Roads to The North Conference 2026

The “Roads to the North” one-day conference was held at the HES Engine Shed in Stirling. Co-hosted by the UHI Archaeology Institute, the National Museum of Scotland, and the University of Edinburgh, it focused on how “native” Iron Age communities in northern Scotland, Sutherland, Caithness, and the Northern Isles interacted with and were influenced by Roman culture.

The discussions were split across two main lecture sessions, a hands-on show-and-tell, and a concluding roundtable workshop:

Morning Presentations

Material Culture & Architecture: Martin Carruthers discussed changing architectural forms at The Cairns (South Ronaldsay, Orkney) during the Middle Iron Age, highlighting the discovery of objects either Roman in origin or crafted from re-used Roman materials—such as beautiful blue glass beads.
Roman Finds Across Scotland: Fraser Hunter presented recent discoveries of Roman glass, pottery, and new research into Roman silver across northern Scotland. Dr Antony Lee followed up with an overview of the Treasure Trove system, showcasing recently discovered coins, brooches, and belt buckles.
Settlement Timelines: Dr Tanja Romankiewicz shared “hot off the press” radiocarbon dates from excavations at Newstead, revealing Iron Age settlements operating right at the edge of the Roman fort.
Diet & Landscape Impacts: Dr Julia Cussans discussed intriguing evidence of precise Roman-style butchery marks on a cattle bone recovered from Scatness in Shetland. Dr Sam Jones used pollen grain analysis from Loch Clunie (Perthshire) sediment cores to map out local environmental changes, noting a distinct drop in local farming activity during the Late Roman period.
Infrastructure & Economies: Mike Bishop traced the layout and longevity of Margary 9, the Roman road running along Scotland’s east coast, examining how the infrastructure outlasted the occupation itself. Dr Simon Clarke concluded by looking at how the inhabitants of Trimontium Fort (Newstead) interacted with local tribes, potentially establishing specialised market zones around the fort to bridge the two economies.