Alternative Names Pinnata Castra; Inchtuthil Plateau
Site type LEGIONARY FORTRESS (ROMAN)
Canmore ID 28592
Site Number NO13NW 5.00
NGR NO 1251 3971
Council PERTH AND KINROSS
Parish CAPUTH
Former Region TAYSIDE
Former District PERTH AND KINROSS
Former County PERTHSHIRE

View this site on a map

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Archaeological Notes

NO13NW 5 1251 3971

For fort (NO 1152 3930) incorporating Roman stone, see NO13NW 6. For barrows at NO 1279 3968 and 1274 3968, see NO13NW 7.00.

NO13NW 5.00 NO 125 397 Roman Fortress
NO13NW 5.01 NO 119 394 Roman Temporary Camp
NO13NW 5.02 NO 1165 3934 Roman Temporary Camp
NO13NW 5.03 NO 1199 3966 to NO 1217 3927 Linear Earthwork
NO13NW 5.04 NO 125 397 Flat Bronze Axe
NO13NW 5.05 NO 1261 3989 Cinerary Urns
NO13NW 5.06 NO 1254 3956 Mortuary Enclosure; Iron
Axe -Head
NO13NW 5.07 NO 1271 3937 Roman Temporary Compound
NO13NW 5.08 NO 1271 3937 'The Redoubt' Roman Enclosure
NO13NW 5.09 NO 1172 3958 to NO 1178 3957 Linear Cropmark
NO13NW 5.10 NO 1253 3926 to NO 1291 3942 Linear Cropmark
NO13NW 5.11 NO 1245 3958 Ring-ditch

(NO 125 397) Roman Fort (R)
(NO 129 396) Redoubt (R)
OS 6" map (1959)

The Legionary Fortress at Inchtuthil, known as Pinnata Castra, was founded by Agricola soon after AD 83 and systematically demolished soon after AD 86.
The defences comprise a single ditch, 20' wide by 6 1/2' deep, and a turf rampart, now 13' wide but cut back to receive a stone wall 5' thick. The wall encloses an area of 1,520' by 1,565', or 53 acres. The gateways were of timber,with twin portals recessed between two towers 20' square.
Internal buildings comprise the headquarters, officer's houses, 64 barracks, 6 granaries, stores sheds, military hospital, drill hall and construction shop. Not all the buildings, however, had been built before the fortress was deliberately dismantled, following the transfer of Legio II Adiutrix to the Danube frontier.
Other visible Roman remains comprise the redoubt and a linear earthwork (the western vallum) W of the fortress is the site of a 'labour camp', almost as large as the fortress, which was occupied during the construction of the latter, and gradually reduced in size as the work progressed. There was yet another temporary camp towards the SW tip of the plateau, and an extra-mural senior officers' temporary compound on the SE angle of the fortress.
Inchtuthil was excavated by Abercromby in 1901, and by Richmond and St Joseph between 1952 and 1965.
R G Collingwood and I Richmond 1969

When visited in 1969, the remains of the fortress were as described above, the ditch and rampart being extant either separately or together along most of the S, E, and W sides. The N side, along the edge of a steep natural scarp was less well defined, and was probably greatly affected by erosion, but a mound, defined by a slight scarp (1.0m max height), and extending c. 130.0m, W from the NE angle, probably indicated the N rampart, traces of stone walling being visible on top of the mound at NO 1273 3988.
The redoubt comprised a sub-rectangular enclosure formed by a well-defined 'L'-shaped rampart and ditch backing on to steep natural slopes to the S and E with the possibility of the rampart having formerly continued along the top of the S slopes.
The vallum was an earthwork comprising a rampart and ditch now ploughed out except for a small portion at its N end. The rampart is traceable as a slight swelling in the ploughed field.
Roman finds from Inchtuthil are in Perth Museum, and National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMAS).
Resurveyed at 1/2500.
Visited by OS (WDJ) 2 April 1969

A floor tile from the fortress site has been donated to Perth Museum and Art Gallery (Acc No 1988.108).
A G Reid 1988.

NO 125 397 The late Prof St Joseph discovered an iron ballista head among a small assemblage of nails he had retained from the hoard discovered inside the fabrica. This is the first such item recognised from the hoard. Legally donated to National Museum of Scotland (NMS).
Daybook no: DB 1994/12.
NMS 1994r.

