Excavation

Date 2008

Event ID 578734

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/578734

NN 898 180 The geophysical survey conducted last year (DES 2007, 166) was extended to the W and S to provide a fuller picture of the fort’s surroundings and southern defences. Excavations were opened to investigate a series of large magnetic anomalies to the W of the fort which might represent funerary activity. Instead, the Roman Gask frontier road was found leading W in remarkably good condition through a long ploughed field, with the substructure and much of the original surfacing still extant. Two heavy square flags immediately beside the line may represent altar bases. Additional trenches were dug further to the N to investigate a series of strong magnetic anomalies that had been traced during the geophysical survey right around the northern and north-western parts of the fort. These were suspected hearths, possible signs of vicus and/or industrial activity. In the event they proved to be caused by natural pockets of iron containing glacial sand, although one right-angled gully was uncovered which was probably an old field corner.

Archive: 55 Broadwalk, Pownall Park, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5PL

Funder: Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust

B Hoffmann and D J Woolliscroft (The Roman Gask Project), 2008