Excavation

Date 1902 - 1905

Event ID 1032990

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1032990

NS77NW 8 NS 70746 75926 Roman Fort (R) Well (R)

OS 6" map (1968)

In 1895 an altar to Silvanus, believed to have come from a small shrine outside the fort, was discovered on Bar Hill. The altar, now lodged in the Hunterian Musem, Glasgow, is 3 feet in height, and a translation of its inscription reads: "Erected to the God Silvanus by Caristanius Iustianus, praefect of the first cohort of Hamii, in willing payment of a vow." This cohort of archers was stationed at Carvoran in A.D.135 or 136. In the same year a plough struck three large stones, which could have formed part of the W gateway or some associated building. Thorough excavtions were carried out during 1903-4, organised by Mr. Whitelaw of Gartshore. Within the second century camp of Lollius Urbicus, which measures 399 feet by 393 feet, an almost perfect square surrounded by a rampart composed of sods, a smaller first century camp measuring 191 feet by 160 feet is to be seen. This latter construction may have been carried out by Agricola.

Within the camp are latrines, 'rows of post-holes' which may be an indication of the quarters of the soldiers, and also heating apparatus which would have been utilised for then baths. A well nearby yielded many artefacts, including a bag containing workmen's tools, many shoes and sandals, a wooden comb, piece of rope, arrow-heads, 'some 60 linear ft. of pillars,' one of which has a carved capital, and two stones bearing inscriptions indicating that auxiliaries form Lower Germany were manning the fort. Additionally there was a good deal of pottery, ballista balls, a copper pot, a bell, a compass leg, four 'rude stone busts,' walnuts, hazel nuts, oyster shells, 'bones and skeleton heads of the short-horned Celtic ox and a few coins. These coins supported the theory that the 'vallum was abandoned in the reign of Commodus.' There were also thirteen denarii, which were dicovered to be made out of tin and consequently not actual money, merely tokens for 'devotional purposes.'

Rel and Illust Arch 12 1906.

The Antonine fort on the summit of Bar Hill, 495' (148) OD, measured 369' (112.5m) N-S by 375' (114.3m) internally, giving an area of 3.18 acres (1.29 hectares). It was defended by a turf rampart 12' wide at the base, and by two ditches on the E, S and W sides, but only one ditch on the N side. The two W ditches, the rounded NW corner and a culvert piercing the N rampart, E of the NW corner, may all still be seen, despite the undergrowth of the wood.

It was excavated by Macdonald and Park from 1902-5; inside the fort were found the remains of the Headquarters building, a granary and another stone building, all in the central block, besides a bath-house inside the NW angle, and also a water tank, streets, postholes of wooden barrack blocks (many with the stumps of posts still in them), and several pits. The most impressive of all the structural remains were those of the well, in the courtyard of the Headquarters building. It was 43' deep and 4' in diameter, and was steined or "cradled" all the way down with shaped stones. Original Roman stones from the well have been used to rebuild the present well-mouth. A very great number of small finds were made, particularly in the well. They are fully described by A S Robertson, M Scott and L Keppie (1975).