Gask Ridge
Encyclopedia
The Gask Ridge is the modern name given to an early series of fortifications
, built by the Roman
s in Scotland
, close to the Highland Line
.
in Perthshire
. In Scottish Gaelic, a gasg is a projecting tail or strip of land. In the early 20th century, a line of Roman signal-towers (or watch-towers) was discovered along this ridge between the Roman forts of Strageath
and Bertha
.
and 80
CE. Construction on Hadrian's Wall
was started 42 years after completion of the Gask Ridge (from 122
to 130
CE), and the Antonine Wall
was started just 12 years after completion of Hadrian's Wall (from 142
to 144
CE). Although the Gask Ridge was not a wall, it may be Rome's earliest fortified land frontier. The fortifications approximately follow the boundary between Scotland's fertile Lowlands
and mountainous Highlands
, in Perth and Kinross
and Angus
. The later Hadrian's Wall
and Antonine Wall
were further south, and, by taking advantage of the heavily indented coastline of Great Britain
, were considerably shorter.
The principal forts of the Gask Ridge frontier system were (from south to north): Camelon
, Drumquhassle, Malling/Menteith, Doune
, Glenbank (fortlet), Bochastle, Ardoch, Kaims Castle (fortlet), Strageath
, Dalginross, Bertha
, Fendoch, Cargill (fort and fortlet), Inchtuthil
(Legionary
fortress), Cardean, Inverquharity
(fortlet), and Stracathro
.
The forts of Drumquhassle, Menteith/Malling, Bochastle, Doune, Dalginross and Fendoch in the southwest are collectively referred to as the Glenblocker fort
s in the older literature. This is due to their location at the exit of some of the glens or directly opposite them. The relationship between the Glenblocker forts and the Gask Ridge has in the past been seen to represent a staged withdrawal. More recent research suggests that the three elements are actually part of the same frontier system, stretching roughly from Loch Lomond to Montrose. The Glenblocker forts in this scenario control access to major valleys in the frontier area, which actually loop back into the frontier area, rather than link to the Iron Age settlement concentration further north). Their role as an effective block to invasion is doubtful, as their situation would have allowed supervision, but their manpower is not strong enough to deter anything but small scale cattle raids.
Only the legionary fortress at Inchtuthil
, conveniently situated for access into Braemar and the areas beyond, is large enough to function as a major deterrent or springboard for future invasions. The Gask Road and the towers alongside it in this scenario guard the strategically important link to the harbours at the Firths of Tay and Forth and the Southern part of the province.
Tacitus
writes in De vita Iulii Agricolae that Agricola
was fighting in the area in around 80
CE. The latest coinage dates from 86
CE. This would suggest that the forts were occupied for at most 6 years. However, recent archaeology has shown that many of the forts comprising the Gask Ridge were rebuilt over time, sometimes twice, without any evidence of destruction through warfare. Further digs may cast some light on this apparent contradiction.
The forts of Ardoch, Strageath
and Bertha
on the Gask Road, as well as the forts of Cargill in Strathmore and the Glenblocker fort of Dalginross have also produced Antonine
material attesting to a reuse of the sites contemporary with the Antonine Wall
.
In the Severan
period the area was also under Roman occupation, which focused on the Legionary fortress of Carpow
downstream from Perth.
area (where there are possible Roman forts like Cawdor
). The Roman legions in the first century established a chain of very large forts at Ardoch, Strageath
, Inchtuthil
, Battledykes
, Stracathro
and Raedykes
, taking the Elsick Mounth on the way to Normandykes
, before going north to Glenmaillen, Bellie, Balnageith and Cawdor.
In the 1990s researchers have discovered new possible Roman Fortifications north of Inverness and the Moray Firth. The most important are Tarradale and Portmahomack. These are still being studied by RCAHMS in order to verify that they are really Roman structures. Several reconstructions of their chronological role exist at present.
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
, built by the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
s in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, close to the Highland Line
Highland Boundary Fault
The Highland Boundary Fault is a geological fault that traverses Scotland from Arran and Helensburgh on the west coast to Stonehaven in the east...
.
Name
The name "Gask Ridge" refers to the 10 miles (16.1 km) ridge of land to the north of the River EarnRiver Earn
The River Earn in Scotland leaves Loch Earn at St Fillans and runs east through Strathearn, then east and south, joining the River Tay near Abernethy. The Earn is about long. It passes by Comrie, Crieff and Bridge of Earn....
in Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
. In Scottish Gaelic, a gasg is a projecting tail or strip of land. In the early 20th century, a line of Roman signal-towers (or watch-towers) was discovered along this ridge between the Roman forts of Strageath
Strageath
Strageath is a Roman camp near the River Earn in eastern Scotland. Strageath was one of a chain of camps that the Romans used in their march northward. Other notable camps in this chain are Ardoch, Battledykes, Stracathro, Raedykes and Normandykes....
and Bertha
Bertha (Perth)
Bertha was a Roman fortress north of the site of modern Perth, in Scotland at the confluence of the rivers Almond and Tay. It is half a mile east of the modern farm of "Berthapark".One source contradicts the view that Perth was a corruption of the fort's name...
