Almost 2000 years ago the
Roman army invaded Britain under the Emperor Claudius. It was approximately
35 years later before they managed to penetrate Scotland, and they were never
to conquer the Northerly areas of Britain.
The area of Falkirk lies on the
border of what would have been the most Northerly Frontier of the Roman Empire,
and the most enduring memorial to the Roman presence here is the Antonine
Wall, which was built around 142AD. Substantial lengths of this remarkable
monument can still be seen at various sites in the Falkirk area today.
The Roman invasion of 'Caledonia'
(Scotland) was led by the Roman Governor of 'Britannia' Agricola, who, within
7 years had managed to conquer Southern Britain and penetrate right into the
heart of Caledonia. In AD82 he defeated the Picts, led by the warrior Calgacus,
at the battle of Mons Graupius, one of the biggest land battles ever fought
on Scottish soil. However, the Romans found it difficult to hold onto the
Northern areas, and Agricola withdrew to the South before being recalled to
Rome.
Continuing problems with the
Northern 'barbarians' prompted the Emperor Hadrian to visit Britain in AD122,
and he ordered a wall to be built to separate the barbarians from the Roman
Empire, and to prevent the Picts from raiding Roman settlements in the Southern
half of Britain. This wall, known as Hadrians Wall, was 73 miles long, and
stretched from the Tyne to the Solway Firth.
However, on the accession of
the Emperor Antoninus Pius in AD138, it was decided to once again extend the
Northern Frontier, and an order was given to advance into Caledonia. He then
ordered another wall to be erected, the Antonine Wall, which was to become
the most Northerly frontier of one of the most vast and powerful Empires mankind
has ever seen.
The Antonine Wall was erected
around 142AD, and stretched from the Carriden on the Forth, to Old Kilpatrick
on the Clyde, and was approximately 37 miles long. Unlike the stone built
Hadrians Wall, the Antonine Wall consisted of a rampant of soil faced with
turf, resting on a stone foundation. It originally stood 12 feet high, and
was protected on the North by a V shaped ditch 40 feet wide and 12 feet deep.
South of the wall itself ran a cobbled road, the 'Military Way' which linked
a network of forts that were built along the wall at intervals of approximately
2 miles. These forts acted as barracks for troops who defended the frontier.
The Wall was constantly being
attacked by the Picts, and as the Roman Empire gradually became weaker, the
Romans were forced once again to withdraw back to Hadrians Wall. Eventually,
because of turmoil in the Empire, the Romans abandoned Hadrians Wall and withdrew
from Britain after almost 250 years of occupation.
Here you will find the best surviving
stretch of the Antonine Wall, which gives the clearest impression of the formidable
nature of the ditch. It is still about 40 feet wide and 15 feet deep. The
remains of the turf rampart can be seen as a low mound set back some 20 feet
South of the ditch. The siting of the Wall at this position gave an unobstructed
view of the countryside to the North.
This is the best preserved of all the
forts on the Antonine Wall. Built against the back of the wall, this fort
was defended by turf ramparts, 20 feet thick on a stone base. Double ditches
ran round the other three sides. In places the wall itself still stands some
5 feet high, and the ditch and rampart of the wall are particularly well preserved.
The fort lies to the East , and would
probably have provided barrack accommodation for about 500 men. The rampart
and ditches can be followed round the fort, and the over grown ruins of some
of the more important buildings can still be seen.
Over the causeway across the Antonine
ditch, lies a series of pits called 'lilia'. These originally had a pointed
stake at the bottom of each to serve as a trap for anyone attacking the fort.
In 1978, excavations at Kinneil Estate
uncovered a small Roman fort, which would have been attached to the rear of
the Antonine Wall. The fort consisted of a rectangular area, enclosed by a
turf and earth rampart, protected by an outer ditch. A gravel road ran from
South to North through the fort, with gateways at either end, the positions
of which are now marked by timber posts. Timber posts also mark the positions
of original Roman buildings which were found within the fort during an excavation
in 1981. Several finds from this area are now on show in the nearby Kinneil
museum.
From Kinneil, the Antonine Wall ran westwards
on the crest of the high ground. A small part of the ditch can still be seen,
parallel to and on the North side of Polmonthill ski slope, although it is
far shallower than it was originally.
The ditch of the Antonine Wall can be
seen in the grounds of Callendar Park. It runs westwards from the Business
Park for about half a mile and is still 6 - 10 feet deep. The wall itself
survives for part of this length, as a low mound, set back from the Southern
edge of the ditch between two lines of trees.
The line of the Antonine ditch and wall
ca be clearly seen running for a quarter of a mile through Seabegs Wood, to
the South of the Forth and Clyde Canal. At this point the ditch is still some
40 feet wide, but only 6 - 8 feet deep. In places, the rampart survives to
a height of 4 feet.
There are also a number of other less
well preserved sites within the Falkirk area, where there are interpretative
display panels to describe each location for visitors. These are located at
Kemper Avenue, Anson Avenue and Tamfourhill Road in Falkirk, and Castlecary.
The museums at Falkirk and Kinneil also house an extensive collection of finds,
including pottery, jewellery, weapons and clothing which have been uncovered
from sites around the route of the Antonine Wall. |
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