I visited the Roman fort at Rough Castle today, for the first time in probably 40-45 years. I think my dad took me when I was small, although there’s a chance I’m (mis)remembering a visit from having seen photographs and what I otherwise know about sites along the Antonine Wall: the spectre of memory at the edge of empire.

What most sticks in my mind are the lilia, the defensive pit traps on the outside of the wall (seen in the first picture). The last picture shows the line of the Antonine Wall, which was only ever a turf wall with the deep ditch on the left.

It made me a little sad that I was alone there at what is a very impressive Roman site, apart from some dog walkers who seemed oblivious to what was beneath their feet, and a cold and bitter rain that refused to leave my side.

#RoughCastle #AntonineWall #RomanFort #RomanScotland #RomanBritain #Archaeology

Defensive Roman pits, or lilia, protecting the Antonine Wall at Rough Castle near Falkirk. For a time this formed part of the north-west frontier of a Roman Empire that stretched all the way to the Middle East. More pics and info: https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/falkirk/roughcastle/index.html

#Scotland #Falkirk #RoughCastle

Rough Castle Roman Fort, on one of the best preserved stretches of the Antonine Wall near Falkirk. It's a great place to appreciate what the wall was like: and, just possibly, was the origin of the story of King Arthur’s Camelot. More pics and info: https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/falkirk/roughcastle/index.html

#Scotland #RoughCastle

There are a huge number of historical sites within easy striking distance of Glasgow, ranging from neolithic tombs to the site of the last siege of a castle in Britain (Stirling Castle in 1746). However, these are amongst my favourites. They're lilia, which are packs of large defensive pits dug by the Romans in front of Rough Castle Fort on the Antonine Wall around AD 140.

Cont./

#glasgow #falkirk #roughcastle #antoninewall #lilia #defences #romans #scotland #scottishhistory

Defensive Roman pits, or lilia, protecting the Antonine Wall at Rough Castle near Falkirk. For a time this formed part of the north-west frontier of a Roman Empire that stretched all the way to the Middle East. More pics and info: https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/falkirk/roughcastle/index.html

#Scotland #Falkirk #RoughCastle

Rough Castle Roman Fort, on one of the best preserved stretches of the Antonine Wall near Falkirk. It's a great place to appreciate what the wall was like: and, just possibly, was the origin of the story of King Arthur’s Camelot. More pics and info: https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/falkirk/roughcastle/index.html

#Scotland #RoughCastle #RomanFort #Roman #AntonineWall #Falkirk #KingArthur #UndiscoveredScotland