.
History
The Gask Ridge system was constructed sometime between 7070
Year 70 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Vespasianus...
and 80
80
Year 80 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Domitianus...
CE. Construction on Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
was started 42 years after completion of the Gask Ridge (from 122
122
Year 122 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aviola and Neratius...
to 130
130
Year 130 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Catullinus and Aper...
CE), and the Antonine Wall
Antonine Wall
The Antonine Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. Representing the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire, it spanned approximately 39 miles and was about ten feet ...
was started just 12 years after completion of Hadrian's Wall (from 142
142
Year 142 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Pactumeius and Quadratus...
to 144
144
Year 144 was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rufus and Maximus...
CE). Although the Gask Ridge was not a wall, it may be Rome's earliest fortified land frontier. The fortifications approximately follow the boundary between Scotland's fertile Lowlands
Scottish Lowlands
The Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands ....
and mountainous Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
, in Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross
Perth and Kinross is one of 32 council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee City, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, Argyll and Bute and Highland council areas. Perth is the administrative centre...
and Angus
Angus
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee City...
. The later Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
and Antonine Wall
Antonine Wall
The Antonine Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. Representing the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire, it spanned approximately 39 miles and was about ten feet ...
were further south, and, by taking advantage of the heavily indented coastline of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, were considerably shorter.
The principal forts of the Gask Ridge frontier system were (from south to north): Camelon
Camelon
Camelon is a large settlement within the Falkirk council area, Scotland. The village is in the Forth Valley, west of Falkirk, south of Larbert and east of Bonnybridge...
, Drumquhassle, Malling/Menteith, Doune
Doune
Doune is a burgh in the district of Stirling, Scotland, on the River Teith. Doune's postal address places the town in Perthshire, although geographically it lies within the District of Stirling, and administratively Doune is under the control of Stirling Council...
, Glenbank (fortlet), Bochastle, Ardoch, Kaims Castle (fortlet), Strageath
Strageath
Strageath is a Roman camp near the River Earn in eastern Scotland. Strageath was one of a chain of camps that the Romans used in their march northward. Other notable camps in this chain are Ardoch, Battledykes, Stracathro, Raedykes and Normandykes....
, Dalginross, Bertha
Bertha (Perth)
Bertha was a Roman fortress north of the site of modern Perth, in Scotland at the confluence of the rivers Almond and Tay. It is half a mile east of the modern farm of "Berthapark".One source contradicts the view that Perth was a corruption of the fort's name...
, Fendoch, Cargill (fort and fortlet), Inchtuthil
Inchtuthil
Inchtuthil is the site of a Roman legionary fortress situated on a natural platform overlooking the north bank of the River Tay southwest of Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland.It was built in 82 or 83 AD as the advance headquarters for the forces of governor Gnaeus Julius...
(Legionary
Roman legion
A Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...
fortress), Cardean, Inverquharity
Inverquharity
Inverquharity is a Roman fortlet in Scotland, close to the Highland Line about north of Kirriemuir, Angus.Although very little archaeological work has taken place, it is assumed that Inverquharity forms part of the Roman occupation during the Flavian period; this would mean it was constructed...
(fortlet), and Stracathro
Stracathro
Stracathro is a small place in Angus, Scotland,-Location:Stracathro is located 2½ miles southeast of Edzell in NE Angus. It lies to the northeast of Brechin on the A90.-History:...
.
The forts of Drumquhassle, Menteith/Malling, Bochastle, Doune, Dalginross and Fendoch in the southwest are collectively referred to as the Glenblocker fort
Glenblocker fort
The term, Glenblocker fort, sometimes also called the Highland line fort is used to describe members of a line of Roman forts along the Highland Line in Scotland...
s in the older literature. This is due to their location at the exit of some of the glens or directly opposite them. The relationship between the Glenblocker forts and the Gask Ridge has in the past been seen to represent a staged withdrawal. More recent research suggests that the three elements are actually part of the same frontier system, stretching roughly from Loch Lomond to Montrose. The Glenblocker forts in this scenario control access to major valleys in the frontier area, which actually loop back into the frontier area, rather than link to the Iron Age settlement concentration further north). Their role as an effective block to invasion is doubtful, as their situation would have allowed supervision, but their manpower is not strong enough to deter anything but small scale cattle raids.
Only the legionary fortress at Inchtuthil
Inchtuthil
Inchtuthil is the site of a Roman legionary fortress situated on a natural platform overlooking the north bank of the River Tay southwest of Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland.It was built in 82 or 83 AD as the advance headquarters for the forces of governor Gnaeus Julius...
