Why Did the Roman Invasion of Scotland Fail? Ancient Rome in Caledonia (Part 1) #CelticHistory
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 2021-04-06

Why Did the Roman Invasion of Scotland Fail? Ancient Rome Defeated in Caledonia - Ancient Rome is one of the most famous civilizations in recorded history. First a Republic, then an Empire, the power of Rome stretched from Western Europe to Northern Africa. Despite Rome’s power and prestige however, there was one region of the world that Rome could never conquer: the northern part of what we today call Scotland. 

To the Romans, this region was known as Caledonia. This was probably an oversimplification on the part of Roman writers and generals however, as Caledonia was a complex system of different tribes and groups. Unfortunately, we don’t know what these people called themselves. Why did the mighty Roman Empire fail to conquer these people however?

The Initial Campaign

Well, initially, the Romans had some success. After sending a survey fleet in 79AD, the most notable incident in the initial period of the Roman campaign in Caledonia took place in 83AD, at the Battle of Mons Graupius, with this mountain range known as the Grampian Mountains today. We know that the Caledonians raised an army of around 30,000 men to confront a highly-trained Roman force of approximately half the size. Despite their inferior numbers, the well-trained Roman legions won a decisive victory under the Roman general Julius Agricola, with around 10,000 Caledonians thought to have died on this bloody occasion. 

After victory, the Romans briefly built upon their position by strengthening a series of forts and watch towers along the Gask Ridge. This was a set of Roman defences that cut through Caledonia, starting as far down as Camelon and stretching diagonally up to Cargill, which is just north of Perth. Roman attention soon turned to another part of the empire further east however. In 85 and 86AD, the Romans suffered defeats against Dacian forces in Transylvania, which is in modern-day Romania. With some Roman troops relocated to the east, and under increasing pressure from local forces, the Romans dropped back south to the modern-day Scottish-English border. 

For the Glory of Caledonia

And here in lies one of the major reasons why Rome failed to fully conquer and hold ancient Scotland: the ferocity of the native people. Rome had to drop back to the Scottish-English border because they were under constant pressure when in Caledonia. The Caledonians are documented to be fierce and brave fighters. The Roman statesman, Dio, described the Caledonians as “doughty fighters” who were “fearsome and dangerous” men. 
Additionally, the Caledonians learned their lesson from the Battle of Mons Graupius that fighting the Romans in a traditional battle was futile. Their strategy shifted, with them engaging more in guerrilla warfare tactics against the occupying Roman force, which proved successful over the coming centuries.   

Sources:

Scotsman - Why couldn't the Romans hold and conquer Scotland? https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/why-couldnt-romans-hold-and-conquer-scotland-1470559 

BBC - Did the Romans conquer Scotland? https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zqtf34j/articles/zxv6pv4 

The Antonine Wall, The Romans in Scotland https://www.antoninewall.org/about-the-wall/the-romans-in-scotland 

Laura Smith (The Sunday Post) The Honest Truth: How the Romans came close but ultimately failed to conquer Scotland under Septimius Severus https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/the-honest-truth-how-the-romans-came-close-but-ultimately-failed-to-conquer-scotland-under-septimius-severus/ 

Gask Ridge Frontier http://www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk/perth_fife/gask_ridge_frontier.html 

Jody Harrison - New guided tour lets visitors walk in the shoes of the Roman army, The Herald https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17664178.new-guided-tour-lets-visitors-walk-shoes-roman-army/ 

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Pict https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pict

Creative Commons

Tataryn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roman_Empire_Trajan_117AD.png  Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en 

Notuncurious, Primarily Frere's Britannia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Agricola.Campaigns.80.84.jpg Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en