What was it made of and how was it built?
Discover how the Antonine Wall was constructed over 2,000 years ago.
The Romans in Scotland
The Romans first invaded Britain in 55BC but did not launch a real and lasting invasion until AD43. Some 30 years later they reached Scotland.
Timeline
55 BC
Romans first invade Britain
Julius Caesar arrived in southern England, justifying his expeditions by stating that local tribes were supporting Roman enemies in Gaul.
AD 43
Lasting conquest launched
The first invasion to be ordered by an emperor, Claudius, which resulted in much of Britain being under Roman control in subsequent decades.
AD 80’s
Romans withdraw from Scotland
Required elsewhere in the Empire, soldiers were gradually pulled out of Scotland.
AD 122
Construction of Hadrian’s Wall
Under the orders of Emperor Hadrian, the wall was built to mark the northern extent of the Roman empire.
AD 138
Antoninus Pius becomes Emperor
Following the death of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius followed him as the next Roman emperor.
AD 142
Construction of the Antonine Wall begins
The northern boundary of the Empire was extended into Scotland.
AD 165
Antonine Wall abandoned
The permanent military occupation of the wall, and Scotland, ended as Roman troops retreated south.
The Romans reach scotland
Building on expeditions in previous years, Julius Agricola launched his military campaign in what is now Scotland in the AD 70’s. By both land and sea, it took him only seven years to take Rome’s first conquest of territories in Scotland. To solidify their position, some forts were built including ones that would later become the line of the Antonine Wall.
From the mid AD 80’s troops were withdrawn from Scotland as they were needed elsewhere in the empire. Around AD 122, the Emperor Hadrian consolidated the northern frontier on the land between the Tyne and Solway. On Hadrian’s death, in July AD 138, Antoninus Pius succeeded to the throne.
Antoninus Pius
Despite a 23 year reign, little is known about Antoninus due to a lack of contemporary sources. His only biography, written 200 years after his death, records details about his life.
His full title was Imperator Titus Aelius Aurelius Caesar Antoninus, and he was 51 when he became Emperor. He had no military experience but had held senior administrative posts, as governor of one of the four provinces created by Hadrian in Italy, and as proconsul of Asia.
To perhaps consolidate his position as Emperor and show he was military inclined, Antoninus Pius chose to re-invade Scotland. Around AD 142, construction began on a wall, and its associated forts and fortlets, connecting the Clyde and Forth estuaries. Named after the Emperor, it marked the northern boundary of the Roman Empire.
Abandonment of the wall
Antoninus Pius died on 7 March AD 161 and shortly after, around AD 165, the Antonine Wall was abandoned. The forts were destroyed and soldiers marched south to re-occupy Hadrian’s Wall.
The Romans returned to Scotland on limited occasions, most notably during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus. Around AD 411, the Romans left Britain for good though contact and trade continued for several centuries. The wall, with its ditch and rampart still intact, became a part of the surrounding countryside and its past forgotten about until the 18th century.
Beyond the wall
The Antonine Wall was not the first structure to be built in Scotland by the Roman, though it was by far the most impressive. The Wall was part of a military landscape of forts, watchtowers and road which the Romans has been constructing since their first invasion in the AD 70s.
One of the best examples is a string of at least four forts built from the Forth to the Tay in the AD 80s. Between these forts, connected by a military road, lay a series of watchtowers along an outcrop known as the Gask Ridge. A large military base was established but never completed at Inchtuthil near Dunkeld. Running roughly parallel, to the west, other forts were constructed at the mouths of valleys, sometimes known today as the ‘glen-blocker’ forts.
Who lived on the wall?
Home to both soldiers and civilians, learn about the lives of the people who made the Antonine Wall their home.
What has been found?
Find out about the range of artefacts that have been discovered along the Antonine Wall.
