Scottish Geographical Magazine the Roman Camp Near Aberdeen
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This article was downloaded by: [Simon Fraser University] On: 13 November 2014, At: 13:33 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Scottish Geographical Magazine Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rsgj19 The Roman camp near Aberdeen G.M. Fraser Published online: 30 Jan 2008. To cite this article: G.M. Fraser (1915) The Roman camp near Aberdeen, Scottish Geographical Magazine, 31:11, 561-567, DOI: 10.1080/14702541508555363 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14702541508555363 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. 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Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub- licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions THE SCOTTISH GEOGRAPHICAL [AGAZINE. THE ROMAN CAMP NEAR ABERDEEN. By G. M. FRASER. (With Ma2) and Illustrations.) FORIVIERLY, in dealing with the construction that we call the Roman camp at Culter, it was necessary to discuss the question whether the Romans were in Aberdeenshire at all. That is not now necessary, for the excavations carried out in the summer of 1913 at the reputed Roman camp of Glenmailen near Ythan Wells, in this county, by Dr. George Macdonald, the highest authority, we may say, on Roman remains in Scotland, and Professor Haverfield, one of the chief authorities on Roman remains in the whole country, has settled finally, not only that the Roman forces were in Aberdeenshire, but that they were here in exceptionally large numbers. These excavations at Ythan Wells were undertaken in what may he termed a legitimately sceptical mood. Popular tradition had long associated that camp, as it has long associated this camp at Culter, with the Romans, and not only so, but General Roy, the antiquary and military engineer, the first to deal in a scientific way with the Roman remains in Scotland, gave a plan of the Ythan Wells camp in his Military Antiquities of~Vorth .Brilai~, published in 1793. He Downloaded by [Simon Fraser University] at 13:33 13 November 2014 gave also a plan of Raedykes camp, at Ury, near Stonehaven, and others in Strathmore, as well as of others in the far north up to the Roman works at Burghead on the Moray Firth. When Dr. Macdonald and Professor Haverfield undertook their excavations at Ythan Wells, with the help of a Carnegie Grant in 1913, they did so with a threefold object in view. In the first place, they wished to test, in an Aherdeenshire case, the reliability of General Roy's plan in the Military Antiquities. In the second place, it was thought that a careful examination of the actual workmanship of the camp, or whatever the construction might turn out to be, might furnish some clue VOL. XXXI. 2 S 562 SCOTTISH GEOGRAPHICAL MAGAZIN]~. to the nationality of the builders. Lastly, it was hoped that even a superficial search might lead to the recovery of some relic which would enable the date of construction to be fixed at least approximately. It should hero be stated that there was very little that a casual visitor could see, on the ground at the Ythan Wells camp, only two fragments of what were supposed to be the turf ramparts which have survived to do duty as dykes dividing field from field. The remains on this camp at Cuber, long known as Normandykes, are much more abundant, and better preserved. (See Figs. 1 and 2 on plate.) The result of the exea~,ations at Ythan Wells was that in Dr. rVIaedonald's own words--" The first two objects were satisfactorily achieved. The substantial accuracy of Roy's illustration was triumph- antly vindicated by sections of the ditch which were laid open at various appropriate points .... The size of the fortified enclosure is re- markable. It eovered 120 acres, a space sutfieient to accommodate an army of not less than 18,000 men. The whole had been surrounded by a rampar~ about 20 feet thicl% and a ditch which must have been at least 8 or 9 feet wide, and 4 deep .... Cuttings (in the rampart) showed ~hat the ditch had had sloping sides, and that the rampart was constructed of loose earth and stones, laid, as it seemed, on a specially prepared bed of clay some. two or three inches in thickness .... The clearing of the very first section of the ditch and rampart left on the minds of the excavators a distinct impression," says Dr. Macdonald, " tt~at they were face to face with the work of Roman engineers, and as the digging proceeded the impression rapidly became a certainty. The form and design of t~e whote, ~he slope of the ditch, the extensive use of clay, the construction of the traverses~all these are characteristic.'" And he adds--"The camp at Gtenmailen may confidently be set down as a memoriM of the larges~ Roman army that ever penetrated to the remoter portions of our island. It must, of course, have been a field force, and the period of its stay would necessarily be brief. Hence the absence of relics." This, then, settIes finMiy that the Romans w-ere in Aberdeenshire, that they were here in very large force, and that they constructed camps with turf ramparts and ditch, and that their work is reeognisable even on the surface of the ground. The bearing of thi~ on the authenticity of the camp at Culter is significant. General Roy did not give a drawing Downloaded by [Simon Fraser University] at 13:33 13 November 2014 of this camp--probably he never heard of ~t--but he gave a drawing of Ythan Wells camp, which has been proved accurate, and he gave a drawing of Raedykes camp at Stonehaven, the remains of which are stil! remarkably clear (and were proved by Dr. Macdonald in a series of excavations in September t9i4 to be absolutely authentic), and he gave drawings of the camps at Monboddo, Ardoch, and other camps in that quarter, that are admittedly authentically Roman. Now, the camp at Culter is on the direct route northward from the camps at Ardoeh and Raedykes to the camp at Ythan Wells, and, apart from every other con- sideration, we may fairly ~ake it that what is proved authentieMly Roman in regaM to Raedykes and gthan Wells applies to the camp at Culter, eight miles from the city of Aberdeen. THE ROMAN CAMP NEAR ABERDEEN. 563 We now come to deal with this camp itself. One can see at a glance that its situation had been selected with great care for a body of troops operating in a hostile country, and liable to attack from any quarter. It is constructed directly opposite one of the ancient fords of the river, en the route from Kincardineshire into Aberdeenshire, which the troops ~-ho used this entrenchment had just crossed, and it is on the ridge commandi~Jg the Dee Valley, both cast and west, as well as the road 10adieg northward through the hills by the loeb of Skene, the route taken by the force which marched for the camps at Kintore and Ythan Wel/s. Those who have visited the Roman wall in Northumberland will be struck by the similarity of this situation to that of the camp at Boreovicus, now fully excavated and exposed. This camp, like those of I~aedykes and Ythan Wells, is much larger than Borcovicus, for the reason th,~t Borcovicus was merely a sectional station on the wall, whereas this camp had to contain the whole of a large expeditionary force for the shert time that it would stay on its march. The size of the camp at Ythan Wells struck Dr. Macdonald and Professor Haverfie!d as remarkable. It has an area of 120 acres. This camp at Culter had been evidently the same size, for in 1845~by which time it had been slightly encroached upon--it measured 938 yards long by 543 yards wide, which gives an area of fully 100 acres. Both camps were constructed evidently for the same expeditionary force. The ram- part and ditch of the camp are to outward appearance of the same construction as in the other northern camps mentioned, but there is one feature that distinguishes this camp, I think, from any other Roman entrenchment in Scotland. That is the "entrance" to the camp from the river ford, which is about a quarter of a mile in the rear of the camp. It is noticeable that the " entrance," which is 70 yards wide from the river to the camp, has a rampart like the camp itself along each side the whole way, as if special precautions had been taken to protect the line of retreat to the ford, if retreat should become necessary.