The Caledonians, the Picts, and the Maeatae: Why Did the Roman Invasion of Scotland Fail? (Part 2)
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 2021-04-11

Why Did the Roman Invasion of Scotland Fail? The Caledonians, the Picts, and the Maeatae - It is quite clear that the Caledonians posed fierce resistance to Roman rule. This is exemplified by the fact that the Romans built two walls, 100 miles apart, to separate themselves from the fierce northern tribes of Caledonia. 

Firstly, in 122AD, the Emperor Hadrian instructed his troops to construct a wall that would separate Caledonia from Roman Britannia. This wall is located in the very north of modern-day England, just south of the Scottish border. A few decades later, in 140AD, the Romans built a second wall further north to once again protect against Caledonian attacks. Antonine’s Wall was built between the River Clyde and the River Forth, and frequently came under attack. 

Even though Antonine’s Wall is further north, it still indicates that the Romans never had a major foothold in a large part of Caledonia, as the wall was relatively central in relation to the landmass of ancient Scotland. Although some historians argue that the Romans marched as far north as Cawdor, which is just east of Inverness, the likelihood is that the Romans never managed to have any significant presence that far north in Caledonia. 

Furthermore, the Romans had to retreat from Antonine’s Wall only a few years after it was constructed. Under pressure from the native forces, the Romans were forced to abandon Antonine’s Wall in around 165AD. The Romans threw their weapons down wells and buried them in pits, and part of the wall was buried itself, perhaps to help stop these tools and barriers being used by the Caledonians. The Romans retreated to Hadrian’s Wall, around 100 miles south.

Roman Genocide

Then, in the third century AD, there was a notable Roman push north and subsequent genocide under Emperor Septimius Severus and his sons. In 207AD, Severus received a letter from the Roman governor in Britannia, Senecio, that the northern tribes of Caledonia were revolting and that Rome was at risk of losing its foothold entirely. Using guerrilla warfare tactics, the natives had proved quite effective at fighting the Roman eagle. 

The following year, Severus arrived with 50,000 men and 7,000 sailors, the largest Roman force ever to touch down on the British Isles. In 209 and 210AD, the emperor led a force north of Hadrian’s Wall to fight two alliances that had formed amongst the native groups a few decades prior. The first alliance consisted of the Caledonians to the north, with the second known as the Maeatae, who were based around Fife and on either side of Antonine’s Wall. 

Where Do the Picts Fit In?

It is also in the third century AD that we see the first reference to the Picts in the historical record. In 297AD, a Roman writer spoke of the “Picts and Irish [meaning Scots] attacking” Hadrian’s Wall. It is thought that the Picts are the descendants of the Caledonians. However, as the Picti – meaning painted people – was also a name the Romans gave to the northern people of modern-day Scotland, the Caledonians and the Picts may have been essentially been the same people. 

Unfortunately, we don’t know what these people called themselves. Rome’s failed attempt to conquer all of modern-day Scotland came to a conclusive end in 410AD. With Rome itself under attack from various European tribes, the Roman legions left Caledonia for good. 

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

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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