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The Roman Temporary Camp at Dunning, Perthshire: Evidence from Two Recent Excavations

Author(s): A. J. Dunwell, L. J. F. Keppie, G. D. Thomas


Reviewed work(s):
Source: Britannia, Vol. 26 (1995), pp. 51-62
Published by: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/526871 .
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The Roman Temporary Camp at

Dunning, Perthshire: Evidence from two


Recent Excavations
By A.J. DUNWELL and L.J.F. KEPPIE

INTRODUCTION

Recent years have seen excavation at two points on the perimeter of the Roman
temporary camp at Dunning. The first excavation, in spring 1988, adjacent to the
known northern entrance to the camp, was conducted by Dr Lawrence Keppie of the
Hunterian Museum, on behalf of Historic Scotland, in advance of pipe-laying by British
Gas Scotland. In autumn 1992 excavation of the western entrance to the Roman camp was
directed by Andrew Dunwell of the Centre for Field Archaeology, in advance of a housing
development by A. & J. Stephen (Builders) Ltd of Perth. The projects were funded by
Historic Scotland and A. & J. Stephen (Builders) Ltd respectively.
The Roman camp at Dunning was first identified from surface traces in Kincladie Wood
by O.G.S. Crawford. He traced a 120-130 m long section of perimeter bank and ditch, and
part of an entrance protected by a titulus.' These remains were initially identified by
Feachem as belonging to a distinctive Stracathro-type camp of Flavian origin.2 The
assignment of the camp to this series was subsequently disproved when the course of all
but the south-eastern sector of its perimeter was identified, or reasonably extrapolated
from identified stretches, by aerial reconnaissance and trial excavations carried out by the
late J.K.S. St Joseph (FIG. 2).3 This work demonstrated the camp to have a near-square
form, an area of c. 115 acres (c. 46.5 ha), and average dimensions of 700 m by 675 m.
Current evidence suggests that the camp had six entrances, with two present on each of the
north and south sides: only the three entrances in the western half of the camp, each
protected by a titulus, have been identified to date. Aerial photography has yet to identify
any unambiguously Roman features within the camp.
Since its definition, Dunning camp has been generally assumed to be a Flavian
construction, and has acquired the reputation of being one of the more closely dated
camps in Scotland for which neither confirmatory artefacts nor stratigraphic
relationships to other datable Roman constructions are present. This view derives from
its size and morphology, both very similar to the temporary camp at Abernethy, which
lies some 16 km (9 miles) to its east (FIG. I), and from where a 'minute fragment' of

1 O.G.S. Crawford, Topographyof Roman Scotland North of the Antonine Wall(1949), 59.
2 R.W.
Feachem, Antiquity xliv (1970), 121-4.
3 J.K.S. St Joseph, JRS lxiii (1973), 218-i9.
52 A.J. DUNWELL AND L.J.F. KEPPIE

-? R.Alm~~*ond

4 Eatf,
0 Carpow
3 Abernethy
Dunning
ning

or\
th

WALL
0|, 25km
I

1. Camelon 2. Doune 3. Ardoch 4. Strageath 5. Bertha


FIG.I. Map showing the location of Dunning and related camps and Roman forts.

probably type Dr. 27, late first-century A.D., Southern Gaulish, samian pottery was
recovered from 'near the bottom of the silt-filling' of a ditch section excavated on the
southern side of the camp.4 The origins of these two camps have been repeatedly linked
in the literature, sometimes with a third example with similar characteristics partially
traced at Carpow.5 Discussion of the historical context of Dunning has been framed
often in terms of which particular campaign in Tacitus' Agricola was most likely to have
produced the camp, and of the relationship of the camp to a suggested location for Mons
Graupius nearby at Duncrub Hill. These arguments are well rehearsed by recent
commentators,6 who would seem to favour a more northerly location for the site of that
battle.

