Edinburgh did not exist as a Roman city, but the modern capital contains major evidence for Rome’s repeated presence around the Firth of Forth. The fort at Cramond, roads through the Lothians and nationally important museum collections bring that story together.
Discover the Roman stories nearby
Cramond: a fort at the river mouth
Walk among the exposed foundations beside the River Almond, then use the excavation evidence to distinguish the fort’s different periods.
The Cramond lioness
A sculpture recovered from the river opens a different story about Roman commemoration. The photograph shows the fort site; follow the article to examine the sculpture.
Explore the Roman sites map
Select the local map below to open the interactive view, then zoom or select a marker. Read the evidence notes below alongside it: a marker shows a recorded location or proposal, not proof that a Roman structure survives
Open the interactive map full screen
What the evidence establishes
- Cramond — excavated fort and settlement evidence. Buildings and finds establish Roman occupation; the current village is not a preserved Roman street plan.
- Inveresk — an excavated fort and civilian settlement east of Edinburgh. Use the separate Musselburgh guide for its altars, baths and burials.
- Broomhall, Corstorphine — proposed fort. This interpretation is not equivalent to the excavated evidence at Cramond. Isolated coins and milestones also need their own find contexts.
Why this area mattered
The Forth was a route for shipping and a barrier to movement. Cramond guarded the mouth of the River Almond and provided access to both sea and inland roads.
Plan your visit: what survives today
- Cramond: exposed foundations and interpretation near the kirk are the clearest outdoor starting point. The riverside setting helps explain the site, but the whole fort is not laid out.
- National Museum of Scotland: explore the Roman collections in the city centre. Check current displays, including the Cramond lioness, with National Museums Scotland.
- Corstorphine: use the local discovery guide for the milestone, coin finds and activities. A proposed fort should not be approached as a visible ruin.
Sources, finds and further reading
Start with the local articles above, then follow the excavation reports, archaeological records and collections below. Historical reports preserve valuable evidence but may use interpretations revised by later work.
- Masser (2006), excavations of the Roman fort at Cramond — original report
- National Museums Scotland — collections and visitor information.
- Roman Corstorphine: evidence and local map
Continue exploring
- Roman forts in Scotland
- Explore Roman sites
- Explore Roman inscriptions
- Lucius Minthonius Tertullus — a named commander recorded on an altar from Cramond.
- The Colinton carving of the Mother Goddesses — follow the recorded history of a Roman sculpture reused in a later building.
- The lost Fairmilehead Roman camp — another part of Edinburgh’s buried military landscape.
- Romans in Corstorphine — explore the western Edinburgh guide and its evidence.
- Women in Roman Scotland — wider context for the inscriptions and objects in national collections; not a claim that every example was found in Edinburgh.
- A Roman brooch with a Scottish story — a find from Pathhead in Midlothian, discussed through National Museums Scotland’s research; its owner is unknown.
