A lost Roman fortlet has been found near a primary school in Scotland. The site once stood next to the Antonine Wall but has been lost for centuries.
The discovery was made by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) experts who found the site in a field near Carleith Primary School in West Dunbartonshire. Previous attempts to find the fortlet have failed but the archaeologists were able to use a a new technique called gradiometry to look under the soil without excavation.
The surveying technique measures small changes in the earth's magnetic field to detect archaeological features that cannot be seen from the surface. It was able to find the stone base of the fortlet, which remains underground. The stone base would have been covered in turf which would have been used to build a rampart about two metres high.
Riona McMorrow, deputy head of World Heritage at HES, said: “It is great to see how our knowledge of history is growing as new methods give us fresh insights in the past. Archaeology is often partly detective work, and the discovery at Carleith is a nice example of how an observation made 300 years ago and new technology can come together to add to our understanding.”
HES said the fortlet would have been part of several structures along the Antonine Wall. The Antonine Wall was built around 20 years after Hadrian's Wall and was made out of turf with a stone base.
The fortlet would have been occupied by around 10 to 12 soldiers, who would have been stationed at a larger fort nearby, possibly at Duntocher. They would have been stationed there for around a week before being replaced.
Robert Sibbald, an antiquarian, made reference to the fortlet in 1707, writing that he had seen a fortlet in the area around Carleith Farm. Excavation teams tried to find it in the 1970s and 1980s but failed.