4 St Joseph, op. cit. (note 3), 219-20. The pottery was identified by B. Hartley.
5 St Joseph, op. cit. (note 3), 221.
6 e.g. W.S. Hanson, Agricola and the Conquest of the North (1987) and G.S. Maxwell, A Battle Lost: Romans and
Caledonians at Mons Graupius (1989). Both contain recent evaluations of these arguments.
THE ROMAN TEMPORARYCAMP AT DUNNING, PERTHSHIRE
53
EXCAVATIONBESIDE THE KNOWN NORTHERN ENTRANCE, 1988

A two-day excavation in May 1988 examined the northern defences of the camp just east
of the known northern entrance (NO 023 152), in advance of gas pipe-laying. The position
of the entrance is well established: it lies at at the eastern edge of Kincladie Wood, with
Perth Road apparently passing through the gap in the ditch system. The entrance passage
was protected by a titulus, of which an upstanding remnant remains visible in the wood
(FIG. 2).
Two immediately adjacent and parallel trenches (1988-I, measuring 8 m by I m; and
1988-2, 6 m by I m) were dug, straddling the proposed pipeline route, just inside a field
on the east side of Perth Road, opposite the surviving stretch of rampart and ditch in
Kincladie Wood (FIG. 2). The perimeter ditch proved to be U-shaped and somewhat
shallow, with a width of 3 m and cut into the orange sand subsoil to a depth of 0.75 m
from the Roman ground surface (FIG. 3). It seemed to be narrowing slightly as it
approached the entrance, but the butt-end itself must lie below the verge of Perth Road.
On this assumption, the entrance passage was about I8 m wide.
After a layer of dark silty soil had accumulated to a depth of o.I7 m in the ditch
bottom (most of it arriving from the north, and including some large stones), a thin
raft of clean grey clay was laid down, sealing the silt. Next, a bank of reddish brown
sandy clay was set against the south (inner) slope of the ditch, reducing its overall
width to 2.4 m. Further silting now took place until the depth of the ditch had been
reduced to about 0.3 m. At this stage, after the ditch had been largely infilled, a layer
of light cobbling was laid over at least part of the ditch hollow. Subsequently the ditch
had silted up completely, so that no trace of its alignment now remains at ground-
level.
Of the rampartwhich must have accompanied the ditch itself on its south side no certain
trace remained. Further excavation north of the ditch in search of the titulus proved
negative. It must be presumed to lie wholly within Kincladie Wood and below Perth Road.
A trench was also cut on the alignment of the pipeline north of the camp ditch but south of
the titulus, in case there should be any trace of a roadway leading in and out of the camp.
But here, and elsewhere, ploughing had removed any features above the natural clayey
sand subsoil. The excavation yielded no small finds.
The results of the 1988 excavation at Dunning could suggest two distinct phases of use,
with the ditch deliberately narrowed prior to reuse.

EXCAVATIONOF THE WESTERN ENTRANCE, 1992

A planned housing development north of Dunning village and west of Perth Road
presented the opportunity to record by excavation the whole of the western entrance.
Previously, exploratory excavation in this area by St Joseph led him to estimate the width
of this entrance as C. 26 m (85 ft), which contrasts with the maximum of 18 m for the
known northern and southern entrances, the former detailed above and the latter estimated
by analysis of aerial coverage.7 An area of excavation measuring approximately 34 m by
32 m was determined over the position of the western entrance by Historic Scotland,

7 Cited by S.S. Frere in Britannia xx (1989), 269-70.


\

,I,,,Kincladie
/O

I• •
N Wood 7 Lee\

/
I"
"'I,,
i 10/01 "
,

1988 EXCAVATION

1~5

.. .. ..
..#
.1 19 EXCAVATIO

.. .. . .
... .

- ------
.

.....
Dunnng . :.
S .. ..
.. ..

. .. .
. . . . .
'

.
-

.....
.d.:...
.d.s..s..: .

...............?
.......... . ..
. . . . . . . . . . ..... .

...................
...... .

