...
(near Kirriemuir) a fortlet-sized station at the east end of Glen Clova
Cardean,
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 ...
and Doune are sited further away from their respective traffic corridors, although fulfilling the same function.
Role
It has traditionally been thought that these forts were meant to prevent invasions out of the Scottish Highlands into Roman-held territory. This may have been the intention, in cooperation with the other forts on the Gask Ridge and along
Strathmore, as only the legionary fortress of
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 ...
with 5,000–6,000 soldiers would have been strong enough to deal with a major incursion. The smaller forts were more likely to serve as a disincentive to small-scale raiding parties.
The relationship between the Glenblocker forts and the Gask Ridge has in the past been seen as a staged withdrawal. Recent research suggests that the three elements are part of the same frontier system, stretching roughly from Loch Lomond to Montrose. In this hypothesis, the Glenblocker forts controlled access to valleys in the frontier area, which loop back into the frontier, rather than link with the Iron Age settlements further north. Their value as a block to invasion is doubtful, as their situation would have allowed supervision but they lacked the manpower to deter anything but cattle rustling.
Only the legionary fortress at
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 ...
, conveniently situated for access into
Braemar
Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee sitting at an elevation of .
The Gaelic ''Bràigh Mhàrr'' prop ...
and its hinterland, is large enough to have functioned as a defensive fortification or a jumping-off point for an invasion. The Gask Road and the towers alongside it in this hypothesis guarded the strategically important link to the harbours at the Firths of Tay and Forth and the southern part of the province.
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars.
The surviving portions of his t ...
writes in ''
De vita Iulii Agricolae
The ''Agricola'' (Latin: ''De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae'', lit. On the life and character of Julius Agricola) is a book by the Roman writer, Tacitus, written c. AD 98. The work recounts the life of his father-in-law Gnaeus Julius Agricola ...
'' that
Agricola
Agricola, the Latin word for farmer, may also refer to:
People Cognomen or given name
:''In chronological order''
* Gnaeus Julius Agricola (40–93), Roman governor of Britannia (AD 77–85)
* Sextus Calpurnius Agricola, Roman governor of the mid ...
was fighting in the area in around 80 AD; the latest coinage dates from 86 AD. This would suggest that the forts were occupied for six years at most. Recent archaeology has shown that many of the forts on the Gask Ridge were rebuilt, sometimes twice, without evidence of destruction through warfare. Further digs may cast some light on this apparent contradiction.
The forts of
Ardoch,
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 ...
and
Bertha
Bertha is a female Germanic name, from Old High German ''berhta'' meaning "bright one". It was usually a short form of Anglo Saxon names ''Beorhtgifu'' meaning "bright gift" or ''Beorhtwynn'' meaning "bright joy".
The name occurs as a theonym, s ...
on the Gask Road, as well as the forts of Cargill in Strathmore and the glenblocker fort of Dalginross have also produced
Antonine material attesting to a reuse of the sites contemporary with the
Antonine Wall
The Antonine Wall, known to the Romans as ''Vallum Antonini'', was a turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Built some twe ...
. In 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 ...
period the army passed through the area, and several camps across Scotland are dated to this period (for example, Kair House in Aberdeenshire and the fort at
Carpow Roman Fort which is on the Firth of Tay.
North of the Gask Ridge
The permanent sites are complemented by a series of large marching camps (large camps date to the 3rd century) from the Scottish Lowlands into Aberdeenshire and Moray. The Roman legions in the 1st century established a chain of forts at
Ardoch,
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 ...
(which is unlikely to date from the same period as the Gask sites),
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 ...
and
Raedykes
Raedykes is the site of a Roman marching camp located just over northwest of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. National Grid Reference NO 842902. It is designated as a scheduled monument. A marching camp was a temporary camp used mainly for ...
