EXCLUSIVE: Mapping the 'most important Roman Road in Scottish history': ... trends now
It has been dubbed the 'most important road in Scottish history', having been used by the likes of Henry VIII, William the Conqueror and Oliver Cromwell.
Now, MailOnline can exclusively reveal where the 2,000-year-old route started and finished, thanks to a detailed map drawn up following the cobbled road's discovery in a garden near Stirling.
Archaeologists say it was built by the Roman armies of general Julius Agricola in the 1st century AD and would have connected to a ford through the River Forth.
Many of the key historical figures of Scottish and wider British history would have used the road for military campaigns, given its strategic importance for crossing the Forth and reaching the Highlands, as well as its proximity to Stirling —Scotland's former capital.
Among them were Robert the Bruce and every King and Queen of Scotland, as well as the Picts, Vikings and a series of Roman legions in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD.
Revealed: It has been dubbed the 'most important road in Scottish history' , having been used by the likes of Henry VIII, William the Conqueror and Oliver Cromwell. Now, MailOnline can exclusively reveal where the 2,000-year-old route started and finished (pictured left). Experts say it was likely just a small section of what was a much wider network extending all the way from Aberdeenshire down to Dover in Kent (right)
History: Archaeologists say the road was built by the Roman armies of general Julius Agricola in the 1st century AD and would have connected to a ford through the River Forth
The discovery helped confirm that the road ran west from Stirling for around nine miles up to the village of Doune.
However, experts say this was likely just a small section of what was a much wider network extending all the way from Aberdeenshire down to Dover in Kent — a distance of more than 620 miles.
The map also reveals where a number of Roman camps are known to have existed, along with a Roman Fort close to what is now Doune Castle.
This was originally built in the 13th century before being damaged in the Scottish Wars of Independence and rebuilt around 100 years later.
The road was uncovered during an exploratory dig in the garden of the Old Inn Cottage, next to the 18th century Old Drip Bridge, a few miles west of Stirling city centre.
Its excavation was arranged by Stirling Council archaeologist Murray Cook.
He said the route was not maintained after the Romans left, so what was uncovered was a 3.2ft x 3.2ft (1m x 1m) section of the eroded surface.
When asked where exactly the road would have run to and from, Mr Cook told MailOnline: 'That's a tricky question, lots of the road network survived to become to modern road but lots got lost.
'This bit confirms where it goes west of Stirling and we know where it went north of Doune. So it's like a massive jigsaw puzzle with missing bits.'
He added that the crossing would have been used by the Romans, the Picts, William the Conqueror, Oliver Cromwell and every King and Queen
