A Roman Frontier Fort in Scotland

Welcome to Trimontium!

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Guiding Question

How do different cultural groups affect the natural and cultural environments around them?

This is a re-creation of what the Roman fort Trimontium would have looked like 2000 years ago. Today, the area is a large empty field. Farmers use it to grow food and for sheep. In this narrative, you will hear the story of Trimontium, and learn about the Romans in Scotland.

Wherever the Roman army went, they built a fort. When the Romans arrived to Scotland, they first needed to find an area that they liked. A place large enough to house many soldiers and their horses. A place that they could defend and expand. A place that was rich in resources. A place near their new road and near the river. A place where they could also build a civilian settlement, with shops and makers.

Trimontium was the name the Romans gave their fort. In Latin it means "Place of the Three Hills", because of the three peaks that you can see in the landscape. Latin was the language the Romans spoke. These hills are called Eildon Hills today.

The three Eildon Hills in the Scottish Borders. They can be seen from very far away!
The Romans did not arrive to an empty landscape. Many Celtic and Brittonnic tribes lived in Caledonia. This is Eildon Hill North, the hill closest to the fort of Trimontium. When the Romans arrived it was a major Iron Age site, home of the Selgovae. The Selgovae were a Celtic people and Eildon Hill North was one of the biggest Iron Age settlements in the area. If you look closely to the picture, you will see some 'dimples' or circles at the top. These are the marks of Iron Age round houses. Eildon hill north has over 300 of them. The two lines you can see at the left of the hill are ramparts and ditches, defensive structures.
Digital reconstruction of the entrance of the Trimontium Roman Fort.

Trimontium was first built in 79 or 80 CE by Julius Agricola, governor of Britannia. Agricola led a campaign to invade Caledonia with the help of the 9th and 20th Legions. "Caledonia" was the name given to 'Scotland' in Ancient times. Every Legion had their own animal to represent their group, and the 20th Legion was the boar.

Replica of a roof tile from Colchester, in England. The 20th Legion was stationed in many different forts around Britain. Britain was known as 'Britannia'.
Reconstruction of what a Roman soldier's barracks would look like. There would be eight soldiers living in the same housing quarters. They may have also shared their house with their horses!
This is a courtyard of the "Principia". The "Principia" means primary buildings. It is here that the officers of the fort would make important decisions.
Some of the thousands of objects left by the Romans in the pits and wells at Trimontium: cooking utensils, glass beads, spearheads, ceramics, cavalry helmets and masks, armour for their horses, luxury jugs, hairpins, scale armour, brooches, tools, shoes, and more! From these objects archaeologists and historians can piece together what life was like in Roman times. What objects are similar to objects you can find in your own house?

The Romans abandoned the fort and came back to rebuild at least 4 times. This means that the Romans came and built Trimontium, left for a little while, and then came back. They did this for 100 years. After 180 CE the fort was never rebuilt again.

The Romans believed they would be able to conquer 'Caledonia', like they did other parts of Europe and the Mediterranean. They wanted to make Caledonia part of the Roman Empire. After much trying they decided that it cost too much and the weather was horrible. The Romans left Trimontium in 180 CE.

This is the "Trimontium stone". It is a large monument in the shape of a Roman altar. It marks the site where the fort once was. This monument dates to 1928.

When archaeologists excavated Trimontium, they found over 100 wells and pits full of Roman objects. These contained more than 4000 objects such as weapons, kitchen utensils, jewellery, and shoes. Who put them there? Was it the Romans? One theory says that the Romans left in a hurry and they buried their goods to hide them from the locals. Another theory says that a catastrophe happened and the local peoples buried the Roman objects as rejection to invasion. Yet another theory says that it may have been for a ritual purpose.

What do you think? Do you think the Romans had time to dig huge pits and put away the artefacts? Or do you think the locals disliked the Romans so much that they wanted to completely erase any memory of them?

Drawing showing a Roman cavalry man. He carries his shield on his back and a spear on his hand, he wear a Roman helmet. The horse also wears a protective armour on its head called 'chamfron'.