Antonine Wall (North most Roman Frontier Post)



Between Antonine and Hadrians
wall where Picts fought attempted
Roman occupation

Before the time of the, Irish based, Scotti (Scottish) invasion and the, Germanic based, Anglo-Saxon (English) invasion into Britain; there were different Celtic tribes all over the island. Just under 2,000 years ago, many of these tribes fell under the rule of the Roman Empire. Especially in the South of the island, which is today's Wales and England. 

Menai Massacre of Druids

There were tales of resistance from the Ordovices of the North Wales area and the Menai massacre of Druid priests on the Isle of Anglessy. The uprising of Queen Boadicea and her Iceni from today's Norfolk and Suffolk area of England and the Catuvellauni and Trino-vantes of Essex and Cambridgeshire. There were, of course, loads of other feudal Celtic Kingdoms that tried to resist too, but all, eventually succumb to Roman rule.

However in the Caledonia areas of the north, (Today's Scotland) the Picts nations were still able to resist the occupation of Rome. Not too much is known of these evasive tribesmen, but most remained at large during the entire 400 year occupation of Rome.

Under the Roman Emperor Hadrian a vast wall was built roughly along the borders of today's Scotland and England. Construction of Hadrian's wall began in the year 122 AD. This vast wall marked the boundary of Roman rule and the wilderness where the Picts lived.

Forts along Antonine Wall

However in the year 142 AD, another Emperor called Antonius Pius wanted to go deeper into the Caledonia wilderness and try and tame the areas of the lower Highlands and further north, the Lowland areas in the middle of today's Scotland. This would leave just the Upper Highlands free of Roman rule. At the narrowest point of Scotland's west sea coast and east sea coast, there are inner water ways, where the land is only around 40 miles in width. This is between today's areas of Old Kirkpatrick in the west and the Firth of Forth in the east. 

Way Antonine Wall was constructed

At this point, Emperor Antonius ordered a new wall to be built, which consisted of Stone and turf fortifications. This took between 10 and 12 years to build, but the Romans found it hard to police the surrounding areas on their own side of the wall. The Pict tribesman were able to hide in the vast untamed wilderness of their country and inflict defeats upon supply caravans travelling between Hadrian's wall and the new northern fortifications leading to the Antonine wall. The logistics of maintaining these garrisons proved too expensive and for little gain.

Therefore, the Antonine wall was abandoned around 170 AD and the mighty Roman Empire retreated back to Hadrian's wall after an attempted occupation of Southern Caledonia (Today's Scotland) that lasted just 20 years.

In 208 AD, under the Roman Emperor Septimus Severus, the Antonine wall was re-occupied by Roman troops in an attempt to quell the Picts a second time in the Southern Caledonia areas. The wall was renamed, the Severan Wall, but again; Rome could not police the surrounding areas and the Picts were able to continue with hit and run tactics.

Picts attacking Romans

Among many of the legends that surround this time, there is one about a Roman Legion that was meant to have perished to a man. It is only legend but it makes for a good story. Historians today, try to find out what happened to the 9th Legion of Rome. It was stationed in Britain and then disappeared from records, though the names of some of its commanders crop up in other areas of Europe after the rumored disappearance of the 9th Legion. Some historians think that an entire legion vanished in the Caledonia wilderness during the time of either Antonius or Septimus.

Foundations of a fortification on the Antonine wall

After the second failure, to tame the Caledonia wilderness, Rome never tried to venture further into the land of the Picts. Today, the Antonine wall looks less significant then Hadrian's wall but it is still recognisable with its earth works and fortification foundations.

Read links below for more on Roman Britain:
http://thelastdaysofthunderchild.blogspot.com/2011/05/cartimandua-treacherous-queen-of.html
http://thelastdaysofthunderchild.blogspot.com/2011/04/boadicea-boudicca-british-warrior-queen.html