Antonine Wall

Antonine Wall is a form of fortification consisting of an embankment and a wooden palisade, built during the Roman Empire in southern Scotland.

History

Construction of Antoninus Wall began in 142 under the reign of Antoninus Pius, and was completed in 144. The wall extends 39 miles (63 kilometers) from Old Kirkpatrick in West Dunbartonshire on the Firth of Clyde to Bo'ness on the Firth of Forth.

The fortification was built to strengthen Hadrian's Wall, located 160km further south as the northern border of Britain. The Romans, even if they succeeded in setting up temporary camps and forts north of the wall, never managed to conquer and subdue the indigenous tribes of the Picts and Celts, settled in inaccessible positions of the Highlands that actually damaged the fortification. The Romans called the land north of the Antonine Wall Caledonia, but it is thought that even the term "Alba", the modern name in Gaelic of Scotland, originates from the Latin word corresponding to bianca (alba in fact), given the presence in the region of snow-covered mountains. [citation needed]

The wall was abandoned only twenty years after its construction, when in 164 the Roman legions withdrew south of Hadrian's Wall. After a series of attacks suffered in 196 and 197, in 208 the emperor Septimius Severus arrived in the north of the island to secure the border and had some parts of the wall restored, definitively abandoned in 211, on the death of the emperor. The Antonine Wall is often called (especially by late Latin writers) Vallo Severiano.

Building

The Antonine Wall was smaller than Hadrian's in size and effectiveness, but its construction was in any case a remarkable result, as it was completed in just two years in a cold and hostile borderland. Its structure consisted of a four-meter-high bank of earth with a large moat on the north side and a military path on the south side. Initially it was planned to build a fort every six miles but the purpose was revised and 19 were built, that is, one every two.

Along the wall there are still traces of a wolf's mouth near the Rough Castle Fort. Most of the Antonine Wall is destroyed today, but some sections of it are still visible in Bearsden, Kirkintilloch, Twechar, Croy Hill, Falkirk and Polmont. 

Visible remains of the Wall

Castlecary 

(GPS: -3.93996,55.98275)

Castlecary was protected by thick stone walls – one of only two forts along the wall to feature stone defences.

The Castlecary site is today bisected by the Edinburgh to Glasgow railway line, which enters at the north-east corner and exits just south of the fort’s western gate. The north side of the fort was in line with the Antonine Wall’s ramparts, with the defensive ditch beyond.

Castlecary fort was one of 16 known forts along the Antonine Wall, which was built across Scotland’s central belt from AD 140. The wall formed the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire.

Rough Castle

(GPS: -3.86387,55.99704)

Rough Castle is the second-smallest fort on the wall, but it’s in the best state of preservation. 

In the area around Rough Castle, visitors can see: 

• The tallest surviving section of rampart 
• A short length of the Military Way, which ran the length of the wall 
• Defensive lilia pits 
• Fort and annexe defences 
• Multiple ditches and gateways 

Rough Castle was one of 16 known forts along the Antonine Wall, which was built across Scotland’s central belt from AD 140. The wall formed the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire. 

Seabegs Wood

(GPS: -3.90034,55.99304 - Limited parking)

Seabegs Wood features a well-preserved stretch of rampart and ditch, accompanied by a section of the Military Way, situated on an attractive wooded plateau. 

The Military Way, which connected all the forts along the Antonine Wall, is best seen at Seabegs Wood. It can be traced as a 7m-wide cambered mound with a visible road surface. Seabegs Wood was also home to a small military fortlet. 

Seabegs Wood stands along the Antonine Wall, which was built across Scotland’s central belt from AD 140. The wall formed the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire.

Watling Lodge East and West

(GPS: -3.8271,55.99823 - No Parking. Park On Nearby Roads)

This is one of the best-preserved section of the ditch that forms part of the Antonine Wall. The ditch here has survived to almost its original dimensions, enabling visitors to picture how it would have looked in Roman times, when the wall was constructed.  

There are two sections of ditch here, on both the east and west sides of the house known as Watling Lodge. Please note there is no entry to the house or its grounds. 

Watling Lodge stands on the site of a fortlet along the Antonine Wall, which was built across Scotland’s central belt from AD 140. The wall formed the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire. 

Bar Hill Fort

(GPS: -4.08308,55.95643 - Parking On Street Long Walk)

Bar Hill Fort is the best place to appreciate the strategic importance of the wall, while enjoying sweeping views of the Kelvin Valley.

The foundations of the fort are still visible, and visitors will be able to spot:

• the fort platform
• the east gate
• the headquarters building
• the bath house

Bar Hill Fort was one of 16 known forts along the Antonine Wall, which was built across Scotland’s central belt from AD 140. The wall formed the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire.

Bar Hill Fort Reconstruction, Antonine Wall by Historic Environment Scotland on Sketchfab

Bearsden Bath House

(GPS: -4.32805,55.91975 - Park on nearby streets)

The fort which once stood at Bearsden is now mostly covered by roads and houses, but the bath house within its annexe can still be seen.

The well-preserved bath house and latrine give visitors an insight into the daily lives of the soldiers stationed along the Antonine Wall. Several artefacts have been found at the site, including:

• the carved head of a goddess
• a gaming board
• a building stone inscribed by the men of the 20th Legion

Bearsden was one of 16 known forts along the Antonine Wall, which was built across Scotland’s central belt from AD 140. The wall formed the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire.

Croy Hill

(GPS: -4.0325,55.96522 - no car access)

(GPS for parking: -4.04746,55.96162 )

Some of the fortifications at Croy Hill are no longer visible, but the Romans’ mark on the landscape is unmistakeable.

Croy Hill was once home to:

• a fort
• a fortlet
• a temporary camp
• two raised platforms, known as ‘expansions’, which may have been used for signalling 

Croy Hill offers commanding views over the surrounding landscape, including the Firth of Forth and hills of Fife to the east, the Kilsyth Hills to the north, and the next fort at Bar Hill to the west.

Croy Hill fort was one of 16 known forts along the Antonine Wall, which was built across Scotland’s central belt from AD 140. The wall formed the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire.

Dullatur 

(GPS: -3.99937,55.97234 - no car access)

This is the site of two Roman camps on the Antonine Wall. 

Two temporary camps have been identified on this site, about 400 metres south of the wall. The first originally covered an area of about 9 acres. It was probably used as a base for workers constructing the wall. 

No remains of the camps are visible today, but the ditch of the Antonine Wall remains well-preserved. 

The Dullatur camps were situated along the Antonine Wall, which was built across Scotland’s central belt from AD 140. The wall formed the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire. 

Westerwood to Castlecary

(GPS: -3.95737,55.9793)

The ditch between the forts at Westerwood and Castlecary is one of the longest continuous stretches of the Antonine Wall that can be seen today.

Here there were two temporary camps, a circular enclosure, and possibly a watchtower of an uncertain date.

Official Site:

More information about history and visiting the wall at the official site: www.antoninewall.org