. . . .
II.....II 16
A
. ... .
. . . ... . . alignment?:??::?:: known and t suspected
0
.mp
I'"' ' ' : : : : " ...:• .•.: .•
• • • .:.:••?I???????of
io.......
??:?:
.••• •••...
••• • •:: : : •. . . ••:
992EXAVAIO
500m perimeter ditch of camp??
.. ... ... ... . .. . . .. ....
.... .......•...

FIG.2. The known and suspected outline of Dunningcamp, and the locations of the excavations.
THE ROMAN TEMPORARYCAMP AT DUNNING, PERTHSHIRE
55

S N

---I- i 2 - -oo
Iie
~_-
yl~l-C3 ~ ~ Id/
held
drain
5
3
- 6
- 7

0 1 2 3

FIG. 3. Section of defensive ditch, just east of north gate. Key: I, topsoil; 2, reddish-brown clayey soil; 3, light
greyish-brown silty soil; 4, traces of orange sand; 5, reddish-brownsandy clay; 6, orange sand; 7, thin skin of clean
grey clay; 8, dark silty clay.

which acted as archaeological curator for this project, using aerial photographs.
Excavation revealed a complexity of features not suggested by the aerial photographic
coverage.
The entrance, as defined by a break in the perimeter ditch of the camp, was only
c. 15.5 m wide, and contained no evidence for any gateway structures (FIG. 4). The ditch
of the titulus lay c. II m in front of the entrance, and was c. 14.5 m long. It was
c. 3.3 m wide at the surface, and between 1.2 m and I.6 m deep. In profile it was steep-
sided with a squared slot c. O.2 m-0.25 m deep running along its base (e.g. FIG. 5, A and
B). The deposit cut by the ditch was a mixture of decayed sandstone and sandy subsoil,
and the ditch fills comprised sandy soils of variable coarseness. The layered sequence of
ditch fills indicated gradual infilling, and provided no evidence for recutting. Eleven
joining sherds of a Black-burnished ware (BB2) bowl, with parallels from Antonine
contexts, were recovered from the second fill of the southern terminus (FIG. 5, B). The
unabraded breaks visible on these sherds suggest fragmentation either during or after
deposition in the ditch. A mid-second-century A.D. occupation of Dunning camp is
strongly suggested on the basis of this ceramic evidence.
The perimeter ditch of the camp possessed broadly the same dimensions, profile and fill
characteristics as the ditch of the titulus, with variations most probably the result of
differential truncation of its surface and erosion to its sides. The terminus of the ditch to
the south of the entrance projected into the trench. Two features of note were identified.
Firstly, indefinite signs of recutting occurred in both the termini immediately adjacent to
the entrance, but nowhere else (FIG. 5, C and D). Both possible recuts appeared to have
been c. I m deep and U-shaped in profile, and were made after up to a metre of deposits
had infilled the original cut; the implication is that this recutting occurred substantially
later than the initial construction of the camp and need not be of Roman origin. The upper
eastern edge of the ditch to the north of the entrance may have been slightly widened by
this recutting activity (FIG.5, C). Elsewhere sections indicated that the perimeter ditch had
gradually infilled, as had the titulus, with the eastern bias of a majority of the fills
indicating that degradation of the adjacent rampart provided the main source of material.
Secondly, to the north of the entrance surface, indications that the ditch was continuous
were confounded by the discovery of a deliberate break c. 11.75 m from the entrance (FIG.
4). A rib of undisturbed subsoil o.8 m wide was present at this point, its surface 0.4 m
56 A.J. DUNWELL AND L.J.F. KEPPIE

rib

lniperimeter
ditch
o Om

machine-dug trench

S pebbled surface

titulus i
ii~i~ii~ii~ii.iiiii..i.iiiiii......%
B ....perime.t.e.r.................h/ 'p

A-• ... . . . .
::~.. .......
..p perimeter ditch it
.'ii

FIG.4. The western entrance to Dunning camp: excavation plan showing positions of illustrated sections.

