Agricola 79 AD Invasion

The Romans invaded and occupied England in 43 AD, gradually expanding control and influence across the country. (See The Legions that invaded in 43AD). In 79 AD, after conquering Wales, the French General Agricola went as far north as the River Tay, perhaps further, and his navy circumnavigated Scotland. We know a lot about Agricola as his son-in-law Tacitus wrote about his exploits. You can read the 2000-year-old book Agricola by Cornelius Tacitus – Free Ebook, which is downloadable in Kindle and many formats.

Route of Agricola
CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8494910

Agricola arrived in Britain in the summer of 78 AD and subdued the Ordovices tribe in North Wales. His early military success was complemented by a fair and just peace whereby those who consented to the Romans were treated favourably compared to the previous administration. He would send his troops into enemy territory, harassing the locals, then suing for peace under these favourable and just terms. Peace with the Romans then became the most favourable action. In doing this, tribes had to pay tribute and hand over hostages for their future good behaviour. In 79 AD during the winter, he made the new integrated tribes build temples, courts of justice and houses. The sons of chieftains were given a Roman education and held as hostages for their behaviour.

The Caledonians

Roman historians record “the ruddy hair and large limbs of the Caledonians point out a German derivation.” There is no record of painted warriors (“Picts”) at this time.

Invading Scotland

In 79 AD Agricola invaded Scotland, and over the next couple of years, he ventured as far as the river Tay and built Ardoch, one of the biggest Roman Forts still surviving in Europe. You can see the forts he built

Ardoch Roman Fort north of Dunblane
by Spodzone is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

In 80 AD he had reached the Tay and established many forts, the location of which he personally selected and each with a year’s supply of provisions. Over the winter the troops made regular sallies, harassing the local population, and not one of his fortified posts was either taken by storm or surrendered. (For more details see Tacitus chapter 23.)

In 81 AD he secured the area, establishing a line of forts between the Clyde and Forth, which 60 years later would become the Antonine Wall.

The Romans used the landscape to their advantage – look at the green areas below. The Navy transported supplies, the roads and rivers allowed quick movements of materials and men, and the forts and watch towers allowed control of those coming and going.

Routes into Scotland, Antonine Wall route (forts in Agricola’s time) and Gask Ridge line

In 83 AD he sent his armies north but “the enemy’s army rendered marching unsafe” so he used ships to transport troops safely up the northeast coast. The “cavalry, infantry, and marines were frequently mingled in the same camp”. Agricola’s force was split in three to counter flanking movements by the Caledonians. The Caledonians consequently massed their armies and attacked during the night the Ninth Legion, the weakest of the three, managing to breach the camp defences. Agricola saw the danger and brought other troops to attack the Caledonians from the rear, winning the battle.

Roman Marching Camps ( undated) – Click the image for an interactive map

Agricola established the first line of border forts in the Roman Empire called “the Gask Ridge”. See the Gask Ridge project website for more information. The Romans eventually circled their entire empire with border forts, and the Gask Ridge is believed to be the first, coming before Hadrian and the Antonine Walls.

In 84 AD, the first recorded major battle of armies in Scotland took place at Mons Graupius. The search for the location of this battle carries on to this day. Calgacus commanded 30,000 Caledonians, all the tribes coming together. Tacitus reports a speech about the Romans, allegedly given by him.

“To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace.” (see LIFE OF CNÆUS JULIUS AGRICOLA part 3 for full speech)

In the year 85, he was recalled from Britain by the emperor Domitian, who was envious of the victories.

Agricola Forts – Click on map for interactive version

The map above shows the dates of Roman forts established by Agricola and the roads between them. Many forts in Scotland were re-occupied over the centuries. The dating of occupations and the various layers in forts can be difficult, and academics put forward different theories on how far Agricola got in Scotland.

Scotland Abandoned 86 AD

In the year 86 AD, most forts were abandoned, and the Romans retreated to Northern England. The occupation of Scotland had lasted 7 years.

Military Units

Legions of about 4,600 men

9th Legion (attacked and overrun at night in the 6th year of campaigning)
20th Legion ( built Inchtuthill Legionary Fort, which was never completed)
2nd Legion Adiutrix ( moved to Budapest in 86 AD)

Auxiliaries of between 500 and 1000 men (auxiliary units mostly unknown)

3 cohorts of Batavians ( Dutch)
2 cohorts of Tungrians (Belgium)
Cohors I Hispanorum (Spain)
1 cohort of Usippi (German – rebelled)
and many others unknown. Tacitus gives a total of 8,000 auxiliary infantry at Mons Graupius and cavalry regiments providing the 3,000 horsemen

References

Gnaeus Julius Agricola. – Wikipedia
Agricola by Tacitus – online version
Agricola by Tacitus ( Kindle and other formats)
WOOLLISCROFT, D. J. “More Thoughts on Why the Romans Failed to Conquer Scotland.” Scottish Archaeological Journal 22, no. 2 (2000): 111–22. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27917432.