Notes and Activities

2009	GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY

Notes NO 1251 3971 A c37ha magnetic survey was undertaken which covered almost the whole of the Roman legionary fortress and significant areas to its E and W. In addition a c16ha resistance survey was conducted of the area surrounding the fortress, and fieldwalking was undertaken in ploughland to the S. The magnetic data showed the basic internal layout of the fortress to be much as shown in Richmond’s plan derived from
trenching in the 1960s, albeit with one large new structure in the NW. However, when seen in full, rather than in narrow test trenches, the buildings proved to be less neatly rectangular. To the E, the surveys revealed a large oval feature just outside the fortress gate and the known barrow field proved to be more extensive than surface and aerial data had shown. To the W, a series of pits might represent a cemetery or settlement, and the resistance work located what may be concentric rectangular features. To the SW, the surveys confirmed aerial indications that an area of dense pitting extends well beyond the confines of the long known temporary camp, right up to the fortress defences. The fieldwalking found Roman finds and copious signs of leadworking in the same area, which may suggest external industrial activity and possibly settlement.
Archive: The Roman Gask Project
Funder: The Roman Research Trust
DJ Woolliscroft, P Morris and B Hoffmann – The Roman Gask Project and Blairgowrie Geoscience

Further details

2010	GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY

Notes NO 1251 3971 The work begun in 2009 (DES 2009, 145) was
continued. The die-back of undergrowth during the winter
made it possible to conduct a magnetic survey of the so called
‘Stores Compound’ or ‘Redoubt’ to the E of the legionary
fortress. The presence of trees and bushes still forced gaps
in the coverage and made resistance surveying impractical,
but a reasonable image was obtained. The defences showed
clearly, but no internal structures were detected, apart from
slight banding at right angles to the NW ditch, that might
represent rig or modern drainage. It is not unusual for a
geophysical survey to fail to show internal buildings on turf
and timber built sites, but the clarity with which the fortress
buildings were revealed by the same instrument, just to
the W in 2009, suggests that the absence of evidence here
may be significant, especially as it fits well with the small
scale trenching done in the compound’s interior during the
Richmond excavations, which also located no structures,
apart from small gullies.
To the SW of the fortress, a further area of the large (19.9ha)
temporary camp interior was surveyed. This revealed a good
deal of pitting, a clear trace of the so called ‘Vallum’ ditch
and an extension of a former carriage drive, connected with
Delvine House, which is visible on the surface in the fortress
field itself. All of this enhances data already known from the
air, and fieldwalking continued to find extensive spreads of
lead working debris and other finds both inside and outside
the camp.
At the SW end of the Inchtuthil plateau, a second enclosure
has been seen from the air which has been taken to be a much
smaller temporary camp, estimated at only 0.94ha. The camp
was surveyed in its entirety, except for a small area at the NE
corner, which was planted with a cover crop and inaccessible.
It proved to be slightly smaller still at c125 x 70m (0.87ha).
The N, S and W ditches were detected clearly, but no trace of
an entrance break was found in any of them. Nor were other
camp entrance features, such as tituli, revealed. Moreover,
the enclosure appeared to be entirely open to the E, with no
sign of either an E ditch, or a turn at the eastern end of the
S ditch to form a corner. The site shows poorly from the air
(unlike the large camp), but what data has been obtained
bears out the impression gained from the survey image. A
resistance survey is planned, to make a further search for the
E ditch but, on present evidence, there must now be some
doubt as to whether this is a Roman camp.
Archive: The Roman Gask Project
Funder: The Roman Research Trust

Further details

Books and References

Abdy, R (2002) 'A survey of the coin finds from the Antonine Wall', Britannia, vol.33 London
Page(s): 195

Abercromby, Ross and Anderson, J, T and J (1902) 'Account of the excavation of the Roman station at Inchtuthill, Perthshire, undertaken by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in 1901', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, vol.36
Page(s): 182-242 Held at RCAHMS E.10.11.ABE.P

Armit and Ralston, I and I B M (2003) 'The coming of iron, 1000BC to AD 500', in Smout, T C People and woods in Scotland: a history Edinburgh
Page(s): 50

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