CRAMOND		Quality of Remains
		Ease of Access
		Atmosphere & Setting

History:

Cramond is the site not only of a fort and it's associated vicus or civilian settlement, but is almost certainly the site of a harbour. Evidence dates the construction of Cramond to the Antonine period (somewhere around 140 AD). This may indicate planning in connection with Antoninus Pius' advance into Scotland and the building of the Antonine wall and, given the fort's position on the coast, that Cramond was a supply base for the nearby wall in much the same way South Shields served Hadrian's wall in the Severan period. Indeed, during that Severan advance into Scotland in 208/209 AD, Cramond was repaired and reorganised as a campaign base, despite no repair work being carried out on the Antonine wall forts themselves.

Occupation:

Building inscriptions found at Cramond point to its builders being the Second Augusta Legion, based at Caerleon in Wales but attested repeatedly on Hadrian's wall and the Antonine wall during building and repair work. An auxiliary Cohort of Gauls and one of German Tungri are also attested here in inscriptions, though dates for their occupation are unclear.

Remains and Visit:

There is very little consolidated stonework to see at Cramond, namely the wall of one of the Severan workshops that happens to run alongside a path in the park behind the church. However, the outlines of a number of buildings have been marked out on the ground and it is not difficult to mentally assemble the fort's plan as you wander around. One corner of the fort wall is visible as a raised bank, but only if you're specifically looking for it. Cramond is worth visiting only as a local detour, though the small village is picturesque in its own right.

Images:

Principia	Barrack Wall	Granary	Aerial view (c/o Google Earth)