Roman roads in Scotland
The Roman roads in Scotland are part of the logistics of the military effort to maintain possession of the land. The road network created by the Roman army made it possible to move troops quickly and to supply the military. Up until the 18th century there was nothing like it north of Hadrian's Wall .
A Roman trunk road led in the west on the route of today's A74M from Stanwix (near Carlisle ) via the Annandale (valley) and Upper Clydesdale (around Glasgow ) to the Firth of Forth . The main route lay in the east, probably coming from Eboracum ( York ). The " Dere Street " also Via agricola reached the Forth via Corbridge (east of Newcastle upon Tyne) through the maximum 815 m above sea level. NN high Cheviot Hills in Northumberland . The plain south of the Forth has been heavily cultivated over the centuries, so you can't even see the road layout on aerial photographs. However, there are the remains of Roman encampments at Pennymuir near Kelso on the Tweed River .
There was also a road through the Nithsdale west of the Carlisle Route and another branching off from Dere Street towards the Tweed Estuary. It is believed that there was temporarily a supply port for the Roman fleet on the Tweed . An indication of this is given by a rudder found at Newstead, near Melrose , Trimontium . Navigable rivers played the most important role in Roman logistics.
North of the Firth Forth, a road leads to the River Tay . It seems to have remained unfinished because the northern garrisons were abandoned before it was completed.
The only Roman milestone was found at Ingliston near Edinburgh . It is in the National Museum and reports on the repair of part of Dere Street in AD 139.
See also
literature
- Anna and Graham Ritchie: "Scotland" An Oxford Archaeological Guide "Scotland" 1998
Web links
- (en) Dere Street on the Discover The Borders website
- Map of the Roman roads in Great Britain - out of date