| The Gask Ridge |
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The forts along the road from Ardoch to Bertha (mentioned above) provide evidence for two structural periods. The first phase may have been under Agricola, then the sites were abandoned for a short time (troops moved to the glen-blocking forts), but with the retreat from Inchtuthil these forts were probably re-occupied for a second time and it seems likely that the first real frontier line of the Roman Empire, the Gask Ridge was now established. Between the forts of Ardoch, Strageath and Bertha 15 timber towers are known and like on the Wetterau Limes in Germany this is the indication for a working frontier line (compare to the Stanegate). The towers were pretty close together so that they had to be watch towers (no signal towers). The average distance between the towers along the best known stretch from Strageath to Bertha (11 towers are known) was 1 km to 1,5 km and they could easily oversee a cleared strip of land inbetween. The timber towers were about 3 m square, surrounded by a rectangular rampart and a circular ditch. The pit holes suggest that the towers were at least two storeys high. Between Ardoch and Strageath the system is not completely known, especially between the fortlet Kaims Castle and Strageath there is a lack of watch towers.
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Aerail photography suggests that the system can be extended in both directions, south of Ardoch there seems to be another fortlet and east of the tower Westmuir another tower is suggested. Although the location of the frontier is not obvious immediatly it is located to control the movement accross the Strathearn and possibly the line should even protect the fertile territory of philo-Roman Venicones (probably pro-Roman and wealthy area). But the Flavian installations along that line again were only a very short time occupied. Samian ware suggests an abandonment of all Roman sites north of Newstead after AD 90. (compare with Roman Gask Project) |
| Anyway the evidence for the chronology of the Flavian installations in Scotland along the Forth-Clyde isthmus and especially north of the isthmus is far from clear. The glen-blocking forts providing evidence for only one Flavian occupation seem to fit inbetween the „two occupations" of the forts of Ardoch, Strageath and Bertha. But as discussed for the Antonine occupations two structural phases do not necessarily indicate two different periods. Actually there is no certain evidence for an occupation North of Newstead after AD 86. Samian ware can not be dated this exactly and in the towers along the Gask Ridge only two pieces of pottery were found. Hence it may be possible that the installations of the Gask Ridge are of earlier Flavian date (arround AD 80) and all sites north of the isthmus were abandoned by AD 87. |
Ardoch |
The Gask Ridge |
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