Description

The monument is a fort with main enclosures measuring 100m by 65m over a wall generally about 3m thick, increasing to 6m across on the west side near the entrance. An annexe defined by a wall about 2.5m thick abuts the main enclosure to the south west. Further to the south west are a rampart and a slight ditch. A post medieval structure occupies much of the annexe.

The fort is a good field monument. The relationship of the main enclosure to the annexe, and the thickening of the main defensive wall at the entrance are features of considerable importance. It also has considerable interest in its positioning on a commanding hill in the mouth of a side valley of the Tay, controlling access to the heavily settled upper parts of the valley. Castle Dow is part of a clearly defined riverine distribution of forts along the upper Tay extending north-westward the distribution of the Strathmore forts. To the north west again there is a dense concentration of duns and an absence of forts.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

Castle Dow is of importance to the study of relationships between duns and forts in East Scotland, and study of tribal boundaries in the second century AD. Nearby lies Inchtuthill, the Roman fortress, making it likely that there will be traces surviving of the relationship between Roman and native in the late first century AD. The appending of an annexe to the fort seems most likely to reflect dark age occupation. The fort as a whole is likely to have been occupied in the early medieval period and should have considerable importance in helping define the relationships between the northern and southern Picts in the early medieval period.

It is thus of national importance to studies of social and defensive organisation in the Iron Age, to relationships between Roman and native, and to dark age studies.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NN95SW 14.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland