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Roman Past Could Boost Tourism Locally
The Antonine Wall has been made a World Heritage Site by Unesco. It is an ancient Roman fortified wall which stretched 37 miles across Scotland’s central belt and MSP Murdo Fraser believes that Perthshire can benefit from the new status due to its strong connection with Roman history.
The MSP lodged a parliamentary motion in May 2007 supporting the bid for the Antonine Wall to gain World Heritage status. He now believes that it is the right time for the Scottish Government to create a National Roman Centre in an area of Scotland that has strong links to Scotland’s Roman past - such as Perthshire.
The MSP said: “This is a fantastic victory for all those who have campaigned for the Antonine Wall’s special place in history to be recognised. I am sure it will help to protect this important piece of our heritage for future generations to come. The Antonine Guard has been instrumental in getting World Heritage status and I commend all their dedication and efforts in this successful bid.
“The impact and contribution of the Romans coming to Scotland hundreds of years ago cannot be understated and Scotland is home to some amazing and ancient Roman sites. We must protect and preserve our ancient Roman sites in Scotland and use them as an education tool to get Scotland’s youngsters interested in our past.
Roman Links
“Perthshire has strong links to Roman history and Ardoch Roman Fort was the centre of Roman activity in the Perthshire area 2000 years ago. That is why we must ensure that the remains of this fort are preserved for future generations.
“I believe that the next step is to create a National Roman Centre then we could eventually have thousands of people coming to Scotland to visit our ancient Roman sites such as Ardoch Fort. Furthermore, a National Roman Centre can be used as a base for our youngsters to learn about Scotland’s Roman history and I believe that Perthshire would be the perfect setting for this. I hope that the Scottish Government will use Perthshire’s wealth of Roman connections to the benefit of the local area.”
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