Roman Gask Ridge Watchtowers

The Gask Ridge watchtower frontier system is the earliest Roman land frontier in the world, built in the late 70s or early 80s AD, 40 years before Hadrian’s Wall and 60 years before the Antonine Wall. It is also older than the Roman frontier Limes system in Germany.

The watchtowers were there to observe and control the movements of Caledonians. Each watchtower had three levels—stores were kept on the ground level, living quarters on the first floor, and the guard room up top. About eight soldiers would occupy the tower.

A road ran along the towers from the Bertha, a fort on the river Tay able to take supplies by sea, and Ardoch a major fort and staging area with its many camps.

Below is a map of the watchtowers, forts and a Roman road which you can walk or cycle.

List of Watchtowers

1. West Mains
2. Peel
3. Westmuir
4. Thorny Hill
5. Moss Side
6. Witch Knowe
7. Gask House
8. Muir o’ Fauld
9. KIrkhill
10. Roundlaw
11. Ardunie
12. Raith
13. Parkneuk
14. Westerton
15. Shielhill North
16. Sheilhill South
17. Blackhill

There is also a Greenloaning watchtower south of Ardoch

You can cycle or walk the Roman road along the ridge some of it tarmacked and some of it through forest ( which is more difficult by bike).

Roman Gask Ridge Project

This comprehensive website at http://www.theromangaskproject.org/ details a long-term academic programme to study the Roman Frontier works on and around the Gask Ridge in Perthshire, Scotland. Two professional archaeologists, Dr. Birgitta Hoffman and Dr. David Woolliscroft, have spent many years studying the area.

Little dating evidence has been found for the watchtowers but Cargill Fort north of Perth has had multiple coins found dated 80 to 86 AD for its occupation indicating these dates for that fort. (see Coin Report for Cargill Fort 2005). Strageath Fort on the watchtower line has finds from the Flavian (78 to 86 AD) and Antonine (142 AD to 165 AD) periods.

German Watchtowers

The watchtower model was also used in Germany along the Rhine and there were 100’s built there.

In Germany, the border stayed in place for many years and developed from turf and timber to stone-built barriers. This never happened in Scotland at the Gask Ridge as the Romans left in 86 AD.

Inside a watchtower

The pictures below shows the construction and equipment of a watchtower on the German Limes. Scotlands watchtowers were made of wood. The watchtowers usually had three stories;

1. The ground floor was used to store provisions The storage room on the ground floor is equipped with large pottery vessels for storing grain, oil and other supplies
2. The living quarters were on the middle floor with bunk beds and a hearth. They could only be reached via a retractable ladder.
3. The guardroom on the top floor had windows and a timber gallery. From the surrounding gallery, a section of the Limes could be seen The roof was covered with wooden shingles or slate

What was life like in a watchtower?

The first video shows wooden watchtowers across the empire

The following video shows the daily routine of a German watchtower troop using re-enactors

References

• The Roman Gask Project A long-term programme to study the Roman Frontier works on and around the Gask Ridge in Perthshire, Scotland.
• Gask Frontier Narrative from 1845
• GIS Intervisibility Study of the Roman Gask Frontier System By Dr Gavin Lindsay