Stirling was originally a Stone Age
settlement as shown by the Randolphfield standing stones and Kings Park
prehistoric carvings that can still be found south of the town. The city has
been strategically significant since at least the Roman occupation of Britain,
due to its naturally defensible crag and tail hill (latterly the site of
Stirling Castle), and its commanding position at the foot of the Ochil Hills on
the border between the Lowlands and Highlands, at the lowest crossing point of
the River Forth. It remained the river's lowest crossing until the construction
of the Kincardine Bridge
