The Antonine Wall, Scotland

Roman Scotland and the Building of the Antonine Wall

The Roman invasion of Britain began in the year 55 BC. Over the next hundred years or so, the Legions consolidated their positions until they dominated almost all of modern-day England.

Click for story on Antonine Wall Ditch Mound

Called "Britannia" this new territory was considered a valuable addition to the Roman Empire because it was rich in minerals and the land was fertile, providing the empire with a new western breadbasket.

There was only one problem and that was unconquered territory to the north, Caledonia, or modern-day Scotland. This territory contained native Celtic tribes, which were strongly anti-Roman, and the remnants of defeated tribes which could not accept Roman rule. In retaliation, these tribesmen would raid and harass Roman outposts and ambush patrols.

To suppress this area, an army was assembled and went north under Agricola in 77 or 78 AD. Through a series of mainly summer campaigns, Agricola managed to capture a large portion of modern Scotland. After the major battle of Mons Graupius, the Pictii (painted ones) under a leader named Calagus were defeated around 84 AD. Their spirit broken for a time, the Picts stopped their attacks and the Romans slowly retreated to warmer and more hospitable terrain of England. With the passing of a generation, the Picts were again harassing Roman forces in Britain. In approximately 120 AD a Pictish invasion in conjunction with a revolt almost cost the Romans control of northern Britain. In response Emperor Hadrian ordered the construction of Haldrian's Wall. Seventy-three and a half miles long, Hadrian's Wall was a remarkable achievement. Built mainly of stone and comprised of ditches and forts, it effectively protected the Roman estates from the barbarian tribes of the Scottish lowlands.

The Roman estates soon expanded north of Hadrian's Wall and again came under attack from the northern barbarians. Also around 140 AD, the Brigantes, a native tribe that lived south of Hadrian's Wall revolted. Lollius Urbicus the new Roman governor of Britannia quickly suppressed this rebellion. The Brigantes and their allies to the north were driven back and a new wall was built, this one named after the new Emperor Antoninus Pius.

The Antonine Wall was thirty-seven miles long, half the length of Hadrian's Wall, and extended from between the Firth of Forth and the mouth of the River Clyde. The II, VI and XX ROMAN Legions constructed the Wall in sections around 142 AD. It consisted of a foundation of stone 14 feet wide upon which was placed dirt and turf. In front of the wall there was a deep ditch 40 feet wide and behind it ran a military road connecting its 18 small forts and the signaling towers between them.

This new wall was intended to be permanent, its shorter length allowed a doubling of the garrison in comparison with Hadrian's Wall. One indication of this is that Hadrian's Wall itself was cut in many places in this time to allow the easier passage of traffic between the lands north and south. In another measure, to further increase security, the native tribesmen between the two walls were deported to Germany to fight for the Romans there.

But within 10 years there were problems with the new wall. Forts along the old Hadrian's Wall were re-occupied, and there were new hostilities among the Romans and the Pictii. Some suggest that the Picts just climbed in boats and sailed around the wall to raid the Romans. It is also possible that the new people of the land threatened the Romans, the Scots, who were colonizing the lands north and west of the Antonine Wall. This alliance of forces between the Scots and the Picts may have been enough to scare the Romans back to their heavier defensive line, Hadrian's Wall.

From 154 to 157 AD, the Antonine Wall was breached on many occasions. The Pictii and their allies continually harassed and attacked the Romans whenever possible. This eventually led to the wall's abandonment around the year 157 or 158 and the Roman withdrawal from southern Scotland in 164 AD.

A large barbarian invasion in the 190's occurred and did serious damage to the Roman economy. The Picts, Scots and Irish were learning the value of the plunder they could obtain from the Romans and raided whenever possible. In response to this problem, the emperor Septimius Severus arrived in 208AD to restore order. He briefly reoccupied and repaired the Antonine Wall and it was renamed the Severan Wall during the time. After a few years however, the wall was abandoned again permanently. The decline in Roman power in Europe had started and their forces were needed to face more serious threats elsewhere to their Empire. The Picts, Scots and Irish eventually managed to drive the Romans from Britain entirely, thus reclaiming the land as a Celtic territory for a short time.

by BW, January, 2000

Special thanks to Professor Terence Odlin, for the use of his pictures of the Antonine Wall and Hadrian's Wall

Special thanks to Peter Green, webmaster of Britannia: Gazetteer of Roman Military Sites in Britain and Bibliography of the Roman Military History of Britain, for the use of his map of the Antonine Wall.