Scheduled MonumentsScotlandInchtuthil, Roman fortress
Iron Age · Roman fortress

Inchtuthil, Roman fortress

Scotland
HES SM1606
Period
Iron Age
Site type
Roman fortress
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Inchtuthil is a Roman fortress located on the River Tay in Perthshire, Scotland, constructed during the governorship of Agricola in the late first century AD as part of the Roman advance into northern Britain. The fortress, which dates to around AD 83–87, was strategically positioned to control the Tay valley and served as a supply base for military campaigns into the Highlands. Measuring approximately 137 by 112 metres, it was designed to accommodate a legionary garrison of around 5,000 troops and displays the characteristic playing-card layout of Roman auxiliary and legionary fortresses. The site was abandoned relatively quickly, within a decade of construction, following the decision to consolidate Roman forces further south, and subsequent ploughing has largely obscured its visible remains, though archaeological investigation has revealed substantial evidence of its timber and stone structures.

Inchtuthil, Roman fortress is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1606. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Inchtuthil, Roman fortress?

Inchtuthil is a Roman fortress located on the River Tay in Perthshire, Scotland, constructed during the governorship of Agricola in the late first century AD as part of the Roman advance into northern Britain. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1606.

What period does Inchtuthil, Roman fortress date from?

Inchtuthil, Roman fortress dates from the iron age period, and is classified as a roman fortress. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Inchtuthil, Roman fortress?

Inchtuthil, Roman fortress is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM1606.

What other scheduled monuments are near Inchtuthil, Roman fortress?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Berryhill, mortuary enclosures and pit-alignment 150m N of (7.4 km), Blackfaulds, stone circle 450m WSW of (8 km), Blindwells, stone circle 380m ENE of (8 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Inchtuthil, Roman fortress

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Inchtuthil, Roman fortress's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Inchtuthil, Roman fortress

Inchtuthil, Roman fortress stands on Strathmore Group, bedrock that formed in the Emsian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone.