Elginhaugh

Elginhaugh Roman Fort was a Roman fort of the 1st century AD, located in Midlothian, Scotland. Elginhaugh is the most completely excavated timber-built auxiliary fort in the Roman Empire. The site of the Flavian (1st century) fort lies 1 km to the west of the modern town of Dalkeith, south-east of Edinburgh. The fort, discovered in 1979 by aerial reconnaissance, takes its name from the nearby hamlet of Elginhaugh. It was fully excavated, along with much of its large annexe, during 1986-87 by Dr William Hanson. The excavation confirmed the broad consistency of auxiliary fort plans (in terms of general layout and the identification of specific building types), but highlighted their individual uniqueness in relation to plan detail. Of particular importance, in relation to the traditional interpretation of fort plans, is the recognition that it was the norm to house horses and men together in stable-barracks, whose number and disposition indicate that the fort cannot have housed any single standard unit, and was probably occupied by a vexillation of cavalry. Extensive examination of the annexe highlights the ancillary, probably military, character of the activities taking place there and emphasises, in contrast with the fort, substantive changes in use over a relatively short time-span.