In Britain, the Roman era began in 43 CE and lasted through 410 CE. In 122 CE, the Romans constructed Hadrian’s Wall as the northern boundary of the Roman province, and in 140 they constructed the Antonine Wall somewhat farther north. These walls not only marked the northern frontier of Roman Britain, but they were also defensive walls intended to stop the Scottish tribes in the north from raiding into Roman Britain.
Hadrian’s wall was 70 miles long and it was supposed to be 10 feet wide. However, the wall was narrowed to 8 feet for economy and speed of building. The wall incorporated sixteen forts. In his entry on the Roman Frontier in The Oxford Companion to Archaeology, Roger Wilson writes:
“Never designed to be used as a fighting platform, or even as a totally impregnable barrier (it was no Roman ‘Maginot line’), Hadrian’s Wall served above all as a screen for troop movements if attack was needed, as a means of control of the movement of potentially troublesome peoples, and as an elaborate propaganda exercise.”
In 139 CE, Antoninus Pius, Hadrian’s successor, ordered an advance into southern Scotland. His motive appears to have been military glory. The Antonine Wall was 38 miles long and was constructed as a turf rampart on a stone base. It was 13 feet high and 15 feet wide. The wall incorporated nineteen forts.
While the Romans did not conquer all of Scotland, there is a Roman influence in the region. While Scotland has a long history which stretches back thousands of years before the founding of Rome, it is fairly common to find histories of Britain and of Scotland that begin with the Roman explorations of the island. In his book Britain BC: Life in Britain and Ireland before the Romans, archaeologist Francis Pryor writes:
“Even today, in the twenty-first century, it has been decided that British history as taught in our schools according to the National Curriculum will begin with the arrival of the Romans—an event I regard as a black moment.”
Pryor also writes:
“Ethnocentrism is also what lies behind the British misidentification with ancient Rome, instead of with our true prehistoric forebears.”
In his book Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History, Alistair Moffat puts it this way:
“The Romans brought legality, Latin, literacy, and a sense of the order of history which began the comforting jingle of dates, events, people, coins, roads, towns, drainage, central heating, all adding up to a fitting prelude to the dignified procession of real history across this sceptred isle, something a lot more suitable than grunting savages scurrying from cave to cave in ragged animal skins.”
In looking at the Roman failure to conquer all of Scotland, Ian Barnes, in his The Historical Atlas of the Celtic World, writes:
“When evaluating Roman intentions in northern Britain, the Roman never intended to occupy the Highland, which they could probably have achieved, seeing how the legions had conquered more difficult mountain areas elsewhere. Scotland was remote, not tied into a market economy, and the cost of the walls impinged upon the imperial budget.”
The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh has a number of displays on the Romans in Scotland.
According to one display:
“The Roman army occupied lowland Scotland three times. In total these periods of military occupation amounted to just 50 years. Scotland was always a frontier zone. No towns or villas were built. There were no trappings of Roman civilian life.”
Supplies
The Roman army needed supplies and this meant that it had to have a supply system that was both reliable and efficient. Goods moved along the transport routes which had been put in place by the army. Some goods came from traders and merchants in various parts of the Roman empire. Some goods were obtained from the native population. Traders and merchants were paid with coins, while dealings with the natives was based on barter. According to the display:
“Goods were also requisitioned—the natives were ordered to provide the goods or face being punished with brute force.”
Local people had to provide the army with grain and leather on demand.
Roads
According to the display:
“The Romans built a network of proper roads in southern Scotland where there had only been tracks and paths before. These were cambered gravel highways designed for moving troops around the province as quickly as possible. Milestones showed the distance to and from specific places.”
Cavalry
According to the display:
“Roman cavalry units held tournaments where they put on spectacular displays. The cavalrymen wore fancy helmets while they put their horse through complex manoeuvres. These displays impressed important visitors, encouraged the troops to maintain their equestrian skills and built morale.”
Roman Soldiers
According to the display:
“There were two classes of soldier. The legionnaires—infantry only—were Roman citizens, and the auxiliaries—both infantry and cavalry—were recruited from the population of conquered provinces.”
Roman soldiers, both legionnaires and auxiliaries, were full-time soldiers. When they weren’t fighting, they were building forts and roads. All Roman soldiers were well armed with armor, a sword, and a helmet. Military equipment was mass produced.
Medicine
Traprain Law
Long before the Romans knew about Scotland, native peoples had constructed a hill fort at Trapain Law. When the Romans first entered southern Scotland, they encountered a people they called the Votadini who were used Trapain Law as one of their major settlements. When the Romans left Scotland, they maintained their contacts with the people of Traprain Law. They wanted to create a buffer zone between themselves and the hostile northern tribes.
Wine
According to the display:
“Drinking wine was a Roman custom native aristocrats were more than happy to adopt. It was exotic so, in itself, it allowed them to show off, to take on the glamour of doing something foreign and different. It also fitted in well with native feasting and conspicuous consumption—where showing off was usual.”
Trade Goods
Roman goods were traded far to the north where they became valuable items because of their scarcity.