Two Roman camp sites sit on Black Hill within the military landscape around Ardoch. Black Hill Roman Camps are Roman marching camps, temporary fortified enclosures for troops on campaign, built along the Gask Ridge during Septimius Severus’s re-conquest of Scotland.
The camps matter because they add to the dense Roman complex centred on Ardoch. The source is brief, but it places Black Hill in a wider chain of military works rather than as an isolated camp site.
What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.
The name
A Roman marching camp was a temporary defended camp used by an army while moving through hostile or controlled territory.
History
Black Hill Roman Camps are two Roman camps in Perth and Kinross.
They form part of an extensive complex of Roman military sites centred around the fort at Ardoch.
The camps were built along the Gask Ridge during the re-conquest of Scotland by Septimius Severus.
The camp site is recorded north of Ardoch Roman Fort in Braco.
People
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Portrait: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain Septimius Severus
Roman emperor whose re-conquest campaign is linked with the camps in the source.
What to look for
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Paired camps
The site comprises two camps rather than a single enclosure.
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Ardoch setting
Black Hill should be understood as part of the broader Ardoch military landscape.
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Gask Ridge line
The camps belong to the chain of Roman sites along the Gask Ridge.
Plan your visit
- Location
- 56.2764°N · 3.8758°W
- Access
- Open access
- Terrain
- Moderate walking
Opening & admission
- Roman camp sites north of Ardoch Roman Fort.
- The source does not confirm visible remains or public access.
Nearby places
Building or ruin · Medieval
Tullibardine Chapel
Perth and Kinross
A large part of the chapel dates to 1446, when it was built by Sir David Murray, Baron of Tullibardine, of Tullibardine Castle, as a family chapel…
- Near Auchterarder
- 1 min walk from car park
Questions people ask
- What are Black Hill Roman Camps?
- They are two Roman marching camps near Ardoch in Perth and Kinross.
- What is a marching camp?
- It is a temporary fortified enclosure used by Roman troops while on campaign.
- How are the camps connected to Ardoch?
- They are part of an extensive Roman military complex centred around Ardoch Roman Fort.
- Who was Septimius Severus?
- He was a Roman emperor whose Scottish re-conquest campaign is linked with these camps.
- Where are they in relation to Ardoch?
- The source places the camp site north of Ardoch Roman Fort in Braco.
Sources
Explore more: Fortified places · Roman · Perth and Kinross
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