Castle Greg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Castle Greg |
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| West Lothian, Scotland, UK | |
Site of Castle Greg Roman fortlet
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 Castle Greg
Location in Scotland West Lothian
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| Coordinates | 55°49′10″N 3°34′05″W / 55.819444°N 3.568056°W |
Castle Greg is a really old Roman fortlet in Scotland, near a place called West Calder in West Lothian. It's not a big castle with tall walls anymore, but you can still see the remains of where a small Roman fort used to be! This site is a cool place to visit if you're interested in ancient history.
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What is Castle Greg?
Castle Greg is a small Roman fortlet, which means it was a mini-fort. It's less than an acre in size, which is smaller than a football field! It's one of the best-preserved Roman earthworks (structures made from moving earth) in Scotland. People first started digging here to learn more about it in the 1800s. Sir Daniel Wilson led some of the first digs in 1852.
Exploring the Fortlet's Defenses
The fortlet was built to protect itself. It had two deep ditches around it. These ditches were like big moats, probably about 15 feet deep! Behind the ditches, there was a rectangular rampart. A rampart is a raised bank of earth. Even today, parts of this rampart are still about five feet high. When the fortlet was in use, it would have been much taller.
On top of the rampart, there was a strong wooden palisade. This was a fence made of tall, pointed wooden stakes, probably at least ten feet high. Imagine how hard it would have been to get past all that! There was also a walkway along the palisade, so Roman soldiers could patrol and keep watch. The fortlet had an entrance on its eastern side, which probably had a wooden tower above it.
Inside the Fortlet
Not much is left of the inside of Castle Greg today, but we know what it would have looked like. There were two rows of barracks, which are buildings where soldiers lived. Between these barracks, there was a well for water. There would also have been a stable block for horses. When archaeologists dug inside in 1852, they found pieces of pottery from the well. This helps us learn about what life was like for the Roman soldiers.
Why Was Castle Greg Built?
Castle Greg was most likely a lookout point. It helped the Romans keep an eye on an important east-west road. This road ran along the bottom of the nearby Pentland Hills, connecting the River Forth to the River Clyde.
Even though the fortlet doesn't have great long-distance views today because of trees, it was different in the 1st century AD. Back then, the area wasn't covered in forests. This meant that the soldiers at Castle Greg could see far away, even all the way to the Fife coastline and the mountains beyond! It was a perfect spot for monitoring movement and keeping the Roman roads safe.
The Name Castle Greg
The name Castle Greg might come from a Roman name, Camulosessa Præsidium. This name is linked to a nearby place called Camilty. Camilty itself comes from Camulos Tref, which means "village of Camulos". Camulos was a Celtic god of war, so it makes sense that a fortlet might be named after him!
