Trimontium

at Trimontium, with the modern Leaderfoot Viaduct behind]] 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 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…

The earliest modern reference to the archaeological significance of Trimontium stems from finds uncovered during mid-Victorian railway cutting works as part of the Waverley Line construction in 1846. As land to the east of the village of Newstead was worked, finds from pits full of Roman artefacts were uncovered. , Edinburgh]] Excavations by James Curle between February 1905 and September 1910 began the first exploration of the site, making many findings. horse fittings including bronze saddleplates and studded leather chamfrons, numerous artefacts associated with trade and manufacture, building and construction, and daily life on the Roman frontier. In 1911 Curle published his…

near the Newstead Helmet]] The fort was constructed in multiple phases. Dr Simon Clarke of Bradford University has produced a logical sequence of building and destruction for the fort and its annexes. This was managed by combining evidence from the first excavations of James Curle and Sir Ian Richmond with aerial photographs and modern search and rescue excavations of Bradford University (1987–1997) Phase 1 (c.79-87 AD): The earliest occupation of the site identified by aerial photographs since the 1940s have revealed at least three and possibly as many as five camps in this area. The enormous "Great Camp" identified by Curle was on the highest point of the ridge at the centre of the whole…