Romans vs. rabbits

last updated 8 January 2015

Perthshire, U.K.

Rabbits are destroying the remnants of the ancient fortifications the Romans erected in Scotland some 2,000 years ago, archaeologists said this week. A rabbit population explosion is threatening at least 60 major sites, including a large Roman frontier fort at Ardoch that dates to A.D. 80. Archaeologist David Woolliscroft said that burrowing rabbits were mixing up different soil layers, making it impossible for scientists to establish timelines. Even worse, he said, the earliest sites, earthen fortifications supported with wood beams, were starting to cave in because of the many tunnels below. “Many archaeological sites are protected by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act,” he said. “Unfortunately, the act is not widely understood in Scotland’s rabbit warrens.”