, conveniently situated for access into Braemar and the areas beyond, is large enough to function as a major deterrent or springboard for future invasions. The Gask Road and the towers alongside it in this scenario guard the strategically important link to the harbours at the Firths of Tay and Forth and the Southern part of the province.
Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
writes in De vita Iulii Agricolae that Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola
Gnaeus Julius Agricola was a Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. His biography, the De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae, was the first published work of his son-in-law, the historian Tacitus, and is the source for most of what is known about him.Born to a noted...
was fighting in the area in around 80
80
Year 80 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Domitianus...
CE. The latest coinage dates from 86
86
Year 86 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Petronianus...
CE. This would suggest that the forts were occupied for at most 6 years. However, recent archaeology has shown that many of the forts comprising the Gask Ridge were rebuilt over time, sometimes twice, without any evidence of destruction through warfare. Further digs may cast some light on this apparent contradiction.
The forts of Ardoch, Strageath
Strageath
Strageath is a Roman camp near the River Earn in eastern Scotland. Strageath was one of a chain of camps that the Romans used in their march northward. Other notable camps in this chain are Ardoch, Battledykes, Stracathro, Raedykes and Normandykes....
and Bertha
Bertha (Perth)
Bertha was a Roman fortress north of the site of modern Perth, in Scotland at the confluence of the rivers Almond and Tay. It is half a mile east of the modern farm of "Berthapark".One source contradicts the view that Perth was a corruption of the fort's name...
on the Gask Road, as well as the forts of Cargill in Strathmore and the Glenblocker fort of Dalginross have also produced Antonine
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
material attesting to a reuse of the sites contemporary with the Antonine Wall
Antonine Wall
The Antonine Wall is a stone and turf fortification built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. Representing the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire, it spanned approximately 39 miles and was about ten feet ...
.
In the Severan
Alexander Severus
Severus Alexander was Roman Emperor from 222 to 235. Alexander was the last emperor of the Severan dynasty. He succeeded his cousin Elagabalus upon the latter's assassination in 222, and was ultimately assassinated himself, marking the epoch event for the Crisis of the Third Century — nearly fifty...
period the area was also under Roman occupation, which focused on the Legionary fortress of Carpow
Carpow
Carpow is a diffuse hamlet in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is situated immediately to the east of the confluence of the River Tay and River Earn, 2 km north east of Abernethy.Carpow is most notable for its archaeological remains...
downstream from Perth.
North of the Gask Ridge
The permanent sites discussed above are complemented by a series of large marching camps stretching from the Scottish Lowlands into Aberdeenshire and the InvernessInverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
area (where there are possible Roman forts like Cawdor
Cawdor (Roman Fort)
Cawdor , located near the small village of Eastern Galcantray , is suspected of being one of the northernmost Roman forts in Great Britain, though this evidence is controversial.-History:...
). The Roman legions in the first century established a chain of very large forts at Ardoch, Strageath
Strageath
Strageath is a Roman camp near the River Earn in eastern Scotland. Strageath was one of a chain of camps that the Romans used in their march northward. Other notable camps in this chain are Ardoch, Battledykes, Stracathro, Raedykes and Normandykes....
, Inchtuthil
Inchtuthil
Inchtuthil is the site of a Roman legionary fortress situated on a natural platform overlooking the north bank of the River Tay southwest of Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland.It was built in 82 or 83 AD as the advance headquarters for the forces of governor Gnaeus Julius...
, Battledykes
Battledykes
Battledykes is a Roman Camp established slightly to the north of Forfar, Scotland. According to Hector Boece, Pictish chiefs met at a castle by Forfar Loch to plan how to repel the Roman armies, who invaded several times between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. Eventually the better equipped Romans...
, Stracathro
Stracathro
Stracathro is a small place in Angus, Scotland,-Location:Stracathro is located 2½ miles southeast of Edzell in NE Angus. It lies to the northeast of Brechin on the A90.-History:...
and Raedykes
Raedykes
Raedykes is the site of a Roman marching camp located just over 3 miles NW of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. National Grid Reference NO 842902...
, taking the Elsick Mounth on the way to Normandykes
Normandykes
Normandykes is the site of a Roman marching camp to the southwest of Peterculter, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The near-rectangular site, measuring approximately , covers about of the summit and eastern slopes of a hill overlooking the River Dee and the B9077 road further south. Aerial photographs...
, before going north to Glenmaillen, Bellie, Balnageith and Cawdor.
In the 1990s researchers have discovered new possible Roman Fortifications north of Inverness and the Moray Firth. The most important are Tarradale and Portmahomack. These are still being studied by RCAHMS in order to verify that they are really Roman structures. Several reconstructions of their chronological role exist at present.