Campaigners fight to make more of Perthshire's Roman past
Perthshire has been hailed as the perfect location for a new world heritage site capable of attracting thousands of new visitors.
The Antonine Guard supporting the campaign.
- By Mark Mackay
- Published in the Courier : 26.10.10
- Published online : 26.10.10 @ 10.31am
The case for the creation of a National Roman Centre that would promote and protect the country's Roman heritage was set out by Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser.
He was joined amid the remains of Ardoch Fort — part of the Gask Ridge frontier — by members of the living history re-enactment society the Antonine Guard, as he called for the backing of the Scottish Government.
A short document entitled Perthshire's Roman Past details the many locations with Roman links and presses the government to help make the centre a reality.
The Romans ruled Britain for almost 400 years (43-410 AD), and during much of the period the frontier was Hadrian's Wall. However, there were at least three occasions on which Roman armies moved into Scotland in force and occupied what is now Perth and Kinross.
The area is home to the most northerly frontier of the Empire, the Gask Ridge, which stretched from the Highland massif through Fife and Perthshire. Originally a series of timber and turf-built forts and signal stations, it is significant not just in Romano-Scottish history but also in the timeline of the history of Roman land frontiers across the empire.
Evidence of the Gask Ridge and of the Romans' occupation of Scotland is still to be found throughout the area and some of the sites remain among the finest in Europe.
It is hoped that the development of a National Roman Centre would help to preserve these sites, as a number are being undermined by time and, in the case of Ardoch, rabbits, which have been burrowing around the fort unchecked for years.
However, while there are centres that celebrate both Pictish and Viking history there is nothing that celebrates the rich, diverse Roman history of Scotland.
Mr Fraser believes more needs to be done and he's convinced that the creation of a national centre is what's required to promote the history of the region, protect its Roman sites and, eventually, to attract thousands of new visitors.
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