beneath the preserved surface of the ditch, which narrowed noticeably from 3.o0m to 2.0 m
wide at this point. A shallow squared slot, measuring c. 0.25 m wide and no more than
o.15 m deep, ran across the surface of'the rib. This feature conceivably represents a
bedding trench for a timber structure of unascertained form.
In addition to the defences of the camp, the discovery of a trackway running towards the
entrance of the camp from the south-west was of particular interest (FIG. 4). It comprised a
hollow up to 0.4 m deep and 5.3 m wide beside the southern end of the titulus. This
hollow tapered gently as it approached the camp entrance and disappeared as it passed
THE ROMAN TEMPORARYCAMP AT DUNNING, PERTHSHIRE
57

E E

charcoal

pottery.....

WE
E W

C D

0
o 2m
2m

E SE NW

0 2m
I, L

FIG.5. Dunning camp, western entrance; selected sections.

through. Towards the edge of the trench two superimposed pebble surfaces separated by a
o.I m deep layer of earth were revealed within the hollow (FIG.5, E). The lower was 3.6 m
wide and split by a central raised spine of subsoil. The upper surface survived only in a
band o.8 m wide, and appeared truncated. Further excavation revealed, however, that these
surfaces were not consistently present. The existence of this hollow may reflect heavy
usage, such as a campaigning army might provide, with the superimposition of surfaces
suggesting that this usage was repeated. However, a sherd of green-glazed pottery,
probably of sixteenth-/seventeenth-century origin, was recovered from sandy soil sealing
the surfaces within the hollow, and suggests a post-Roman, and possibly post-medieval,
origin for the trackway.
Only two further features were excavated for which a modern origin was not
immediately apparent (FIG. 4). A pit in the south-east corner of the trench contained no
artefacts; its humic fill was very similar to the modern ploughsoil. A rectilinear depression
measuring 2.I m by I.o m by 0.25 m deep lay to the west of the titulus. This contained
dense lenses of charcoal but no artefacts, and its function is unknown.
58 A.J. DUNWELL AND L.J.F. KEPPIE

Evaluation
The identified width of 15.5 m for the western entrance to the camp is more in accord with
the estimates of 18 m maximum for the other identified entrances than St Joseph's
previous estimate of c. 26 m for the western. It is likely that the break in the perimeter
ditch to the north of the entrance was identified by St Joseph as the northern side of the
camp entrance: the distance of c. 27.25 m between this break and the southern edge of the
camp entrance is consistent with such an explanation.8
The break in the perimeter ditch is better explained as an original design
characteristic than as the result of a secondary narrowing of the entrance to the camp.
A number of factors justify this interpretation. Apart from there being no obvious
reason why such a break would have been retained with any subsequent extension of
the ditch, there was no evidence for an accompanying narrowing of the titulus. Had the
perimeter ditch been extended, then the titulus would logically be a secondary
construction covering the narrowed entrance, which would thus have been unprotected
in its wider, primary form. The presence of the squared slot suggests that the upper
surface of the break in the ditch was utilised, whether or not the break was deliberately
left with this purpose in mind. A similar break in the perimeter ditch has been observed
at the III-acre camp at Ythan Wells, where its location beside the intersection of a
ditch of an earlier Stracathro-type camp led the excavator to suggest that its function
was to prevent water seepage from the old ditch into the new.9 This explanation is
context-specific, and need not be applicable to the example at Dunning; other
explanations, such as a working division between two gangs engaged in the
construction of the camp defences, are possible. Examination of a larger sample of this
type of feature is required for a general evaluation of their possible functions to be
made.
The conclusion that the trackway is of post-Roman origin need not elicit surprise. The
surviving section of the camp defences in Kincladie Wood provides sure evidence that the
camp was not levelled on abandonment by the Roman army. Macfarlane's description
from 1723 of a '. .. trench ... to the North East of Dunning . . in a level Muir.. .' which
was '. . . capable to contain several thousands of men . ..' most probably refers to the
Roman camp, and suggests that the perimeter defences were still largely traceable at this
time.10 In this context it is likely that traffic continued to be channelled through the
entrances to the camp long after its abandonment by the Roman army, even if the access
provided was no more than between adjacent fields. It is probably not simply coincidence
that Perth Road passes through the known northern camp entrance. The putative recutting
of the perimeter ditch termini on either side of the entrance after they had become
substantially infilled may relate to this continuing use of the camp entrance. It is evident
from the route of the track that the ditches of the camp were open to a depth sufficient to
require avoidance.

