Bearsden : the story of a Roman fort

The Roman fort at Bearsden and its annexe, together with areas beyond its defences, were extensively excavated from 1973 to 1982. The report on these excavations was published in 2016. This ‘popular’ account of the discoveries looks at the material recovered from the site in a different way, examining the process of archaeological excavation, the life of the soldiers at the fort based on the results of the excavation as well as material from elsewhere in the Roman Empire, the presentation and interpretation of the bath-house and latrine, and a discussion of possible future work arising out of the excavation. The excavation report was well illustrated with reconstruction drawings and the process of creating these is also discussed. Cover 1 Title Page 3 Copyright Page 4 Dedication 5 Frontispiece 6 Contents 7 List of Figures 8 Preface 13 Finding the fort 15 Figure 1. The trig point on Castle Hill next to the Antonine Wall at Bar Hill is a reminder both of Roy’s survey of the frontier and his creation of the Ordnance Survey 16 Figure 2. William Roy’s plan of Bearsden, 1755 © Society of Antiquaries of London 17 Figure 3. The grounds of one of the Victorian villas before excavation started 19 Figure 4. The first trench is cut 20 Figure 5. The temporary roof over the bath-house being constructed 21 Figure 6. The extent of the Victorian landscaping shows clearly in this view of the bath-house which is deep below the modern ground surface 22 Figure 7. Bailing out the bath-house 22 Figure 8. The excavation of the granary amongst the trees 23 Figure 9. The west rampart of the fort and road immediately inside it looking south showing the point where they had been destroyed by ploughing; in the gap between the rampart (to the right) and the road (to the left) is a water tank 24 Figure 10. Plan showing the areas excavated (light shading) in relation to the Victorian houses (dark shading) 25 Figure 11. The final stages of the excavation of the bath-house took place while consolidation of the building had started (to the right) and construction of the new flats and houses was in progress (the workmen’s huts are top right) 26 Figure 12. Jim Dickson and Valerie Maxfield taking a core through the fill of the south ditch 27 Figure 13. The preparation of a plan on the site; the process was aided by the use of a drawing frame 28 Figure 14. Plan showing the discoveries in relation to the trenches 29 Figure 15. The head of a goddess drawn by Tom Borthwick 30 Figure 16. The front cover of the excavation report designed by Kevin Hicks of CFA 31 Figure 17. The author presenting a copy of the excavation report to Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal of Glasgow University, 2 June 2016 32 Figure 18. The Glasgow graduates who had excavated at the site in the 1970s and returned for the launch 33 Building the fort 34 Figure 19. Coins of Hadrian (left) and Antoninus Pius © Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne; The Hunterian, University of Glasgow 2016 35 Figure 20. Hadrian’s mausoleum in Rome where both Hadrian and Antoninus were buried © the author 35 Figure 21. The depiction of the army on the base of the Column of Antoninus in Rome is a reminder of the source of the emperor’s power © the author 36 Figure 22. The fragmentary inscription found at Balmuildy recording the building of the fort under Lollius Urbicus; the rest of the wording has been restored on the wooden plaque © The Hunterian, University of Glasgow 2016 37 Figure 23. The Hutcheson Hill distance slab recording a stretch of the Wall built by the Twentieth Legion. The goddess Victory is shown putting a laurel wreath in the beak of the eagle watched by two bound, captive and kneeling enemies © The Hunterian, U 38 _GoBack 39 Figure 24. Map of the Antonine Wall; Bearsden is the fourth fort from the western end 40 Figure 25. William Roy’s map of the Bearsden area showing the lines of communication to west and east of the fort © Society of Antiquaries of London 41 Figure 26. The turf work of the west rampart of the fort 42 Figure 27. The actus grid (120 Roman feet square) superimposed on the fort plan 44 Figure 28. An inscription recording building work at Bearsden by soldiers of the Twentieth Legion under the direction of the centurion Quint(us?) 45 Figure 29. Trajan’s Column in Rome showing soldiers building a fort. The soldiers carry the turf blocks for the rampart on their shoulders held in place by a strap. In the foreground soldiers are removing the earth from the ditch in baskets © Angus Lamb 46 Figure 30. Plan of the first fort showing the buildings which had been completed (or at least started) when the fort was divided into fort and annexe 47 Figure 31. Plan of the completed fort and annexe 48 Figure 32. The east rampart of the fort with the layer of burning outside it 50 Figure 33. The north wall of the north granary 51 Figure 34. A trench containing part of one of the timber buildings with the clumps of stones serving as packing round the timber posts visible 52 Figure 35. A diagram by Tom Borthwick to illustrate the construction of the timber walls 53 Life in the fort 54 Figure 36. A writing tablet from Vindolanda recording a list of food; ‘frumentum’ (corn) is clearly visible towards the bottom left © The Vindolanda Trust 55 Figure 37. Some of the pottery found at Bearsden. The vessel top left is from Dorset, while that bottom left is from Colchester. The jar top right is from northern Gaul. The two mixing bowls were made by Sarrius 56 Figure 38. Grains skins found in the sewage in the east annexe ditch; in the centre of the photograph is the wing of a psychodid fly, an insect associated with sewage 58 Figure 39. The unprepossessing iron object is hoe. Together with a reaping hook, also discovered in the fort, it indicates that soldiers, or their dependents, undertook some agricultural activities 58 Figure 40. Fig seeds found in the sewage; they would have been imported from the continent 59 Figure 41. A map showing the location of some of the materials supplied to Bearsden 60 Figure 42. Drawing of part of a brazier used for cooking food in the African style 61 Figure 43. Fragment of a glass jar Photo Valerie McManus 62 Figure 