The depression in the centre of this view at Balmuildy is believed to be the remains of a Roman ditch protecting the Antonine Wall, which stood on the raised ground to the left.
The invading Roman legions built the Antonine Wall c 138 AD, from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde, to protect the Romanised regions to the south from the unconquered tribes of to the north. The wall was built of turf with timber ramparts, and a fort at Balmuildy (erected by the 2nd Augusta Legion) was one of only two stone fortifications on the wall.
Balmuildy Fort followed the traditional layout of Roman forts, with the commander's house, the headquarters building, the workshops and the granaries in the centre, surrounded by the barrack blocks. Multiple ditches provided added protection to the stone walls. The fort site was excavated in 1902 and finds are now in the Hunterian Museum.
Reference: 6727
Reproduced with the permission of the West of Scotland Archaeology Service
Keywords:
2nd Augusta Legion, Antonine Wall, archaeology, Balmuildy Fort, ditches, Hunterian Museum, Roman Empire, Roman forts, Roman legions, Romans
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