Archaeology Notes
Event ID 855554
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/855554
NN81NE 2.00 8980 1800
NN81NE 2.01 8964 1802 Annexes
NN81NE 2.02 8958 1807 Enclosure
NN81NE 2.03 8963 1831 Cropmarks; Enclosures (possible)
NN81NE 2.04 897 190 Flint Blade
Not to be confused with Roman temporary camp at Strageath Cottage (centred NN 8904 1803), for which see NN81NE 16.
(NN 898 180) Strageath (NAT) Roman Fort (R)
Annotation on (undated) OS map.
Identified by Richmond with the Victoria of Ptolemy's Geography. A two-period site, one probably Antonine.
I A Richmond 1958
The ramparts of the fort have been nearly levelled by cultivation. On the level ground west of the fort Roy's plan and Crawford's air-photo show a number of banks which cannot now be reduced to any order. They may represent the defences of an earlier fort that was, as in other cases, superseded by a smaller one. The recorded finds consist of part of an amphora and an axe. In National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland [NMAS] (Accession no: FT 20,21).
O G S Crawford 1949
The complicated ditch-system was revealed by air photography in 1957.
J K St Joseph 1958
Part of the west and south sides of the earlier fort can be traced. The inner rampart of the second period fort can also be traced, as a spread bank, best preserved at the SE corner where it is 23.0m wide x 0.7m high. Nothing further can be established from the numerous cropmarks and slight banks visible on AP's and on the ground. The axe and amphora are still in the NMAS.
Resurveyed at 1/2500.
Visited by OS (RD) 17 May 1967
A mortarium fragment found within the fort has been dated to the 2nd century by Dr Anne Robertson.This is thought to be the first datable find from the site. It is in the Hunterian Museum.
D M Lye 1970
In the final season of this fourteen-year excavation three trenches were dug, one to determine the successive building-lines on the south edge of the retentura and one each across the blocks in the central range north and south of the principia
(i) In the Flavian period (a) north of the principia nine equal-sized rooms and a tenth containing a latrine pit are thought to represent an accommodation block behind the praetorium (b) South of the principia lay a hospital and other building aligned E-W. Beyond the intervallum road lay an ascensus of turf. (c) In the retentura the centurion's quarters in Barrack X were defined: unlike those at the other side of the retentura this block was not detached from the contubernia.
(ii) In the Antonine I fort (a) north of the principia a store-building ran N-S with rooms each side of a central partition: clay sling bullets were found scattered in the southern end of the building. (b) South of the principia a number of irregularly-disposed rooms are thought to represent the rear of a praetorium 31m wide. Several had gravel floors, allowing the widths of partition-walls of clay and timber to be defined. (c) in the retentura the centurion's block of barrack X was defined, beyond which ran a large plank-lined drain along the inner edge of the via sagularis.
(iii) In the Antonine II fort (a) north of the principia the area was again occupied by the rear range of the praetorium; this was 31.4m wide with two ranges of rooms aligned E-W separated by a courtyard 7.6m wide. (b) South of the principia lay four buildings aligned E-W, beyond which a substantial stone drain cut through the via sagularis obliquely towards the south-east. (c) In the retentura the south end of Building IX, previously thought to be a store-building, was found divided into a number of small rooms suitable for a centurion's quarters. Beyond these the via sagularis was less than 2m wide, having been encroached upon by a masonry bath-building unexpectedly found to be occupying the intervallum space. The bath-building was 6.48m wide (its other side, encroaching on the back of the south rampart), and 24.31m long. The heated rooms were at the east end with a sub-floor of substantial boulders set in clay. No tiles had been used in the building which had been thoroughly demolished. The amount of stiff red clay overlying the remains suggests that the upper walling was substantially of this material. Although in use in Antonine II, the baths were possibly constructed during the Antonine I occupation.
S S Frere 1987
Scheduled (with NN81NE 2.01 and NN81NE 38 ) as Strageath Mains, Roman fort, annexe and field system.
Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 3 July 2000.
Roman artefacts NN 90 18 Copper-alloy objects found to the N and NE of the Roman fort (NN81NE 2) include a number of Roman items. Key among these are two fragments of cavalry harness strap junction loops, a sword hilt guard of Piggott Group IV A, and a projecting disc-headed pin with enamelled head.
Claimed as Treasure Trove (TT.26/05) and allocated to NMS.
F Hunter 2005
