Bertha is the name of the site of a Roman fort north of the city of modern Perth, Scotland, at the confluence of the rivers Almond and Tay. It is 0.5 miles (0.80 km) east of the modern farm of "Berthapark" and is a scheduled monument.
The name "Bertha" was originally used by medieval Scots historians, such as John of Fordun and Walter Bower, who did not know the original name for the site and who adapted a version of Perth – "Berth". According to the 2nd century AD geographer Ptolemy, the Romans may have called the site Tamia (or possibly Tavus), after a native name for the River Tay. In early medieval times the abandoned site was still used for ceremonial purposes by Pictish and Gaelic kings, when it was called "Rathinveramon".
The fort was a supply base built around AD 83 to support the occasional Roman expeditions into north-east Scotland. At that time, it was at the highest navigable point on the Tay. It was one of the sites in the series of Roman fortifications known as the Gask Ridge. It is possible that the site was re-used on three occasions up to the 3rd century.
The 9-acre (36,000 m2) site was identified in the 18th century. It has been damaged by river erosion and by ploughing, but excavations in 1973 revealed a ditch 11 feet (3.4 m) wide and 5.5 feet (1.7 m) deep. Immediately within the ditch was a wide berm over 30 feet (9.1 m) wide and this was backed by a turf rampart averaging about 21 feet (6.4 m) wide. Further field studies were reported in 2006 as part of the Roman Gask Project.
A Roman Altar Stone, inscribed DISCIPVLINA AVGUSTI 'To the discipline of the emperor' was found at the Bertha site near the River Almond in 1958. The cult of military discipline was strongly favored by Hadrian and other emperors from the 2nd century AD onwards. As of June 2025, the stone is on display in the Perth Museum.
Bertha Park, a mixed-use area to the north of Perth's city centre, preserves the name.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
Bertha is the name of the site of a Roman fort north of the city of modern Perth, Scotland, at the confluence of the rivers Almond and Tay. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
Bertha is classified as a Roman fort — a military site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Untitled (8.8 km), Cargill (11.5 km), Victoria? (12.7 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
Aubrey Research generates detailed historical reports for any location in Britain, incorporating Roman heritage, Domesday Book records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and much more. Enter a nearby address to begin.
This page covers the Roman site at Bertha. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this site alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain, drawing on Roman heritage, Domesday records, scheduled monument data and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.
Research the area around Bertha