Scheduled Monument
Bertha, Roman FortSM2403
Status: Designated
Documents
Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).
The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.
Summary
- Date Added
- 17/03/1964
- Last Date Amended
- 25/02/2020
- Type
- Roman: fort
- Local Authority
- Perth And Kinross
- Planning Authority
- Perth And Kinross
- Parish
- Redgorton
- NGR
- NO 09762 26823
- Coordinates
- 309762, 726823
Description
The monument comprises the remains of a Roman fort, visible as low earth banks and shallow ditches and from the air as cropmarks. The fort lies on a fluvio-glacial terrace, falling steeply at the east and south, at around 10m above sea level. The terrace sits at the confluence of the River Almond and River Tay.
The fort is sub-rectilinear with sections of the defensive ditches visible as very shallow depressions and ramparts visible as very low, now spread, earth banks on the west and north sides. These features are also visible on historic aerial images as cropmarks. The east and south sides are defined by the steep break of slope down to the riversides. Approximately halfway along the south side are two stretches of earth banks standing up to 2.5m high, these may be upstanding remains of the Roman fort. The estimated overall size of the fort is at least 3.9ha. There is evidence for an entrance and road into the fort through the northern ditch and rampart. Excavations in 1973 and geophysical surveys from 2008 onwards provided further evidence for an entrance and road on the north and internal features including barracks, rampart ovens and possible courtyard buildings as well as the defences and an internal road network.
The fort dates from the Flavian period, late first century AD, when Roman forces first entered and operated within Scotland. Small finds evidence suggests occupation of the fort is likely to have extended into the Antonine and Severian periods. The fort was part of a defensive line, known as the Gask Ridge, consisting of watchtowers, fortlets and forts running along the southern edge of the Highland Line. The fort would have also offered control over a possible crossing point of the River Tay and was a base of operation in the area.
The scheduled area is irregular, to include the remains described above and an area around them within which related material may be expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The scheduled area excludes the above ground elements of the railway embankment and rail bridge, all fences and gates and the telegraph line.
References
Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation
About Scheduled Monuments
Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.
We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.
Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)
Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the
scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).
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