Ythan Wells, also known as
Glenmailen, is a Roman Camp site situated near the farm of Glenmellan, east of the village of
YthanwellsYthanwells is a village in the Marr area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, lying east of Huntly. The village is sometimes known as Wells of Ythan, although this name strictly refers to the nearby source of the River Ythan....
in
AberdeenshireAberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives...
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Traces of two marching camps have been found at the site. The larger camp, covering some was discovered in 1785 by Col. Alex Shand. A smaller camp, extending to and partially overlapping the area of the first, was discovered by J. K. St Joseph in 1968. This smaller camp predates the larger and has been dated to the campaigns of
AgricolaGnaeus Julius Agricola was a Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. His biography, the De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae, was the first published work of his son-in-law, the historian Tacitus, and is the source for most of what is known about him.- Early life...
.
The site is situated at the headwaters of the
River YthanThe Ythan is a river in the north-east of Scotland rising at Wells of Ythan near the village of Ythanwells and flowing south-eastwards through the towns of Fyvie, Methlick and Ellon before flowing into the North Sea near Newburgh, in Formartine...
, where a series of natural springs supplies potable water, that was convenient for the large marching camp installed here by the Romans in the first few centuries AD.
The Roman legions established a chain of very large forts at Ardoch, Strageath,
InchtuthilInchtuthil is the name of a large, well-preserved Roman castrum on the banks of the River Tay near Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross, Scotland.It was built in 83 AD as the advance headquarters for the forces of general Gnaeus Julius Agricola who had been steadily fighting his way north from Chester...
,
BattledykesBattledykes is a Roman Camp established slightly to the north of Forfar, Scotland. According to Hector Boece, Pictish chiefs met at a castle by Forfar Loch to plan how to repel the Roman armies, who invaded several times between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. Eventually the better equipped Romans...
,
StracathroStracatho is a small place in Angus, Scotland,-Location:Stracatho is located 2½ miles southeast of Edzell in NE Angus. It lies to the northeast of Brechin on the A90.-History:...
and
Raedykes.Raedykes is the site of a Roman marching camp located just over 3 miles NW of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. National Grid Reference NO 842902...
, taking the
Elsick MounthThe Elsick Mounth is an ancient trackway crossing the Grampian Mountains in the vicinity of Netherley, Scotland. This trackway was one of the few means of traversing the Grampian Mounth area in prehistoric and medieval times. The highest pass of the route is attained within the Durris Forest...
on the way to
NormandykesNormandykes is the site of a Roman marching camp 1 mile to the SE of Peterculter, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The near-rectangular site covers about 106 acres of the summit and eastern slopes of a hill overlooking the River Dee and the B9077 road further south...
, thence proceeding to the northerly camps of
Deers DenDeers Den is an archaeological site at Kintore, Scotland in Aberdeenshire. The site has mesolithic remains, Iron Age artefacts and is a known Roman Camp. This site is partially disturbed and developed by the western part of Kintore itself. The site is associated with the Severan invasion, ca...
and Glenmailen.