Excavation of the defensive ditches at Balmuildy Roman Fort, Glasgow, 1999

Abstract

Excavation by GUARD in 1999 on the southern defences of Balmuildy Roman fort exposed small sections of three ditches: two to the W of the S gate of the fort, one to the E. All were found in locations consistent with Miller's 1922 excavation plan of the site, though, contrary to expectations, none of these features appeared to have been previously excavated. The limited investigations produced no information which would substantially alter our understanding of the chronological context or occupational history of the Roman fort, though the undisturbed character of the evidence was surprising. The waterlogged conditions in the innermost ditch to the W of the S gate preserved organic material within the fill, and it was considered worthwhile attempting to study the environmental material in some detail, presenting as it did an opportunity to provide some stratigraphically secure evidence for the fort's contemporary environment with the original excavation report, which – in common with others of its time – largely ignored this type of evidence. The terminal of the middle ditch to the W of the S gate produced pottery of Antonine date from the primary fill. Two radiocarbon dates were also obtained from the fill of the inner ditch: one, of 37 BC-AD 217, was derived from early in the sequence of ditch fills, while a second, of AD 439–661, was obtained from a later, charcoal-rich layer sealing accumulated peat deposits.