Caledonia

  • Scotland was known to the Romans as Caledonia. It was never a Roman Province despite several Roman Invasions.
  • The Romans left behind two Monuments, Inchtuthil Legionary Fortress which was built during the first Invasion (82-83 CE) and the Antonine Wall, a Fortified Frontier which was built and occupied between 142-154 CE.

1. History

  • Pre-Roman History:
    • Scotland has many Megalithic Stone Sites from the Bronze Age, often located in the Islands.
    • The Orkney Monuments (c.3,200 BCE) in the Orkney Islands include a large Stone Circle called the Ring of Brodgar.
    • The Callanish Standing Stones (c.2,900 BCE) is one of three Stone Circles located on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.
    • Kilmartin Glen (c. 3-2,000 BCE) in Argyll, has 800 monuments of which over 150 are prehistoric monuments consisting of burial cairns, cists, standing stones, stone circles and a henge.
    • Traprain Law (c.40 CE) is a Hill Fort or Oppidum located 20 miles (32km) east of Edinburgh which was the capital of the Votadini and consisted of hundreds of roundhouses.
    • There are also around 570 Iron Age Brochs (c.100 BCE-c.100 CE), which are drystone towers located predominantly on the islands and the coasts.
  • Acquisition by Rome:
    • 54 BCE When Julius Caesar invaded southern Britannia, he received the submission of many tribes, including that of the Orcadians from Orkney.
    • 43 CE Claudius occupied southern Britain.
    • 79 CE The Invasion of Scotland: Agricola was ordered by Titus to conquer whole of Britannia. He invaded Scotland but failed to conquer it.
    • It was never a separate Province, despite many invasions and attempts to unite it with Britannia.
  • Timeline of this Region:
  • After Augustus’ reconstituted the Republic into an Empire (27 BCE):
  • After Diocletian’s Reforms (297 CE):
    • 367-8 CE The Great Conspiracy, an invasion of Britannia by an alliance of the Scots, Picts and Saxons, which lasted for one year until it was defeated by Count Theodosius.
  • After Death of Theodosius (395 CE) and the final split into Eastern Empire and Western Empire:
  • Famous Persons from this Province:
    • Calgacus.
      • He was the leader of the Caledonian Confederacy against the Roman Army at the Battle of Mons Graupius in 83 CE. The Roman historian Tacitus in ‘Agricola’ Chapter XXX, recorded a phrase he used in a rousing speech where he described the Roman Empire as They make a desert and call it peace which in Latin reads as, ‘ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant’.
  • Chief Roman Archeological Finds:
  • Historic Battle Sites:
    • Battle of Mons Graupius (83 CE): A Roman Victory over the Caledonii recorded by Tacitus, where up to 10,000 Caledonian tribesmen died but up to 20,000 escaped to fight in later battles. The location is unknown, but may have been Inverurie, Aberdeenshire.
  • Main Historical Sources for this Province:

2. Geography

  • Capital City:
    • Traprain Law
    • Edinburgh
      • These twin cities were 20 miles (32km) apart and were the twin capitals on hill tops of the Votadini who occupied modern East Lothian.
  • Chief Cities:
    • The Romans recorded 17 Celtic tribes, each with its own capital. See ‘Tribes’ under ‘Political Organisation’.
  • Location Today:
    • Scotland
  • Neighbouring Roman Provinces:
  • Climate and Temperature Today:
    • A Temperate Oceanic Climate producing cool and moist weather with frequent rainfall. The coasts experience more wind than inland. The rain falls mainly on the western coasts, producing a rain shadow on the eastern coasts. The weather is very changeable.
    • Winds: Scotland is the most windwsept country in Europe, with Atlantic Depressions regularly passing through and predominantly producing southwesterlies.
    • Winters: cold, averaging 0° C despite warming by the Gulf Stream. Snow falls for 15-20 days lasting for 100 days on the mountain peaks.
    • Summers: cool, temperatures average 15-17° C.
  • Main Geographical features:
  • Scotland is divided into three main regions:
  • The Highlands:
    • with many mountain ranges containing mountain lakes called ‘lochs’, and on the western coast long estuaries called ‘sea lochs’ stretching into the Atlantic, simililar to Norway’s fjords.
  • The Midland Valley:
    • with Scotland’s 3 main cities: Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee, all on estuaries.
  • The Southern Uplands:
    • stretching into England.
  • Also the Scottish Islands (790) divide into 3 main groups:
  • Main Rivers:
    • Forth Estuary, Moray Firth, Firth of Clyde, R. Tweed, R. Eden, South and North Esk Rivers, R. Dee, R. Don, R. Spey, R. Thurso, R. Tay (The Tay is the longest river in Scotland).
  • Mountain Ranges:
  • There are three main areas of Mountains which are divided by the Highland Boundary Fault: This is aligned Southwest-Northeast: It starts in Arran, in the Atlantic, then Bute, Firth of Clyde, Loch Lomond, Aberfoyle, Strathmore, Stonehaven on the North Sea.
    • The Highlands are to the north and west of the Highland Line.
    • The Central Lowlands are to the south of it.
    • The Southern Uplands are also to the south of it.
  • The Highlands and Islands.
    • The Northwest Highlands, lying North and West of ‘The Great Glen’.
    • The Cuillin on the Island of Skye.
    • The Grampians across the centre, containing the highest, Ben Nevis (4409 ft or 1343m).
    • The Cairngorms, east of the Grampians.
  •  The Hills of the Central Lowlands
    • The Sidlaws (Dundee), The Ochil Hills (Stirling), The Campsie Fells (Glasgow)
  • The Southern Uplands, stretching from Galloway to the Borders:
    • Galloway Hills, Lowther Hills, Moffat Hills, Pentland Hills, Moorfoot Hills, Lammemuir Hills, and the northern tip of the Cheviots stretching down into England.
  • The Mountains by Height:
    • The Munros: 283 (over 3,000ft or 900m)
    • The Corbetts: 221 (Between 2,500-3000 ft or 760m)
    • The Grahams: 224 (Between 2,000-2,500 ft or 600m)
    • The Donalds: 140 (Hills in the Scottish Lowlands over 2,000 ft or 600m)
    • The Marilyns: 1216 (over 492 ft or 150m)
  • Islands:
  • 790 Islands divided into four main groups:
  • Straits:
  • Whirlpools:
    • Corryvreckan
      • This is one of the world’s largest whirlpools, in a strait between Scarba and Jura.
      • It’s roar can be heard up to 10 miles (16km) away.