8 J.K.S. St Joseph, pers. comm.


9 J.K.S. St Joseph, Britannia i (1970), 176-7, where the possibility of further examples identified on aerial
photographsis mentioned, but for which confirmationby excavation is necessary.
10 W. Macfarlane, Geographical Collections Relating to Scotland I (1748), 121, ed. A. Mitchell (19o6). The
origin of the 'trench' as a military camp is there recognised, but is misidentified as being a medieval
construction.
THE ROMAN TEMPORARYCAMP AT DUNNING, PERTHSHIRE
59

O 5cm

FIG.6. Coarse ware vessel from Dunning camp, western entrance. Scale 1:2.

Roman Pottery By G.D. Thomas


The group of eleven joining sherds from the titulus forms part of a Roman Black-
burnished ware (BB2) bowl of the cooking-vessel type (FIG. 6).11 Its hard, fine fabric with
distinct colour changes between the core and the wall, and its smooth surface finish,
indicate a treatment of the clay and a firing technique which are characteristic of the BB2
potteries. The form of the vessel, with its fairly straight sides, low carination, and rolled or
down-turned rim, is also within the BB2 repertoire.
Gillam's12 initial classification of this type (Gillam, No. 225), from examples at
Corbridge, had placed its appearance in the latter part of the second century A.D. However,
in Scotland its appearance is earlier and can be tied in to the Antonine advance. The
general type of bowl to which the Dunning vessel belongs has parallels in bowls from the
'destruction' deposit sealed in the westernmost ditch below the Antonine II re-occupation
at Mumrills.13 It is, therefore, a type datable to as early as the first Antonine occupation of
the A.D. I40s. Its overall characteristics also compare well with examples found in all
phases at the Antonine I-II vicus site of Inveresk,14 although on the Dunning example the
diameter differs from these, and the lattice is lacking. An almost identical example comes
from the 1957-6I excavations at Rough Castle (No. 184)'1which is a BB2 bowl of similar
shape and equally devoid of surface markings.

" Eleven sherds (joining) of a BB2 bowl in a fine, hard reddish/grey fabric with a dark grey core, with many tiny
quartzite grains. The surface, both inside and out, has been burnished to a smooth but dull black finish, with grey
patches on the interior.There are no indications of a diagonal lattice finish. Traces of a black encrustationstill adhere
in places, mainly below the rim. The vessel is a bowl (c. 200 mm diameter, 4-5 mm thickness) with gently sloping
sides with a slight outward bulge, a distinct rolled rim, and a marked carinationjust at the base. All breaks appearto
be fresh with no indication of wear or erosion. In places the surface has broken off in small sheets, separating entirely
from the core.
12 J.P. Gillam, Types of Roman Coarse Pottery Vessels in Northern Britain (2nd edn, 1968), 23, 63.
13 K.A. Steer, PSAS xciv (1961), II8, nos 38-42.
14 G.D. Thomas, PSAS cxviii (1988), 139-76, nos 1.99 and I.III.
15 I. MacIvor, M.C. Thomas and D.J. Breeze, PSAS cx (1980), 255.
60 A.J. DUNWELL AND L.J.F. KEPPIE

In addition to this vessel, a small undiagnostic sherd from a more roughly made and
thicker vessel was recovered from the third fill at the southern terminus of the titulus (FIG.
5, B).

