Films Set In Roman Scotland

[Lianachan]

Two out in 2010, although one has had its release date put back (and name changed!).

The Eagle, based on the children's novel The Eagle Of The Ninth, which is based on the old (and nonsense) idea that the Roman 9th legion was wiped out in the Highlands of Scotland.

and

Centurion, based on the same old idea, but not on any particular book.

I've not seen either, and the former isn't out yet, but as a keen ancient historian I'm looking forward to seeing both. Anybody else?

[Saorsa1]

Yes, they sound good.

A friend of mine said that the Romans tried very hard to control Scotland but could never tame the locals in Scotland.

[Duthill]

So the movie will be about the Romans and their wall building achievements eh

[Lianachan]

Originally Posted by Saorsa1

Yes, they sound good.

A friend of mine said that the Romans tried very hard to control Scotland but could never tame the locals in Scotland.

They did try often and hard enough to control all of (what is now) Scotland, and they did more or less fully control southern Scotland for a while. For at least two different whiles, actually. Their navy did circumnavigate the British Isles, and there were possible political/diplomatic ties with Orkney, but they never advanced further up the mainland than the Inverness area. Or, at least, they never built anything further north - and if they'd been campaigning then there would be marching camps, of which at least one would probably have still been detectable. To be fair, nobody has ever really looked for them that far north. There are a series of marching camps, forts and fortlets strung out from Perth out to Montrose, up to Aberdeen and curving round to Moray, as well as a complicated "limes" between Loch Lomond and Angus, mostly on what's usually called the "Gask Frontier" (the first land border the Roman empire ever established, anywhere). Scotland, by the way, has more marching camps than any other part of the Roman world. The most northern, in terms of being at the end of this line of fortifications and camps rather than latitude, Roman installation known so far is a small fort at Cawdor, near Nairn. There is a possible Roman camp or fort at Tarradale, just outside Beauly, and there is a local tradition of a Roman fortification of some kind at Pormahomack. Practically all TV shows and most books about the Romans in Britain give the impression that they conquered England and Wales, won a big battle in Scotland and then built a big wall to protect those nice, now civilised, southern lands from hoardes of blue painted savages from the north. Sometimes, if we're lucky, the Antonine Wall gets mentioned, but the basic premise of protection from us nasty savages is simply moved, briefly and slightly, north. The truth, of course, is far more complicated (and interesting).

Known Roman military excursions into (what's now) Scotland:

When? Who?
<80 Unknown Agricolan predecessor
80 - 84 Agricola
138 - 14? Lollius Urbicus
180 - 185 Ulpius Marcellus
209 - 211 Severus
305 Constantius Chlorus
342 - 343 an "imperial visit"
364 ????
367 - 368 ????
382 Magnus Maximus
390s Stilicho

Most of these were just military campaigns for the glory of the leader, but some of them were most definitely attempts to add Scotland - and ALL of Scotland - to the empire. The main reason that they failed to do so was that the structure of Caledonian society was not conducive to the usual Roman methods of conquering and occupying land. This meant that the region would require to have been heavily garrisoned, all over the place, and there simply weren't the men to spare.

[ANDY-J3]

Control? Septimus Severus ordered his son to take his legions into Scotland and carry out full scale genocide. Fortunately Severus died soon afterwards and his son headed off back to Rome without carrying out the order. I've carried out some archaeological investigations mostly using a metal detector at the Roman fort of Mumrills on the Antonine wall. All I found was extensive amounts of iron slag and the remains of some dressed paving stones but it was fascinating nevertheless to find for myself evidence of metal working within the fort rather than just reading about it in a book.

[Lianachan]

Originally Posted by ANDY-J3

I've carried out some archaeological investigations mostly using a metal detector at the Roman fort of Mumrills on the Antonine wall.

Depending on the circumstances, that is almost certainly illegal!

Originally Posted by ANDY-J3

All I found was extensive amounts of iron slag and the remains of some dressed paving stones but it was fascinating nevertheless to find for myself evidence of metal working within the fort rather than just reading about it in a book.

Indeed. It's always good to get out there and stuck in.

[Lianachan]

By coincidence, I've just actually watched Centurion! Historically, it's a pile of crap, and not just the Roman stuff. But it's not a history lesson, it's entertainment, and it's an enjoyable watch.