Romans in Scotland

Romans in Scotland Official Timelines

grayscale photography of pedestal balustrade

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Academics debate the times of key events. This page lists the various interpretations.

The Antonine Wall Organisation timeline

The Romans in Scotland

The Romans first invaded Britain in 55 BC but did not launch a real and lasting invasion until AD 43.

Some 30 years later they reached Scotland, when Julius Agricola launched his campaign in the north in the AD 70’s. By both land and sea, it took only seven years for him to take control of much of Scotland.  Some forts were built along what would later become the line of the Antonine Wall, while others were constructed along the Gask Ridge in Perthshire.

From the mid AD 80’s troops were slowly withdrawn from Scotland as they were needed elsewhere in the empire, and around AD 122 the Emperor Hadrian consolidated the northern frontier at the Tyne-Solway isthmus with the construction of Hadrian’s Wall. On Hadrian’s death, in July AD 138, Antoninus Pius (reigned AD 138–61) succeeded to the throne.

Antoninus Pius

Little is known about Antoninus, despite a 23 year reign, due to a lack of contemporary sources. His only biography, written 200 years after his death, records that:

He conquered the Britons through his governor, Lolliius Urbicus, and after driving back the barbarians, built a new wall, of turf.

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.

It was perhaps to consolidate his position as Emperor and demonstrate military might, that Antoninus Pius chose to re-invade Scotland. Advances to both the east and west, led by the governor Lollius Urbicus,  saw a series of supply forts, roads and fortlets constructed on the routes up to the new frontier line of the Forth – Clyde isthmus. Construction on the Antonine Wall and its many forts and fortlets commenced around AD 142.

Antoninus Pius died on 7 March AD 161 and shortly after, around AD 165, the Antonine Wall was abandoned and troops re-occupied Hadrian’s Wall.

BBC Timeline

  • AD43 Emperor Claudius invades Britain with an army that includes elephants!
  • AD60 The Romans try to conquer North Wales. They first tried this in AD48.
  • Boudica’s Icení tribe rebelled and burned the towns of Colchester, London and Verulamium (St Albans) to the ground.
  • AD73 The Romans conquer Wales. They build a network of forts across the country.
  • AD82 The Roman general Agricola considers invading Ireland with only 6000 men. It has never been proved that he did invade.
  • AD122 The Emperor Hadrian orders the building of a huge wall to mark the northern limit of his Empire. It runs for 74 miles between Wallsend on the River Tyne and Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria.
  • AD138 The Romans tried to invade Scotland again and build a wall of turf and forts named the Antonine Wall, it is used until around
  • AD160 the Romans abandoned it and fell back to Hadrian’s Wall.
  • AD208 The Emperor Septimius Severus and his sons Caracalla and Geta, lead campaigns in Scotland. In AD211 the campaigns are abandoned, along with most Roman forts in Scotland.
  • AD306 Constantine ‘the Great’ is declared Emperor in York.
  • AD410 By the early 5th century many Roman troops are sent back to mainland Europe to defend other areas of the Empire against Barbarian invasions. Roman rule ends in Britain.

The Romans in Scotland – Trimontium Trust

Romans in the Borders
The successful Roman invasion of Britain in AD43 under Emperor Claudius (after the brief invasions by Julius Caesar in 55 and 54 BC) had, within 30 years, consolidated Roman power and influence across modern-day England and Wales. The Romans then looked north, to Scotland, known as Caledonia.

Roman influence did not come to a halt at Hadrian’s Wall, it can be traced across the breadth of modern-day Scotland. The region contains one of the highest densities of Roman marching camps in Europe, a legacy of at least four major campaigns to subdue the locals.

As part of this push northwards, Gnaeus Julius Agricola established Trimontium around AD80. Evidence exists to indicate the Romans built forts along what would later become the line of the Antonine Wall, along the Gask Ridge in Perthshire and even further north.

The Romans circumnavigated Scotland building up their knowledge of the landscape and people that inhabited this region. However, it seems that they could not, or did not wish to extend their power over these lands and after a few years (probably the late AD80s) they fell back south to Trimontium. This first fort was burned and abandoned about AD115 -120

After the building of Hadrian’s Wall in the AD120s the Romans then pushed north again and reconstructed Trimontium which became a major hub of their road network north of Hadrian’s Wall and their most northerly settlement and military outpost until it was ultimately destroyed by fire in the AD180s, probably during a major uprising.

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