Where is the Antonine Wall located?
The Antonine Wall runs across the Central Belt of Scotland, from Old Kilpatrick in West Dunbartonshire on the Firth of Clyde to Carriden near Bo'ness on the Firth of Forth. It spans approximately 63 kilometres.
Questions about Antonine Wall
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When was the Antonine Wall built and by whom?
Construction began in AD 142 at the order of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius. Quintus Lollius Urbicus, governor of Roman Britain, initially supervised the work, which may have taken as long as twelve years to complete.
Why was the Antonine Wall abandoned?
The Roman legions withdrew from the Antonine Wall in AD 162, roughly eight years after its completion, and relocated to Hadrian's Wall to the south. Sustained pressure from the Caledonians and the difficulty of holding so remote a frontier likely drove the decision.
What are the distance slabs of the Antonine Wall?
The distance slabs are decorative stone sculptures, twenty of which survive, carved by the legions who built the wall to record the lengths each unit completed and to commemorate conflicts with the Caledonians. Research by Glasgow University found that the slabs were originally brightly painted, though they now appear bare. They are preserved at the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow.
How is the Antonine Wall different from Hadrian's Wall?
The Antonine Wall was built of turf on a stone foundation rather than stone, making it less durable. It was also shorter at roughly 63 kilometres versus Hadrian's Wall further south, and it lacked the subsidiary Vallum ditch system found behind Hadrian's Wall. Its turf-and-wood construction is the primary reason fewer remains are visible today.
Is the Antonine Wall a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Yes. On the 7th of July 2008, the Antonine Wall was listed as an extension to the World Heritage Site known as Frontiers of the Roman Empire. The UK government first announced the nomination in 2003, and the Scottish Government backed it from 2005.