Ardoch fort

Alauna (?)
Entranceway to the fort
Ardoch Roman Fort shown within Perth and Kinross
Known also as	Ardoch Roman Fort
Province	Britannia?
Coordinates	56°16′04″N 3°52′31″W / 56.2678°N 3.8753°W / 56.2678; -3.8753
Town	Crieff
County	Perth and Kinross
Country	Scotland
UK-OSNG reference	NN839099

Ardoch Roman Fort is an archaeological site just outside the village of Braco in Perthshire, Scotland, about 7 miles south of Crieff.

At Ardoch are the remains of a Roman fort and several marching camps which included a signal tower. Part of the Roman Gask Ridge, it is said to be one of the most complete Roman camps in Britain, and is one of the best-preserved series of Roman military earthworks in the whole Empire. It is protected as a scheduled monument.

The remains consist of grass-covered earthworks, and are considered among the best preserved Roman earthworks in Britain. The site, which has a complex history, comprises two intersecting forts. The earliest fort is believed to be associated with the campaigns of Agricola (1st century). The later fort was apparently reconstructed within two outer ditches so that this later fort was protected by five ditches on both the east and north sides.

The field to the north is the remnant of a large annexe. Archaeology has demonstrated the existence of a watch-tower (or signal tower) and at least six overlapping marching camps to the north and northeast.

Ardoch was one of a chain of camps separated by one-day marches in a generally north-south direction. Other Roman camps in this chain include Strageath, Inchtuthil, Battledykes, Stracathro, Raedykes and thence taking the Elsick Mounth to Normandykes.

The fort has sometimes been identified with the "Alauna" mentioned in Ptolemy's Geography. Ptolemy placed Alauna in the area occupied by the Damnonii tribe, and the name may be associated with the River Allan which flows about one mile to the south of the fort. However the identification of Ardoch with Alauna is considered tentative.