3. Political Organisation:

  • Settlements consisted of 6 huts protected by a wooden palisade.
  • Crannogs:
    • A Crannog was a wooden roundhouse for several families built on giant wooden piles of alder 26-32 ft (8-10m) long, sunk into a Scottish Loch to create an artificial island, and roofed with thatch.
    • Access was by a wooden causeway or boats. 600 have been identified in Scotland. They were the Iron age equivalent of a Roman Villa.
  • The 17 Tribes or Clans:
  • Celts: migrations from mainland Europe starting 7,000 BCE until the time of Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE). The Romans identified 17 Caledonian Tribes:
    1. Damonii (Ayreshire)
    2. Novantae (Galloway/ Dumfries)
    3. Votadini (East Lothian) They had twin capital centres on hill tops 20 miles (32km) apart, Traprain Law and modern Edinburgh.
    4. Selgovae (settled midway between the Votadini in the East and the 2 tribes in the west)
      • Above the Clyde-Forth line lived the other 12 tribes:
    5. Caledones (Hence the Latin name Caledonia, the Moray Firth to Loch Linnhe)
    6. Epidii (Mull of Kintyre)
    7. Cornovii (Caithness)
    8. Cerones (Northwest Highlands)
    9. Taezali (Aberdeenshire)
    10. Venicones
    11. Vacomagi
    12. Decantae
    13. Carnonocae
    14. Caereni
    15. Lugi
    16. Smertae.
    17. Picts: First mentioned in 297 CE (from latin Pictii meaning painted) Possibly from Germany and Scythia; they settled in the Eastern coastal areas of Scotland. Similar language and culture to the Celts, with whom they assimilated. Their origin is unknown. After the collapse of Roman Empire in Britannia in 408 CE the Picts became the dominant force in Scotland until the arrival of the Vikings in 793 CE.
  • Tribal Hierarchy:
    • Tribal leader:
      • He was not only a king but also a religious leader. Succession was Matrilineal, through the Mother, not Father.
    • Barons:
      • Under the leaders was a landowning soldier class of Barons who rode their own Chariots into war.
    • Freeholders:
      • These had shared ownership of common land.
    • Slaves:
      • Usually prisoners of war who lived in the homes of the Barons, and whose children remained slaves.
  • Military Weapons:
    • Long Swords (3.5 ft or 1m in length and made of iron) and a small shield.
    • Chariots.
  • Language:
    • Celtic and Pictish.

4. Military Organisation:

  • Legions:
  • Inchtuthil Legionary Fortress (Temporary)
  • Antonine Wall
    • Occupied by a Vexillatio of all three British Legions between 142-154 CE.
  • Navy:
  • Defensive Works:
  • Four main defensive Works were built against Invasions from Scotland:
  • The Stanegate (78-84 CE)
    • It was the first defensive line from Carlisle to Corbridge running south of the Eden and Tyne rivers.
  • The Highland Line (82-83 CE)
  • Hadrian's Wall (122-128 CE)
    • From the Solway Firth to the Tyne Estuary. It replaced the Stanegate (78-84 CE) by running north of the rivers Eden and Tyne.
  • Antonine Wall (142-154 CE)
    • Archeological evidence now shows the earliest forts and watchtowers built in 70’s CE under Governor Petilius Cerealis. Then rebuilt by Agricola in the 80’s CE. Making this the earliest frontier. Between 142-154 CE, it became the main defensive line, stretching from the Firth of Clyde to the Firth of Forth and built of Turf, it was 39 miles (62km) long with 16 forts. After 154 CE the frontier returned to Hadrian's Wall.
  • Main Threats:
    • Invasion through the Highland passes and piracy by sea. The tribes combining and descending on Hadrian's Wall.

5. Economy

  • Chief Exports:
  • Agriculture and Fishing:
    • Crops grown: Wheat, oats and barley
    • Livestock rearing: cattle, pigs, sheep and goats.
  • Manufacturing:
    • Weaving of wool from fleeces spun into yarn, using a loom and shuttlecock.
    • Leather working to make clothing, harnesses and containers.
    • Metalworking: Armbands, neckbands and anklebands made from silver and gold.
    • Experts in Ironwork: sword manufacturing.
  • Mines:
    • In the Islands most ores are to be found, including lead and iron, copper and tin.
  • Mints:

6. Transport

  • Roads:
  • Waterways:
    • Forth Estuary, Moray Firth, Firth of Clyde and the River Tay.
  • Ports:
  • Ancient Trade Routes:
    • Firth of Clyde to Firth of Forth: The Antonine Wall and the Military Way.
    • Fort William to Inverness: The Great Glen, a 62 mile (80km) long straight line of deep lakes with interconnecting but unnavigable rivers.
    • The Pentland Firth: The straits between the Orkneys and Caithness, which connects the Irish Sea and Hibernia with the North Sea.
  • Number of Days taken to travel to Rome:

7. Relationship with Rome

  • Almost continually at war throughout the period 43-410 CE.

8. History of Christianity in this Province:

9. Roman Authors describing this Province:

10. Films and DvD’s set in Caledonia

 

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