Water plant work digs up evidence of Roman fort

Published on Friday 4 January 2008 09:35

Roman occupation

A 2000-YEAR-OLD Roman fort has been uncovered on the site of a new 60 million treatment plant for the Capital's drinking water.

The remains of the camp were discovered during preparations for the Glencorse works on the edge of the Pentland Hills Regional Park.

It is hoped the find will give archaeologists further clues about how the Romans organised their occupation of the Lothians in the first century AD.

The site is thought to be a Roman marching camp and is part of a network of other bases, watchtowers and camps across lowland Scotland.

Historians had suspected there were Roman remains at Glencorse from studying aerial photographs, but this is the first actual evidence to be found.

It is thought the camp was built to guard a gap in the Pentland Hills to the northwest of Flotterstone and the line of an east-west Roman road that skirted the foothills of the Pentlands.

Although no remaining Roman artefacts have been uncovered, David Connolly, an archaeologist with Midlothian Council, said the discovery was very important.

He said: "This preservation work by Scottish Water has given us an important insight into the Roman history in the Penicuik area.

"Understanding the Romans in Scotland is a complex matter, as Scotland was not subjected to a single phase of occupation or conquest. Every new discovery leads to further understanding of Roman Scotland, and with the confirmation of the Glencorse site we have another important piece of the jigsaw."

He added: "This project shows how archaeology and development can sit side by side, and add greatly to our knowledge of Midlothian's past."

The Glencorse plant will replace ageing water treatment facilities at Fairmilehead and Alnwickhill. The project is due to start in earnest this spring and be completed by 2010.

The facility will rely on gravity rather than pumps to move water down into the Capital, and will include technology so the plant can keep pace with the city's expansion.

Initially it will be able to treat 175 million litres of water a day.

Kenny Naylor, Scottish Water's stakeholder manager for the project, said they had found a change in the soil when digging during the site investigation.

"We quickly contacted the regional archaeologist who was able to confirm the existence of a Roman marching camp on the site," he explained.

Senior project manager Richard Anderson added: "The discovery will not have any significant impact on the course of this vital project. We can accommodate these changes in the design, and we have relocated the treatment works building in order to retain this archaeological feature."

THE FACTS

Compared with almost 400 years of occupation in England, the Romans were in Scotland for less than 50 years in total over three invasions.

On their first incursion – in the first century AD, when they defeated the Caledonii tribe – their base in the region was at Eskbank. But it was on their second and longest foray into Scotland when the main Roman bases in the Lothians were built – at Inveresk and Cramond.

This was the period when the Antonine Wall was built.

The Cramond fort was occupied during the last two incursions, and would have housed up to 1000 men.

The Romans' presence there has been known about since the 17th century, but more finds are continually being made.