44. The name of Sarrius stamped on a mixing bowl 65 Figure 45. Local people even allowed us to dig up their gardens in the search for extramural settlement 66 Figure 46. A length of clay and cobble foundation to the west of the fort may be part of a civilian building 67 Bathing at Bearsden 71 Figure 47. The primary bath-house showing the burning round the hearth 72 Figure 48. Plans of the bath-house at floor level and basement level 73 Figure 49. View of the bath-house looking east during the excavation; the cold room is in the foreground with the hot dry room to the left and the cold bath to the right 74 Figure 50. The hot dry room in 1973. The plaster on the floor does not extend to the edge of the paving, leaving room for the wall-jacketing which was held in place by iron staples 75 Figure 51. An iron staple which held the wall-jacketing in position 75 Figure 52. The hot room looking west with the wall-jacketing visible in the foreground, the second warm room beyond with a bench support standing with the seat to one side, and the first warm room and changing room beyond; to the left foreground is the fu 76 Figure 53. The surviving part of the floor of the second warm room; a thick coating of water-proof plaster covered the floor 77 Figure 54. A sketch by Tom Borthwick showing the arrangement of the heating in the hot room 78 Figure 55. Three bench supports found in the second warm room and the hot room. 78 Figure 56. The cold bath looking east 79 Figure 57. The plug hole the cold bath 80 Figure 58. The head of a goddess found in the cold bath; she may have sat in the niche in the adjacent warm room 81 Figure 60. A fountain head recovered from south of the changing room 82 Figure 61. Part of a gaming board found in the granary 83 Figure 62. The latrine looking west 84 Figure 63. A sketch by Michael J. Moore showing the possible internal arrangement of the latrine 85 Figure 64. An artist’s impression of the interior of the latrine by Michael J. Moore 86 Protecting the empire 87 Figure 65. Roman soldiers, a cavalryman to the left and an infantryman to the right © Römisch-Germanischen Zentralmuseum, Mainz 88 Figure 66. A reconstruction drawing by Michael J. Moore of a Roman fortlet – an army outpost – in south-west Scotland occupied at the same time as Bearsden 90 Figure 67. An altar found at the fort at Castlehill to the west of Bearsden dedicated by the commanding officer of the Fourth Cohort of Gauls © The Hunterian, University of Glasgow 2016 91 Figure 68. Roman cavalry on Trajan’s Column in Rome, with infantrymen to the right © Angus Lamb 93 Figure 69. A shield boss found beside the west rampart 93 Figure 70. Several of the items of metalwork dumped in a fort ditch when the site was abandoned, from left to right, a double-spiked loop, a spearhead, two arrowheads, a second spearhead, a nail and, at the bottom, the slide bolt of a tumbler lock 94 Figure 71. An anvil probably used in the repair of arms and armour 94 Figure 72. A ring with an intaglio bearing the device of a shrimp, found in a drain 95 Figure 73. The sole of a Roman soldier’s shoe found in a ditch and probably thrown there when the fort was abandoned 96 Figure 74. The drawing of the same shoe reveals more detail than the photograph 97 Reconstructing Bearsden 98 Figure 75. An interpretation of building 7 by Michael J. Moore 100 Figure 76. An artist’s impression of the fort by Michael J. Moore 101 Figure 77. An interpretation of the headquarters building with a forehall by Michael J. Moore 102 Figure 78. An interpretation of buildings 11 and 15 as a simply courtyard surrounded by rooms by Michael J. Moore 103 Figure 79. The amount of hay, grain and water that would be required by 70 horses/ponies in a week by Michael J. Moore 105 Figure 80. The amount of waste that would be created by 70 horses/ponies in a week by Michael J. Moore 106 Figure 81. The bath-house by Michael J. Moore 107 Figure 82. A cut-away of the bath-house by Michael J. Moore 108 Figure 83. The interpretative panel placed at the bath-house in 1982 109 Figure 84. The new interpretative panel of the bath-house 110 Figure 85. The panel interpreting the latrine 111 The end – and the future 112 Figure 86. Burnt wattle and daub from building 3 surviving beneath the stone tumble from the granary 113 Figure 87. Part of the base of a glass vessel melted and distorted by heat Photo Valerie McManus 113 Figure 88. Weapons thrown into one of the western fort ditches when the fort was abandoned. They include arrowheads and pilum heads 114 Figure 89. A coin of Antoninus issued in 154-5 showing Britannia with her head resting on her hand © The Hunterian, University of Glasgow 2016 116 Figure 90. The temple in Rome which Antoninus erected to his wife Faustina who died during the campaigning in Scotland; his name was added to the dedication after his death about the time that his Wall was abandoned © the author 117 Figure 91. The cartoon by Steven Camley in The Herald on 3 June 2016 © Steven Camley 118 Figure 92. The document submitted to UNESCO in 2007 in support of the nomination of the Antonine Wall as a World Heritage Site 120 Figure 93. The hot dry room looking west during excavation 122 Figure 94. The hot dry room looking south during consolidation of the building. The dwarf walls to the left have already been consolidated; the floor covering those to the right has been lifted but the underlying support walls not yet consolidated 123 Figure 95. The new interpretative panel erected in 2016 123 Figure 96. View of the bath-house looking south in 1982 following consolidation and landscaping 124 Figure 97. The latrine in the foreground with the bath-house behind following consolidation 125 Figure 98. The opening of the bath-house to the public on 17 May 1982 by Allan Stewart, Minister for Home Affairs and the Environment was the first official opening of a new ancient monument in Scotland 125 Figure 99. The base of a rectangular glass bottle bears the name C ASINI MARTIAL, that is Caius Asinius Martialis. This man is otherwise unknown, but it is to be hope that in time further vessels bearing his name will be found and it might even be discove 129 Acknowledgements 131 Further Reading 132 Bearsden,Roman fort,Romand army