Nigel's Photo Blog

This evening, I am providing an illustrated itinerary for a one-day highlights tour of the Antonine Wall in Scotland, part of a World Heritage Site. Introduction The Antonine Wall was constructed between AD 139 and 142 under Emperor, Titus Aurelius Antoninus. It exteneds for a length of about 37 miles on a line roughly between modern -day   Edinburgh and Glasgow in the south of Scotland. The Wall represented the northern frontier of the Roman Empire until Antoninus’s death in AD 161 whereafter   Hadrian’s Wall was reinstated as the northern frontier, some 100 miles south.The Wall was constructed on a 14 ft wide stone base on which sat a turf-built rampart, possibly ten feet high. Tour Schedule The tour is predicated on travelling east to west, commencing Falkirk and visiting: The Wall near Callendar   House in Falkirk and then a visit to the Roman themed museum at  Callendar House which itself of interest, being constructed in the Fr...

Antonine Wall at Rough Castle, Bonnybridge looking west. This post focuses on key sites on the 2nd century AD Antonine Wall which, for a short period of about 20 years, was the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. The Antonine Wall is named after the Emperor, Titus Aurelius Antoninus. It was built AD 139-142 and runs for 37 miles in an east-west direction linking Scotland’s east and west coasts. There may have been up to 26 forts along the wall of which 17 have been identified. The motivation for construction of the Wall probably owes more to political machinations within the Roman administration than any military imperative.  Readers should remember that the local adversaries of the Romans were the Picts, not Scots. The latter did not arrive (from Ireland) until around AD500. First site is the fort at Bar Hill, near Twechar, N.E. of Glasgow. Access entails an uphill climb along a rough track for about half a mile completion of which rewards the visitor with...

Introduction   This evening, I am providing information on the 2nd century AD, Antonine Wall.  Line of the Wall near Bar Hill.    Information on the Antonine Wall The Antonine Wall is a turf structure stretching east-west between the rivers Forth and Clyde (Edinburgh and Glasgow ) and covering a distance of 37 miles (59 Km). It is named after the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius who ruled from AD 138-161. Construction of such a wall may have been politically inspired to enhance the status of Antoninus who had succeeded the ‘consolidator’, Hadrian. Foundations of Wall at New Kilpatrick Cemetery, near Bearsden.   In July 2008 the Antonine Wall was designated a part of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site. The 51 year old Titus Aurelius Antoninus (born Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius ) was the second choice of the childless Hadrian to become Emperor. As an administrator with no military experience it is thought that Hadrian viewed Antoninus a...

This morning, I joined a small group of hikers on a 6.5 mile route which entailed visiting a section of the 1900 year old Antonine Wall which was built by the Romans and for a short period was the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. The hike commenced and ended about 18 miles N.E. of Glasgow in S.W. Scotland at Kilsyth. Detailed information on the Wall is provided below. The driver behind construction was political rather than military and it operated as a 'trip wire' as distinct from an impenetrable barrier. At this time, the opponents of the Romans were a race of indigenous  people called Picts, about 300 years before arrival of the Gaelic speaking Scots from Ireland. Illustration of Barr Hill fort which sits at highest point on line of the Wall Remains of bath house at Barr Hill fort Illustration of fort at Croy Hill Wide valley in front of the Wall. View N.W. from Barr Hill Illustration of defensive ditch in front of the Wall Landscape vie...