of the Fort at Rough Castle

— #3 —

From where you are standing, most of the defences of the Roman fort of Rough Castle are behind you. In front of you are the remains of a system of Roman pits which were re-excavated in 1903 and have since been kept open. These originally consisted of ten rows of about 20 pits, in line with the fort rampart; you can imagine the pits stretching rather further to your right and left. The pits were once about 0.9 m (3 feet) deep and probably held upright sharpened stakes, concealed from view by brushwood.
The intention of the pits was to surprise unsuspecting attackers, who would fall into them without warning, to be impaled on the stakes. Julius Caesar's soldiers called them lilia, from their resemblance to the lily with its vertical stem encircling leaves. Take care, as it is till possible to fall in, although you will see that the wooden stakes have disappeared.
The provision of these pits and the general scale of the fort defences illustrate the serious attempt made by the Roman army to impose their will on the local people.
To you right, you may also be able to distinguish the slight remains of the Roman road that run northwards from the north gate of the Roman fort.

PLAN SHOWING THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRAIL AND INFORMATION BOARDS
This is the third of four bards that will help you to understand the archaeological sites at Rough Castle. The first two boards are on the other side of the burn to your left and the fourth just to your right.

(Illustration Text)
The lilia under construction.

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The Roman Fort
The Antonine Wall
Antonine Wall
The Antonine Wall
Antonine Wall Rough Castle
Forth & Clyde Ship Canal
Battle of Falkirk Muir
The Parish Church Graveyard
The Bute Memorial
Sir John Stewart

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