Publication Account

Date 2001

Event ID 570438

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/570438

This fort, at 150m above sea level the highest one on the line, was noted by antiquaries at an early stage, some time in the latter part of the 17th century. Between 1902 and 1905 there were extensive excavations undertaken and following this Historic Scotland and its predecessors cleared trees and much undergrowth to make it more possible to understand the earthworks which survived, including some of the refuse pits.The bath-house and headquarters building were reopened during excavations carried out between 1978 and 1982.

The defences of the fort, which had an internal area of 3.2 acres, comprised a turf rampart which measured 3.6m in width at its base and also two ditches on three of the sides and one on the N side. Short detached sections of ditch masked the E and S gates, and at the W gate there was no interruption of the two W ditches. As the Wall did not form any part of the fortifications, the fort possessed rounded corners. A number of features can still be distinguisned today, including the E ditch and a causeway leading to the E gateway, the two ditches on the W, the rounded corner in the NW and also a notable stone-lined culvert which traverses the N rampart, close to the NE corner.

There are a number of features visible within the fort. In the central block are the remains of the headquartes building, constructed of stone, a granary and another building and in the NW angle there can be seen the bath-house. Also discernible are streets, several pits, a water tank, plus posthole from the blocks of wooden barracks ( with post stumps in many of them).

The headquartes building, which held a central position facing on to the via principalis, was almost square, measuring 23.5 by 25.5m.Today only a 'few courses of walling' and the 'foundation cobbling' are visible. Formerly an open courtyard would be traversed initially by the visitor, then a 'covered crosshall,' possessing a dais at the W end. behind this were three offices. The 'shrine of the standards' was probably situated in the cetnre of the range at the rear, where a stone-lined strongbox was discovered 'set into the floor.' A later development during a secondary phase, situated in the W half of the courtyard, was a timber store building. It is now believed that the building's north facade rather than its front courtyard was the location for the stone columns discovered in 1902 in the wellin the courtyard, which constituted one of the earliest finds on the first day excavation took place in 1902. The well, which was 13m deep and had a diameter of 1.2m, had shaped stones 'steining'or 'cradling' it for the whole of its depth. The present well-mouth has been constructed from original Roman stones discovered inside the well, which proved a rich source of artefacts. The finds included an altar as well as 'three fragments of a building inscription, both set up by the First Cohort of Baetasians. additionally there were building stones, more than twenty columns with bases and cpaitals, wooden beams, ballista balls, the iron hoops from the well-bucket, a section of the pulley associated with the well, articles made out of leather, many iron tools and weapons, shells and animal bones, bronze ornaments and thirteen coins. Ten of these were made out of tin, from moulds rather than being struck, and probalby locaaly made to be thrown into the well as offerings.

The 1902-5 excavations confirmed, through the discovery of fragments of bows and also arrowheads, the previously believed presence of the First Cohort of Hamians, who were Syrian archers, attested by the finding of an altar to Silvanus and a tombstone. Building activity by detachments of the Second and Twentieth Legions have also been recorded.

The location of the discovery of the altar to Silvanus, ploughed up in a field, was about 215m NE of the E entrance to the fort. The shrine had probalbly been erected outwith the fort. The existence of 'substantial extra-mural settlement' in the area was indicated by the discovery of many potsherds and also fireplaces.

On the 'forward slope of the hill' was the bath-house, situated just behind the N rampart and close to its NW corner. From the W a series of small rooms would have been entered and it has been observed that there was more than one structural phase involved. There would have been an undressing room, with nearby latrine, then a cold room, followed by a 'small heated range.' It would appear that the 'visible hypocausted apartment' was added at a later date. At the E end of the range was a furnace which a capstone from the stoking passage now marks. At a later date still, presumably after the building had ceased being used for its original function, a small pottery kiln had been inserted into the N side of the furnace room. It would seem that the potter was of a North African background due to the nature of the artefacts produced.

The 1902-5 excavations had indentified a small, underlying enclosure at the very apex of the hill, measuring 1.5 acres within its enclosing ditches, and this was reinvestigated between 1978 and 1982. Turf and hawthorn brushwood had been used deliberately to fill in the ditches. It would seem likely that this feature constituted a small encampment utilised by the men constructing the Wall and its associated installations. On the ground the general outline of this encampment is still visible.

The report of the 1902-5 excavations mentioned a ditch located to the S of the fort, as well as another to the W. Another ditch, to the S of the fort, was revealed by aerial phorography, and excavation undertaken betwwen 1982 and 1984 would suggest that these features represent a small temporary camp.

Anne S. Robertson/Lawrence Keppie 2001.