Whither Roman Scotland?

When it comes to the Roman Empire, northern Britain is very much frontier country, with Scotland occupying land that was both within and beyond the empire. Northern British Roman studies have long been dominated by Hadrian’s Wall, although there has also been a long tradition of studying Roman Scotland.

Recent research in Scotland has recognised that some of the theoretical frameworks in which we have been operating are decades old, whether relating to the building of the Antonine Wall, the reasons for abandoning Scotland, Burnswark Hill (siege vs practice), the value of Tacitus’ etc. Older excavations have recently been, or are about to be, published, meaning that the time is ripe for reevaluation and new ideas to come through. However, this potential opportunity for new ideas, theory and research to blossom is hamstrung by the loss of University research in Roman Scotland. There is no longer any specialist in Roman Scotland in a permanent academic position. How can we nurture the talent of the next generation?

Rebecca J Jones (Historic Environment Scotland)

TAG Deva 2018
Session: (Not) the Final Frontier: Charting New Courses for Frontiers Theory