Antonine Wall

Regions: Strathclyde and Central

The Antonine Wall, also known as the Roman Wall, Graham's or Grim's Dike, was a Roman border fortification with nineteen forts that stretched from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde or, more precisely from Dunglass Castle, Dunglass Point near Clydebank to Borrowstounness.

Measuring 39mi/62.4km in length, it is made of earth and clay on stone foundations. On the north side of the wall, a ditch 20ft/6,10m deep and 40ft/12.20m wide was dug, while to the south ran a stone path at a height of 10ft/3.04m and 14ft/4.3m in width.

The wall was built by legionnaires in A.D.142. A model in Glasgow's Hunterian Museum shows clearly how the sections of the wall were built and other exhibits include finds from the forts. Unlike England, Scotland was never ruled by the Romans, although they occupied it for a time to protect their province of Britannia. Agricola entered Scotland in A.D.80, annihilated the inhabitants on Mons Graupius - thought to be in the south of Perthshire - in 84 and then built a number of fortresses. His successor Quintus Lolius Urbicus was responsible for constructing the wall and he named it after the emperor at that time Titus Aurelius Antonius. Gauls, Belgians, Syrians and Thracians were sent to man the forts. About 40 years after the completion of the wall (c. 185), it was abandoned.