The Roman fortress at Carpow, Perthshire, was excavated in 1961–62 and 1964–79. The gates of the fortress are the key to our understanding of its occupational history. The suggestion made here is that they were initially constructed in timber, at the same time as the associated turf rampart, but were soon replaced in stone specifically to support heavy dedication slabs set above them. A new arrangement of the surviving inscribed fragments at the East Gate is proposed, and new readings adopted, which confirm their traditional Severan dating. The Supplementary Material which includes detailed descriptions of the fragments and possible restorations is available at https://doi.org/10.1017/S0068113X19000138.

Restormel fort is a small square, bivallate earthwork located on a spur above the River Fowey in Cornwall. In 2007 a geophysical survey was carried out which showed very clearly that the site was in fact a Roman fort and closely similar in size and in the position of its entrances to Nanstallon, until then the only known Roman fort in Cornwall. The position of these two forts has prompted speculation that they were located strategically to control movement both north–south along the rivers and east–west overland along the central Cornwall ridgeway. The proximity of both sites to significant deposits of metals suggests that the role of the forts may also be linked to the Roman interest in minerals.

This paper presents the results of a series of geophysical surveys of Roman forts and their environs carried out by the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust. An almost complete plan of the early wooden fort at Llanfor has been produced. Its densely-packed interior demonstrates heavy garrisoning, probably during very early Flavian campaigning. The small square auxiliary fort of Caer Llugwy has been shown to be a contraction of a larger rectangular fort. Surveys at Pennal, Caer Gai, and Canovium revealed a wide range of extramural development including vici in the form of ribbon development.