Trimontium was a Roman fort complex located at Newstead, near Melrose, in the Scottish Borders, beneath the three Eildon Hills which almost certainly gave it its name (Latin: trium montium, three hills).
It was occupied intermittently from about 79 to 184 AD and was the largest of the "outpost" forts after the construction of Hadrian's Wall in the 120s AD. It was located 60 mi (100 km) north of the wall on the extension of Dere Street the main Roman route to the north, initially in seemingly "hostile" territory. Trimontium was about three times larger than any fort on Hadrian's Wall and by 180 became the most northerly settlement of the whole Roman Empire.
Trimontium is also considered of international importance as the site of one of the largest caches of Roman military objects in Britain, found in 117 pits.
It was identified by Roman geographer Ptolemy in his Geography.
The fort sits on the banks of the River Tweed, with the Eildon Hills and the Iron Age hillfort atop Eildon North, a visible reminder of both the local population and imposing landscape of the Scottish Borders. The location benefitted from the rivers Tweed and Leader providing routes for the movement of goods and people and from the Roman road that became Dere Street passing alongside the fort.
It took the Romans almost four decades, from the invasion of 43 AD and subsequent conquest of southern & eastern Britain, followed by expansion into northern England and Wales, to close in on southern Scotland when the fort was first constructed.
In 79 AD Roman general Agricola moved against the Brigantes of northern England and the Selgovae along the southern coast of Scotland, using overwhelming military power to establish Roman control. He built a network of military roads and forts, including Trimontium, to secure the Roman occupation. Existing forts were strengthened and new ones planted in northeastern Scotland along the Highland Line, consolidating control of the glens that provided access to and from the Scottish Highlands. The line of military communication and supply across southeastern Scotland and northeastern England was Dere Street (on which Trimontium was located) which was well-fortified.
After Agricola was recalled from Britain in 84 AD the Romans retired from northerm Scotland to a more defensible line along the Forth–Clyde isthmus.
Around 105 there appears to have been a serious setback at the hands of the tribes of the Picts: several Roman forts were destroyed by fire, with human remains and damaged armour at Trimontium indicating hostilities. Trimontium was abandoned and in the 120s Hadrian established the frontier further south by building his wall.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
Trimontium was a Roman fort complex located at Newstead, near Melrose, in the Scottish Borders, beneath the three Eildon Hills which almost certainly gave it its name (Latin: trium montium, three hills). It was occupied intermittently from about 79 to 184 AD and was the largest of the "outpost" forts after the construction of Hadrian's Wall in the 120s AD. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a fort site from the Roman period in Britain.
Trimontium 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 Oakwood Roman fort (16.8 km), Cappuck (18.3 km), Oxton (21.7 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
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