Ardoch Roman Fort, ancient site in Perth and Kinross

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What is recorded here

Ardoch Roman Fort near Braco preserves an unusually clear group of Roman banks and ditches. Two forts overlap here, while at least six temporary marching camps and a signal tower spread to the north and north-east. Together they show repeated Roman military use of this route rather than one short stay.

Who made it and when

Roman soldiers built and rebuilt the military works at Ardoch. The earlier fort is thought to belong to the first-century campaigns led by the governor Agricola, though that link is not certain. A later fort was fitted inside two older outer ditches, creating the complicated set of overlapping defences visible today.

How it was made and used

The permanent forts were defended by broad earthen banks and repeated ditches; on the later fort, five ditches guarded both the east and north sides. Ardoch also belonged to a north-to-south line of Roman stopping places spaced roughly one day's march apart, linking it with Strageath, Inchtuthil, Battledykes, Stracathro and Raedykes.

What was found

Study of the ground has identified two intersecting forts, a large outer area to the north, a watch or signal tower, and at least six overlapping marching camps farther north and north-east. The overlaps matter because they show that troops returned, altered the layout and camped here during more than one phase of Roman movement.

What remains

Most of Ardoch survives as grass-covered banks, hollows and ditches rather than standing stone buildings. Their sharp shape makes this one of the best-preserved groups of Roman military earthworks in Britain. Inside the fort are also the enclosure of a later burial ground and the site of a medieval chapel built after Roman use had ended.

Why it mattered

Ardoch helped Roman forces move, camp and communicate along the Gask Ridge route. Its unusual survival lets the visitor read several periods of military planning in the ground: temporary camps, a signalling point and forts that cut across one another. It therefore records repeated attempts to control travel through this part of Scotland.