How Rome Never Conquered Scotland (with Dr Simon Elliott)
What really happened when the Roman Empire pushed north into Scotland?
In this interview, historian and archaeologist Dr Simon Elliott explores Rome’s campaigns beyond Hadrian’s Wall, the armies sent into Caledonia, the peoples who resisted them, and the reasons the Romans never fully conquered or permanently held Scotland.
We discuss Agricola’s northern campaigns, the Battle of Mons Graupius, the construction of the Antonine Wall, Emperor Septimius Severus’ invasion, and what archaeology can tell us about Rome’s ambitions in the far north of Britain.
Was Scotland simply too difficult to conquer? Did Rome ever genuinely intend to occupy it permanently? And how much of the traditional story is supported by the surviving evidence?
Dr Simon Elliott is an award-winning historian, archaeologist and author specialising in the Roman world.
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Watch on YouTube (42 min)
