Old Kilpatrick was the westernmost fort on the Antonine Wall, occupying a position on the north bank of the Clyde where the river widens into its estuary. Built around AD 142 under Antoninus Pius and garrisoned until the abandonment of the Wall in the 160s, it enclosed roughly 4.2 acres (1.7 ha) and anchored the western terminus of the frontier, controlling river traffic and the approach to the firth.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
As the terminal fort, it served both as a frontier strongpoint and a likely point of contact with naval/supply traffic on the Clyde, complementing its eastern counterpart at Carriden. An inscribed altar from the site records the cohors I Baetasiorum, an auxiliary unit of Germanic origin attested also at other Wall forts.
Excavations in 1923–24 by S.N. Miller revealed the fort's defences, principia, granaries, and an external bath-house, along with the altar to Jupiter set up by the Baetasians. The site is now largely built over by the modern village and the Erskine Bridge approach, limiting later investigation, though portions of the rampart and ditch system have been recorded in subsequent watching briefs.
Old Kilpatrick was the westernmost fort on the Antonine Wall, occupying a position on the north bank of the Clyde where the river widens into its estuary. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
Old Kilpatrick 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 Duntocher (2.9 km), Cleddans (4.3 km), Whitemoss Roman auxiliary fort (4.8 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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