THE DATE AND STRUCTURAL HISTORYOF THE CAMP16

The Dunning vessel is of broadly mid-second-century A.D. date. Although the reliability
of dating camps from small amounts of pottery has been questioned,17 this ceramic
evidence has intriguing implications for the category of camp in which Dunning has been
grouped. The date is in direct contrast to that determined for Abernethy, in that instance
from a single tiny sherd of pottery,18and given that the two camps have been treated as a
pair and used as one of the benchmarks for studying the Agricolan campaigns in Scotland,
this apparently contradictory dating requires some rationalisation. Two possible
explanations may account for the evidence from Dunning:-

Hypothesis A, that Dunning camp is a mid-second-century A.D. foundation; or


Hypothesis B, that the pottery from Dunning indicates a mid-second-century A.D., most
likely Antonine, reuse of a Flavian foundation.
Neither explanation can be dismissed on archaeological evidence alone, and it is worth
briefly considering these alternatives.19

Acceptance of Hypothesis A has two possible consequences. Firstly, any suggestion that
Dunning and Abernethy are chronologically distinct would undermine many of the
established principles by which temporary camps have been analysed to date. The chance
presence of closely-spaced camps of almost identical size and very similar morphology at
different dates is highly unlikely. That Dunning, Abernethy, and also Carpow, if its
inclusion in this group is confirmed in the future, are second-century A.D. foundations
appears equally unlikely given the published date of the Abernethy sherd.
Some support for Hypothesis B derives from the discovery of the Dunning pottery from
towards the top of the second fill of the titulus. Its context cannot therefore be cited as
evidence that the pottery accurately reflects the date of construction of the camp. By
contrast the late first-century A.D. pottery from Abernethy was recovered from silt towards
the base of a ditch section, a contextual association which provides a more reliable, but
not incontrovertible, indication of the date of construction of the camp.
However, acceptance of Hypothesis B has to be accompanied by caveats which have
wider implications for the study of temporary camps as a whole. These stem from the lack
of consistent or secure evidence from either aerial photography or excavation for
structural modification to the camp at Dunning on its reoccupation. Definition of the
perimeter ditch is in places poor on aerial photographic coverage. Any evidence for
alteration to the basic outline to the camp, whether by reduction or enlargement, has yet to
be clearly identified, although St Joseph noted vague cropmarks, as yet not confirmed by

This section of the reportwas written by one of the authors(AJD).


16

W.S. Hanson, PSAS cix (1978), 143.


17
18 Despite widespread enquiry the currentwhereaboutsof this sherd could unfortunatelynot be determined.
19 The unprovable assumption underlying the following discussion is that the presence of the pottery does reflect
Roman military occupation of the camps at Dunning and Abernethy,as opposed to, for example, native activity.
THE ROMAN TEMPORARYCAMP AT DUNNING, PERTHSHIRE 61
excavation, which conceivably represent the perimeter of a smaller, secondary camp set
within the north-east corner of the known camp.20 There is no evidence, however, to
suggest that the western entrance was incorporated within a smaller, secondary camp. The
possible recutting of the perimeter ditch termini at this entrance provides discontinuous
evidence of dubious antiquity for structural modification, and the trackway leading to the
entrance of the camp is apparently of post-Roman origin. Possible evidence for structural
alteration to Dunning camp was identified by the 1988 excavation beside the northern
entrance, where the ditch may have been deliberately narrowed after a shallow depth of
silt had formed in its base. However, simply to interpret this as indicating a gap of at least
sixty years, in support of a Flavian foundation and a second-century reoccupation, would
be unjustifiable and inappropriate.21 The variation between the V-shaped profile of the
perimeter ditch at the western entrance and U-shaped beside the northern may result in
some way from discontinuous recutting: more excavation of the perimeter ditch in the
camp's north-west quadrant would be required to clarify this matter.
Acceptance of Hypothesis B carries with it therefore the possibility that Dunning was
reused some sixty years or more after its establishment, but with no consistent or readily
recognisable physical alteration to its perimeter defences on reoccupation. Within
Scotland a large number of camps appear to have been either modified on reuse, by
enlargement or reduction, or replaced entirely by new camps built on the same site. The
'invisible' reoccupation of a camp for which no evidence of structural modification can
be seen from the air or consistently detected from the physical remains is a further
possibility which must be considered for other temporary camps. How widespread this
practice was is a matter of conjecture. Hanson has proposed that, in general, required
camp capacity, the desire to save time and effort, and in the short term sanitation were
probably significant factors which determined whether, and in what manner, the site of an
existing camp was reoccupied.22 At Dunning these factors, when combined with the
archaeological evidence, may suggest that, on reoccupation, the camp's defences were
largely serviceable, and did not require a thorough overhaul, although on what basis this
particular decision was taken is unknowable. Whether the available evidence can be
taken to suggest that the camp was reused by a force comparable in size to that for which
it was originally built is beyond the scope of presently available evidence. Such issues
are perhaps better studied in a general consideration of camp capacity rather than in a
particularist manner.
In situations such as Dunning it may only be artefacts recovered by excavation which
indicate otherwise undetectable structural complexity. On the basis of the evidence
accumulated, it would have been unacceptable to propose a second-century (re)occupation
of the camp without discovery of the pottery at the western entrance, given the dating

