Fortifications
- What factors led to certain sites being fortified?
- To what extent did military considerations shape the design of castles? How different were castles from other forms of elite residence?
- Were tower houses more about status than defence?
- What factors led to the construction of bastles? What can we learn about the socio-economic status of the people who inhabited bastles?
- Can we find evidence of fortifications being burnt or razed?
- What can we learn about sieges in South East Scotland?
- How did artillery weapons affect the design of fortifications?
- What can we learn about the trace-italienne fortifications constructed in southern Scotland during the sixteenth century?
- What role did earth and wood defences play in fortifications? Do we underestimate the significance of earthen defences in the later medieval period?
- What can we discover about defences for harbours and burghs?
Battlefields
- Can we more securely identify the sites of major battles?
- What were army camps like before and after major battles? Where were such camps located?
- How much was left behind on a medieval battlefield after the scavenging process had ended?
- What happened to the bodies of people killed in battle? To what extent were there mass graves? Where were mass graves located?
- Can we better understand the Battle of Ancrum Moor.
Weapons and Military Equipment
- How did the arms and armour used in South East Scotland develop over the course of the medieval period?
- How did the armour used by Scots compare to that used by foreign forces (notably English and French)?
- What can we discover about the use of light and heavy cavalry?
- What can we learn about the production and adoption of firearms in South East Scotland?
- What are the most effective ways to record and share data on arms and armour, both regarding new discoveries and recording items held in existing collections?
Wider Impact
- How much devastation was caused by major military campaigns (e.g. Wars of Independence, Anglo-Scottish conflicts of 1540s)?
- What other forms of disruption did major military campaigns cause in South East Scotland during the medieval period?
- What can we discover about how medieval armies were supplied?
- What impact did raiding activity have on life in South East Scotland?
- How did the presence of foreign garrisons (especially English and French) affect surrounding communities?
- How did naval warfare affect South East Scotland during the medieval period?