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Top 10 Astonishing Facts about the Antonine Wall

Antonine Wall. Relic of Antonine Wall in Bearsden cemetery. Photo by Wikimedia Commons

It was built by Romans across the Central Belt of Scotland. It was between the firth of the fourth and the Firth of Clyde.

The purpose of the wall was to extend The Roman territory and dominance and replace the 160 kilometers wall (Hadrian’s wall)as the front-end of Britannia.

The Antonine wall was built 20 years after Hadrian’s Wall to the south.

The construction of the wall began in 142D and was completed after 12 years. The wall was later abandoned after eight years of completion, and the garrisons were relocated to Hadrian’s Wall.

The Roman emperor Antoninus Pius ordered the construction of the wall. The wall had 16 forts with small fortlets between them. It was approximately 63 kilometers and was 3 meters high and 5 meters wide.

It had a deep ditch on the northern side, the ditch was constructed for security purposes. Unlike Hadrian’s Wall which was constructed using stones, the Antonine wall was a wooden palisade on a turf top. However, it had a strong stone foundation.

The wall is known as the Vallum Antonini by the Romans. Let’s learn more interesting facts about the Antonine wall.

1. The Wall was Named after a Roman Emperor

Antoninus Pius was a Roman emperor from 138 to 161. In 142 he ordered the construction of the wall which was supervised by Quintus Lollius Urbicus.

He was the governor of Roman Britain. The construction of the wall took 12 years and it was named after Antoninus Pius.

2. It was Constructed 20 Years after Hadrian’s Wall

cof. Photo by Wikimedia Commons.

The wall was constructed 20 years after Hadrian’s wall. However, Hadrian’s wall was longer than the Antonine wall.

The Hadrian’s wall was 160 kilometers long while the Antonine wall was only 63 kilometers.

3. It was Built from Wood and Turf

Antonine Wall ditch looking east at Roughcastle, Falkirk, Scotland.

The wall was predominantly made from wood and turf, unlike Hadrian’s wall which was made of stone.

The stone foundation and wings wall of the original forts was similar to Hadrian’s wall. The original plan was to build a stone wall like that of the Hadrian’s.

However, the original plan was changed and the wall was typically a bank. That was 13 feet high.

The wall was made of layered turves and a wide ditch on the north side and a military way on the south.

However, the foundation of the Antonine wall was made of stones. Because of this, the Antonine Wall is much less well-preserved than Hadrian’s Wall.

4. The Wall had 19 Forts and 9 Small Fortlets

The wall was made of at least 19 forts and 9 small fortlets inside the forts. The Romans planned to build forts every 10 kilometers but this plan was changed.

They built a fort after every 3.3 kilometers, this resulted in a total of nineteen forts along the wall.

Each fort had a front-line auxiliary garrison that carried out daily duties such as patrols beyond the frontier, weapons training, long sentry duties, and courier services.

The best well-preserved fort since the construction of the wall is the Rough Castle fort. It was also the smallest fort out of the total.

In addition to the forts, there was at least 9 smaller fortlet, some were later replaced by the forts. Kinneil is the most visible fortlet. It is at the Eastern end of the wall, near Bo’ness.

5. It had Deep Ditch

File: The Antonine Wall in Strone Plantation – geograph.org.uk.

The wall’s ditch was a deep earthwork dug a ditch to the north. The main purpose of the ditch was for defense.

The ditch was a V-shaped trench. It was average 12 meters wide and 4 meters deep.

The ditch was constructed even where the terrain had superfluous mostly at the Croy hill. At the Croy hill, the ditch ran below the tall crags. However, in some places of the terrain, the Romans were unable to construct the ditch.

The ditch also had an upcast mound that was placed on the north side. The upcast was to increase the depth of the ditch.

However, the upcast mound varied according to the terrain. In most of the areas, it formed a gentle rise, but where the ground sloped it formed a pointed scrap.

6. The Wall had a Military Way

The military way was the first to be constructed. It was a stone and gravel path. It was around 5metres wide.

It connected the various forts and fortlets along the wall. It also facilitated the weather access.

7. Its Ruins are Less Evident

Since the wall was constructed with wood and turf its remains are less visible than those of Hadrian’s Wall to the south.

This is because turf and the wood wall have weathered way unlike those of the stone-built southern wall.

8. The Wall had a Rampart

The was created from turf to form a mold. The mold was around 3 meters tall on top of a rough stone base. The thicker ramparts were created on forts on the wall.

9. The Wall had Flat Space Between the Rampart and Ditch

The flat space that was between the rampart and the ditch is known as Berm. It is used to stop subsidence.

The width of the berm was around 6 meters. It had obstacles to slow down attackers.

10. The First Mapping of the Wall was Undertaken in 1764

The mapping of the wall was first undertaken by William Roy in 1764. He was the forerunner of the Ordnance survey.

William provided accurate and good details of the drawing of the wall’s remains. He also captured detailed drawings of where the wall was destroyed.

His map and drawings of the wall are the only reliable sources in the record. However, modern technology like the use of computers can now map the wall in 3-dimensions.

This makes clear the study of the wall for example how visible the forts and fortlets were to fellow soldiers along the wall. This is a historical site to visit during your holidays, the wall is under the care of Historic Scotland.

One of the best viewing points is near Bonnybridge. This is where the line ditch and wall can be viewed.

Another viewing point is the New Kilpatrick cemetery where the stone foundation of the wall is visible.