20 J.K.S. St
Joseph, pers. comm.
21 The time gap between the
original cut and recut of the perimeter ditch cannot be estimated simply from the
depth of fill present between the two. The dangers of such inferences are highlighted by previous dating of the two
intercuttingcamps at Ythan Wells, the amount of silting which formed in the earlier camp ditch prior to its deliberate
infilling with the construction of the later camp here being in question. St Joseph, op. cit. (note io), 177, suggested
Flavian and Severan dates for the two camps, whereas later, op. cit. (note 3), 232, both camps were suggested as
Flavian on the basis of the same evidence. In both cases it was recognised that the time interval between the camps
could not be judged by the depth of silt present, as its rate of formation was inestimable. (This example was
previously cited by Hanson, op. cit. (note 6), 131.)
22
Hanson, op. cit (note 17), 141-2.
62 A.J. DUNWELL AND L.J.F. KEPPIE

evidence from Abernethy and the lack of coherent structural evidence for reuse. This is
effectively no more than a reiteration of the much used adage that absence of evidence is
not evidence of absence. At the very least, the inconsistent evidence from Dunning
demands that the excavation of multiple ditch sections is required before a representative
structural sequence can be established. The discovery of artefacts in future excavations at
Roman camps, including Dunning, can be expected to provide both clarifications and
surprises.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The excavation in 1988 was financed by the Historic Buildings and Monuments Directorate of the
Scottish Development Department(now Historic Scotland), and Dr Keppie is grateful to Dr D.J. Breeze
for being invited to supervise the work. Mr King of British Gas Scotland was most helpful and co-
operative throughout,as was the landowner Mr Robertson of Nether Fordun, Aberuthven. Mr J.J. Walker
acted as assistant supervisor during the excavation. Excavation in 1992 was undertakenby the Centre for
Field Archaeology (CFA) under the terms of scheduled monument consent. The project was financed by
A. & J. Stephen (Builders) Ltd of Perth, whose co-operation throughout the project is gratefully
acknowledged. The excavation was supervised by Mr R. Strachan.
Both authorswere assisted greatly by details of previous work provided by the late Professor J.K.S. St
Joseph. Mr G.S. Maxwell of RCAHMS provided aerial photographsand other assistance. Dr D.J. Breeze,
of Historic Scotland, and Dr I.B.M. Ralston kindly commented upon an earlier draft of this paper. FIGS
I-2 and 4-5 of this report were produced by Mr M.D. Wilson, FIG.3 by Mr D.B. Gallagher, and FIG.6
by Mr G.D. Thomas. While thanks are due to the above, responsibility for the final form of this paper
rests with the authorsand the Centre for Field Archaeology.

Centrefor Field Archaeology, University of Edinburgh (A.J.D.)


Hunterian Museum, University of Glasgow (L.J.F.K.)
This paper is published with the aid of a grant from Historic Scotland

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