Castlecary is securely an Antonine fort. Earlier finds have prompted discussion of an earlier occupation, but they do not by themselves establish an underlying Agricolan fort.
Visit Castlecary Roman Fort
š Location: Castlecary, North Lanarkshire
š What survives: The fort is known mainly through archaeology and finds; later development has left little obvious surface evidence.
ā Best for: Exploring an Antonine fort with inscriptions recording several military units.
š„¾ Visit: An urban-edge archaeological stop with limited visible remains.
š Nearby Roman places: Westerwood, Seabegs Wood and Rough Castle
Castlecary at a glance
| Occupation | Antonine period, broadly the AD 140sā160s; exact opening and closing years remain uncertain. |
| Garrison | The First Cohort of Tungrians and First Cohort of Vardullians appear in the inscription evidence. |
| Size | About 1.4 hectares internally, with an additional annexe. |
| Troop estimate | Large unit titles do not establish that every member was present in this small fort. |
Inscriptions
Building inscriptions and dedications attest different units and activities. Legionary builders and auxiliary occupants should be distinguished.
Sources for this summary
Hanson, Jones and Hannon (2024), Exploring the Antonine Wall with terrestrial remote sensing
- Earlier pottery has been reported, but a foundation in AD 80 is not securely established.
- 142 AD Antonine Wall
- 165 AD abandoned.
Military Units
- Sixth Legion
- Second Legion Augusta
- First Cohort of Tungrians
- Italians from Noricum
- First Cohort of Vardullians
Explore finds in video and 3D
Open an item below to play its short video or explore its interactive 3D model. Titles retain the publishersā findspot labels; nearby discoveries need not have come from inside the fort. Videos are from the Antonine Wall Vimeo Account; interactive models are by Historic Environment Scotland.
Bronze Lion Head Mount, Castlecary Ā· Video, 17 seconds
17 seconds Ā· Bronze Lion Head Mount, Castlecary Ā· Antonine Wall Vimeo Account
References
- Castlecary (Trove NRHE)
- Roman Inscriptions
- A LOST INSCRIPTION FROM CASTLECARY ON THE ANTONINE WALL Lawrence Keppie Acta Classica, Vol. 55 (2012), pp. 69-82 (14 pages)
