Beyond the Empire: The Romans in Scotland

Pre-requisites for enrolment

None.

Content of Course

1. The Empire. 

Examining a brief history of the Roman Empire, the Scottish Iron Age, and the Romans in Britain.

2. The First Roman Invasion. 

Overview of the Roman Military (particularly camps, forts and indigenous interaction, the governor Agricola and his activities in Scotland, and the origins of The Gask Frontier (with a case study of Inchtuthill Legionary Fortress).

3. Withdrawing from Scotland. 

The Reasons that the Romans left Scotland, and what was going on elsewhere in the Empire, and an examination of Hadrian’s Wall, its origins and development up to the modern ‘rediscovery’ of the frontier.

4. Back to Scotland. 

The reasons why the Romans came back to Scotland, and how this led to the construction of the Antonine Wall (origins, development & the modern period. An overview of three Roman sites on the Wall to be visited on the field trip.

5. The Final Invasion.

Examining the Severan invasion and what else was happening in the Empire and how did it compare in Scotland? What happened to Scotland (and Britain) once the Romans left, and the Antiquarian ‘invasion’ and more recent research.

Field Trip.

The course includes a weekend day trip to the Antonine Wall (7 hours in total including travel and site visits).

• Bar Hill (Nr Cumbernauld) Roman fort forming part of the Antonine Wall. Well-preserved, it gives the indication of the layout of a fort and demonstrates the relationship with the Antonine Wall.

• Rough Castle (Nr Bonnybridge) Stretch of well-preserved Wall, giving a clear indication of various frontier defences.

• Kinneil Fortlet (Nr Bo’ness) Remains of a fortlet, giving good idea of such structures. Additionally there is a free, adjacent museum.

Teaching method(s)

This course will offer 5 x two hour classes and a day trip. Course material will be presented using a mixture of presentation, use of various different types of evidence (written and physical), class discussion and participation. The field trip will take students to three sites previously discussed in the classroom.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Identify major achievements and key sites of Roman military activity in Scotland;

• Critically examine different types of evidence (documentary and physical, primary and secondary) and draw reasonable conclusions from this;

• Formulate and put forward an argument based on evidence.

 

Sources

Core Readings

Recommended:

• Tacitus. The Agricola and the Germania. Available: http://archive.org/stream/tacitusagricolag00taciiala/tacitusagricolag00taciiala_djvu.txt

• Breeze, D., 2006. J. Collingwood Bruce's Handbook to the Roman Wall 14 ed. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle Upon Tyne.

• Woolliscroft, D.J. & Hoffmann, B., 2006. Rome's First Frontier, Tempus Pub Limited.

Web Sources

http://www.theromangaskproject.org.uk

Woolliscroft, D. J. & Hoffmann, B.. (). The Roman Gask Project.

Class Handouts

A summary of key evidence discussed and an e-book with the full range of evidence will be available.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.