Beneath fields at Carpow lies the plan of an unusually large Roman legionary fortress positioned near the meeting of the Earn and Tay.
Quick facts
- Date
- Occupied for a short period around AD 180–220; excavated 1961–79
- Architect / designer
- Roman military engineers and legionary labour
- Type
- Scheduled Roman legionary fortress, mostly buried
- Designation
- Scheduled monument (SM2275)
- OS grid reference
- NO 20791 17771
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
Excavation identified an enclosure of just over eleven hectares with ramparts, ditches, gates, headquarters, a commander’s residence and a granary. The northern rampart survives as the clearest above-ground earthwork.
Its story
The fortress was occupied briefly in the later second or early third century, when Roman power again reached northern Scotland. Excavations from 1961 to 1979 recovered buildings, inscriptions, coins and pottery that narrowed its chronology.
Why it is included
Scheduling protects a rare large military base whose buried plan and excavated evidence are fundamental to understanding Roman strategy, supply and occupation north of the Antonine Wall.
What to notice
- Low northern rampart surviving as a scarp.
- Broad rectangular plan visible most clearly in survey and crop evidence.
- River setting important to movement and supply.
Reading the surroundings
Do not enter fields, farmyards or woodland without permission, and never dig or metal-detect. Most significance is below ground and may have no obvious surface expression from lawful routes.
Timeline
- Circa AD 180–220 A legionary force occupied a large fortress near the tidal river system.
- 1961–63 Early excavation exposed headquarters areas, a gateway and monumental inscription fragments.
- 1964–79 Sustained fieldwork established the defensive circuit and major internal buildings.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
Scholars continue to debate precise foundation, function and historical names; most of the site remains buried and its full sequence is not excavated.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Carpow Roman Fortress, SM2275 — Current designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Trove designation: SM2275 — Parallel national record identity and archival context.
- Trove: Carpow place record — National archive synthesis of excavations, plan, chronology and surviving rampart.
Location
OS grid reference NO 20791 17771 · Location confidence: High: the current national designation supplies an exact mapped National Grid Reference; public text separately states access and current-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
Suggest a marker correction
Suggest a more accurate position
The teal marker is the current published position. The orange marker starts slightly to its right so both remain visible; this is only a visual starting position. Tap the correct place on the map or drag the orange marker. Sending this form creates a private review entry only; it does not move the published marker.
Check this area in Google Maps Choose the Satellite layer there if useful.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors. You can also enter checked coordinates below.