Beckett, C., Snyder, J., Gardner, T., Russell, B., Romankiewicz, T. and Bailey, G. B. (2022). ‘Another wall of turf’. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 151. Vol 151, Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. pp. 103-141.
 Title The title of the publication or report |
‘Another wall of turf’ | ||||
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Subtitle The sub title of the publication or report |
geoarchaeological analysis of the Antonine Wall at 72 Grahamsdyke Street, Laurieston, Falkirk | ||||
Issue The name of the volume or issue |
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 151 | ||||
Series The series the publication or report is included in |
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland | ||||
Volume Volume number and part |
151 | ||||
Page Start/End The start and end page numbers. |
103 - 141 | ||||
Downloads Any files associated with the publication or report that can be downloaded from the ADS |
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Licence Type ADS, CC-BY 4.0 or CC-BY 4.0 NC. |
ADS Terms of Use and Access
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Publication Type The type of publication - report, monograph, journal article or chapter from a book |
Journal | ||||
Abstract The abstract describing the content of the publication or report |
Excavation of a well-preserved stretch of the rampart of the Antonine Wall east of Watling Lodge, at Laurieston, allowed for the first micromorphological study of its earthen building materials. This revealed that the rampart core, as well as the cheeks, were constructed in well layered courses of turf blocks – but sourced from different grasslands. The evidence differs from macroscopic observations made at other sections in this area where the rampart material had been interpreted as representing a loose earth core with clay cheeks. Our results show that even when the characteristic striped sections indicative of turf are not visible in the field, thin-section analysis can confirm the use of intact soil blocks with the remains of grassed surfaces. It now seems possible that the visible variation between materials in the eastern and western sectors of the Antonine Wall may simply be due to different types of turf used, varying in subsoil composition and topsoil formation, and representing differences in landscape management and survival of vegetation. Combined with macroscopic field recording to identify Roman building practices, our analysis of this section at Laurieston also shows the care that was taken to construct a level, well-draining base for the rampart to avoid slumping and moisture build-up. Further excavations and thin-section analysis elsewhere along the Wall are now needed to confirm whether turf was more extensively used than so far anticipated for the eastern sector and whether the Antonine Wall could possibly have been built completely of turf. Such conclusions would suggest a much more standardised construction process and more extensive grassland exploitation than considered up until now. While our results demonstrate the importance of micromorphological analysis for understanding this earthen UNESCO World Heritage site, our interdisciplinary approach may also have wider relevance for research on linear earthworks in different geographical and chronological settings. | ||||
Year of Publication The year the book, article or report was published |
2022 | ||||
Locations Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published. |
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Source Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in. |
ADS Archive
(ADS Archive)
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Relations Other resources which are relevant to this publication or report |
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Created Date The date the record of the pubication was first entered |
18 Jan 2023 |