, taking the Elsick Mounth on the way to
Normandykes
Normandykes (Grid Reference: NO 830994) is the site of a Roman marching camp to the southwest of Peterculter, City of Aberdeen, Scotland. The near-rectangular site, measuring approximately , covers about of the summit and eastern slopes of a hi ...
, before going north to Glenmaillen and Auchinhove. Unconfirmed sites of possible Roman forts have also been found at
Bellie
Bellie is a locality in Moray, Scotland.
Little survives of the old parish church at Bellie, located 2 miles north of Fochabers, although its Kirkyard, graveyard is preserved. There is a Bellie Kirk in Fochabers, which replaced the old church in ...
,
Balnageith and
Cawdor
Cawdor ( gd, Caladair) is a village and parish in the Highland council area, Scotland. The village is south-southwest of Nairn and east of Inverness. The village is in the Historic County of Nairnshire.
History
The village is the location of ...
.
In the 1990s researchers discovered new possible Roman fortifications north of Inverness and the Moray Firth. The most important are Tarradale and Portmahomack. These are being studied by
to verify that they are Roman.
Portmahomack
/ref> Several chronological reconstructions of their role have been made.
See also
* Hadrianic Society
The Hadrianic Society was a British historical society focused upon Hadrian's Wall and Roman Britain as well as the Antonine Wall, the Gask Ridge, and other Limes (Roman Empire), Roman Frontier systems.
It was founded in 1971 under the leaders ...
* Birgitta Hoffmann
Birgitta Hoffmann (born 18 May 1969) is an archaeologist and adult education teacher. Her research covers the Roman military, especially the Roman frontiers and ancient glass and beads of the first millennium AD.
Education and career
Hoffmann stu ...
* Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered was ...
* Roman Scotland
Scotland during the Roman Empire refers to the protohistorical period during which the Roman Empire interacted with the area that is now Scotland. Despite sporadic attempts at conquest and government between the 1st and 4th centuries AD, most ...
References
Bibliography
* Breeze, D. ''Northern Frontiers of Roman Britain'' (1982)
* Breeze, D. Roman Scotland'' (2007)
* Hanson William, G.Maxwell. ''Rome's North-west Frontier: The Antonine Wall'' (1986)
* Hanson, William S. "The Roman Presence: Brief Interludes", in Edwards, Kevin J. & Ralston, Ian B. M. (Eds) (2003) ''Scotland After the Ice Age: Environment, Archaeology and History, 8000 BC – AD 1000''. Edinburgh. Edinburgh University Press.
* Hanson, William S. ''Roman Campaigns North of the Forth-Clyde Isthmus: The Evidence of the Temporary Camps'', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, vol. 109 142, 145 Edinburgh, 1980.
* Macdonald, G. (1916) ''The Roman Camps at Raedykes and Glenmailen'', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, vol. 50 348–359
* Maxwell, G. S. (1980) ''Agricola's Campaigns: The Evidence of the Temporary Camps'', Scot Archaeol Forum, vol. 12, 34, 35, 40, 41
* Moffat, Alistair (2005) ''Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History''. London. Thames & Hudson.
* Pitts, L. ''Inchtuthil. The Roman Legionary Fortress''. Britannia Monograph Series 6 (1985)
* Robertson, A. S. (1976) ''Agricola's Campaigns in Scotland and their Aftermath'', Scot Archaeol Forum, vol. 7 4
* St Joseph, J. K. (1951) ''Air Reconnaissance of North Britain'', J Roman Stud, vol. 41 65
* Woolliscroft, D. and Hoffmann, B. ''The First Frontier. Rome in the North of Scotland'' (Stroud: Tempus 2006)
External links
The Roman Gask Project
at www.romanbritain.org
Britannia-The Roman army and navy in Britain 55BC -410AD
Photo of Bochastle
- a glen blocker fort
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century
Archaeological sites in Angus, Scotland
Archaeological sites in Perth and Kinross
History of Perth and Kinross
Roman fortifications in Scotland
Roman signal towers in Scotland
1st-century fortifications