Roman Army Camp Uncovered in Scotland

News May 24, 2019

(Courtesy GUARD Archaeology Limited)
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Scotland Roman Camp
(Courtesy GUARD Archaeology Limited)

AYRSHIRE, SCOTLAND—According to a report in The Herald, evidence of a Roman army marching camp has been found at a construction site in southwest Scotland. Archaeologist Iraia Arabaolaza said the camp may date to the first century A.D., and the victory of Agricola, the Roman governor of Britain, over an army of Caledonians in the Battle of Mons Graupius. It had been previously thought that the Romans only traveled a route further to the east for the invasion. This camp, Arabaolaza explained, would have been strategically located just a day’s march from other Roman camps in the region. Evenly distributed fire pits at the site are thought to have been used for baking bread. “The location of the oven was recognized by the scorching of the subsoil base, stone slabs, and burnt clay fragments, some with wood imprints and with dome molding,” Arabaolaza said. Much of the camp has been destroyed by construction and landscaping projects over the years, she added. To read more about the Roman military in northern Britain, go to "The Wall at the End of the Empire."

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