Normandykes (Grid Reference: NO 830994) is the site of a Roman
marching camp to the southwest of
Peterculter
Peterculter , also known as Culter, is an outer suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, about from the city centre. It lies on the north bank of the River Dee, Aberdeenshire, River Dee, at its confluence with the Culter Burn. Following the Local Governm ...
,
City of Aberdeen,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. The near-rectangular site, measuring approximately , covers about of the summit and eastern slopes of a hill overlooking the
River Dee and the
B9077 road further south.
Aerial photographs for Normandykes have been archived between 1947 and 1976. The camp is about , or less than half a day's march, north of the
Raedykes camp. It is possible that the actual route taken would have entailed one day's march, over a route likely chosen to avoid the
Red Moss, a virtually uncrossable
bog
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...
near the present day village of
Netherley.
Normandykes was first mentioned as ''Norman's Dyke'' and interpreted as a Danish Camp in 1795, but then corrected in the New Statistical Account of 1845 as Roman.
The camp was first excavated in the year 1935 by
Richmond and MacIntyre; construction is thought to date to the
Antonine or
Severan periods.
The site is designated a
scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...
.
See also
*
Raedykes
*
Balbridie
*
Crynoch Burn
*
Deers Den
*
Glenmailen
*
Leuchar Burn
*
Maryculter House
*
Ythan Wells
Ythan Wells, also known as Glenmailen, is the site of a Castra, Roman military camp, near the farm of Glenmellan, east of the village of Ythanwells in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The site is a designated scheduled monument.
Traces of two marchi ...
*
Muiryfold
Muiryfold was one of the Roman Scotland, Roman fortifications built by Septimius Severus in northern Caledonia (modern-day Scotland). The site is located east of keith, Moray, Keith in Moray.
Discovery and excavation
The site was discovered by ...
References
Archaeological sites in Aberdeenshire
Roman fortified camps in Scotland
Scheduled monuments in Aberdeen
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