91Èȱ¬

Roman wooden pulley system

Contributed by The Hunterian

Roman wooden pulley system

This Roman wooden pulley system was found at Bar Hill Roman Fort, Strathclyde, Scotland and was picked by Christina Gilfedder, second year student at the University of Glasgow (Single Honours Archaeology). Christina writes - As most organic material does not survive Scotland's acidic soils, this oak pulley block is an exceptionally well-preserved artefact from the Roman occupation in Scotland. Excavation at Bar Hill fort in 1936 uncovered this object within the Roman Headquarter courtyard well and therefore, it can be relatively dated to between AD 142-180. Bar Hill fort was built in a fantastic strategic location facing north into the Kelvin valley and it was one of the many forts which formed part of the northern Roman frontier. This frontier can be seen today in the expansive presence of the Antonine Wall which was an immense undertaking and which required engineering technology. Therefore, it is believed that this simple pulley block was a component of lifting machines, which would have helped the Roman army of occupation to build their immensely imposing and important structures in the Scottish landscape.

Comments are closed for this object

Share this link:

Most of the content on A History of the World is created by the contributors, who are the museums and members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the 91Èȱ¬ or the British Museum. The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site’s House Rules please Flag This Object.

About this object

Click a button to explore other objects in the timeline

Location

Bar Hill Roman Fort

Culture
Period

second century AD

Theme
Size
H:
50cm
W:
15cm
Colour
Material

View more objects from people in Glasgow and West of Scotland.

Find out more

Podcast

91Èȱ¬ iD

91Èȱ¬ navigation

91Èȱ¬ © 2014 The 91Èȱ¬ is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.