Agricola in Scotland – how the Romans subdued the Far North

Agricola was the great Flavian warrior governor of Britain, tasked by the emperor Vespasian with conquering the far north of its main island for the first time.

Initially campaigning in Wales and then the north of modern England to secure his rear, he launched his first assault into modern Scotland at the end of the 70s AD. Ultimately, primary sources say he defeated the combined armies of the natives in far north at the Battle of Mons Graupius in AD 83. After this, the successful conquest of the whole island was declared, Agricola commanded the Classis Britannia (the Roman navy in Britain) to circumnavigate the whole province for the first time, and Domitian ordered a monumental arch to be built at Richborough on the east coast of Kent to celebrate the Roman triumph. This became the imperial gateway into Roman Britain.

In this talk Simon Elliott will show how new archaeological evidence can show us how Agricola was able to campaign so far north of the imperial frontier and in such numbers, with over 30,000 men, plus the fleet, and the exact routes he followed. Simon’s new Agricola in Scotland book is published in July by Pen & Sword.

Simon Elliott is an award-winning and best-selling archaeologist, historian and broadcaster. He holds a PhD in Classics and Archaeology from the University of Kent, a Masters degree in Archaeology from UCL’s Institute of Archaeology, and a Masters Degree in War Studies from KCL. He has published 19 books to date on Roman and ancient world themes, including Roman Britain’s Missing Legion which was a BBC History Top 10 Book of the Year in 2021.