My obsession with maps ... it's all so last century

I've been reading two key articles by Sir George Macdonald published in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland about his excavations on the Antonine Wall.

1. Some Recent Discoveries on the Line of the Antonine Wall (Vol. 49, 1914)
2. Notes on the Roman Forts at Old Kilpatrick and Croy Hill (Vol. 66, 1932)

In the first one (Vol. 49), Sir George Macdonald describes the various excavations undertaken to ascertain the exact line of the wall between Old Kilpatrick and Duntocher, literally pinpointing the various finds field by numbered field. I was quite enthralled reading his report - his excitement was quite palpable, not to mention infectious. I decided the map included in this article, identifying all the numbered fields he discusses was a really useful addition to my growing understanding of the emergence of knowledge around the Antonine Wall in Scotland. When there's not a lot to see at ground level in real life, reports like these become really valuable in 'unearthing' the story of the wall. Rendering the map in the article in watercolour brought the location more to life for me - colour seems to enhance one's journey, if you like. 

Watercolour Rendition of Map of Antonine Wall between 

Old Kilpatrick and Duntocher Forts

Whilst painting the replica this evening, I got the idea of translating the article into a digital map using Google maps so I set about transferring the ideas over - it was a great thing to be able to walk in the footsteps of these early antiquarians and to, literally, have Sir George Macdonald 'walk alongside' me explaining what they had done, what had been found and how the finds had advanced their knowledge of the wall. Being able to peel back the layers with technology in this way made me feel like a true digital digger. 

Old Kilpatrick to Duntocher Fort (A walk with Sir George Macdonald)

A big thank you to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland for making their resources so readily available to the general public.

In the second article (Vol. 66), Sir George Macdonald relates back to his earlier work and continues to build on it with a discussion of the fort at Old Kilpatrick and how excavations there helped them to unravel the dimensions and layout of the fort.

With Sir George Macdonald 'by my side' I'm beginning to see the attraction of old stones. I do love to see the story of the wall unfolding.