Cookies

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. By continuing to browse this repository, you give consent for essential cookies to be used. You can read more about our Privacy and Cookie Policy.


Durham e-Theses
You are in:

Facing the Enemy: An Examination of the Location, Intervisibility, Orientation & Interconnectivity of Flavian Fortifications in Roman Scotland

TIBBS, ANDREW,NEIL (2021) Facing the Enemy: An Examination of the Location, Intervisibility, Orientation & Interconnectivity of Flavian Fortifications in Roman Scotland. Doctoral thesis, Durham University.

Full text not available from this repository.
Author-imposed embargo until 05 February 2026.
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 (CC BY).

Abstract

This thesis is a spatial analysis of Roman fortifications originating in Scotland during the Flavian period, defined as AD 77-86/90. It is a quantitative investigation of the positioning, the intervisibility, the orientation, and the interconnectivity of these fortifications, comparing them with similar arrangements from elsewhere in the Roman Empire. In examining these sites, it combines mapping data and remote sensing technologies, along with archaeological evidence in an extensive GIS database, and takes a systematic approach to the analysis of the immediate and wider landscapes surrounding the fortifications.

This investigation demonstrates that Flavian fortifications in Scotland, were almost always located near bodies of water, as well as positions which enabled visual control of movement through the landscape, while those located on the coast may also have controlled access to the river networks and those fortifications located further upstream.

The thesis concludes that the military strategy in Flavian Scotland was not to block all movement through the landscape as such a strategy would have been impossible in such a varied landscape, but rather to enable visual control of the main corridors of movement through the Roman frontier-zone.

Item Type:Thesis (Doctoral)
Award:Doctor of Philosophy
Keywords:Roman, Archaeology, GIS, Scotland, Roman Frontiers, Caledonia, Flavian, Spatial Analysis, QGIS
Faculty and Department:Faculty of Social Sciences and Health > Archaeology, Department of
Thesis Date:2021
Copyright:Copyright of this thesis is held by the author
Deposited On:16 Feb 2021 10:22

Social bookmarking: del.icio.usConnoteaBibSonomyCiteULikeFacebookTwitter