Roman vicus found north of Antonine Wall

[Melvadius]

I have recently come across an article comfirming the discovery of the first known Roman vicus at Strageath north of the Antonine Wall. Giving further archaeological confirmation (if it was still needed) that the Roman presence in the area extended for longer than the 3 or at most 7 years previously believed by historians from the writing of Tacitus.

 

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/displayNo...tentPK=18472913

[caldrail]

I must admit, when I first saw this thread I thought 'Oh no, the scottish nationalists are making claims'. Well, if the report is accurate, then it shows one thing - that the locals saw the opportunities of living off the roman garrison like they did everywhere else. The romans of course knew that, it was part of their methodology in romainising a new province. However, whats also clear, underlined by such events as the Varian Disaster, is that this romanisation process succeeds where there is no-one to inspire a revolt against roman rule. Again, as the Antonine Wall shows, the romans preferred conquest as a means of obtaining new provinces and the process of assimilation was often too slow for roman sensibilities. Also, ancient authors point at various characters who exploit the new area for their own personal gain - greed, in other words, which was a great failing of their provincial administration.

[Melvadius]

I must admit, when I first saw this thread I thought 'Oh no, the scottish nationalists are making claims'. Well, if the report is accurate, then it shows one thing - that the locals saw the opportunities of living off the roman garrison like they did everywhere else. The romans of course knew that, it was part of their methodology in romainising a new province. However, whats also clear, underlined by such events as the Varian Disaster, is that this romanisation process succeeds where there is no-one to inspire a revolt against roman rule. Again, as the Antonine Wall shows, the romans preferred conquest as a means of obtaining new provinces and the process of assimilation was often too slow for roman sensibilities. Also, ancient authors point at various characters who exploit the new area for their own personal gain - greed, in other words, which was a great failing of their provincial administration.

 

I wouldn't know about any putative SNP claims but as the recent book by Wooliscroft and Hoffmann pointed out there is strong archaeological evidence for an increase in farming along the area of the Gask Ridge during what is now seen to be a longish period of Roman occupation and/or influence.

 

However they also point out the inherent difficulties the Romans would have encountered in an area with little or no existing administration for them to take over. In most provinces that the Roman's retained there appears to have been some existing cohesion of tribal groupings and consequently pre-existing taxation culture for them to work within. Northern Scotland in contrast does not show evidence for any similar cohesion mainly being small scattered communities until much later on well inot the medieval period.

 

BTW There may have been greed on the part of some administrators but Rome also had a series of laws aimed at reducing that inclination for corruption to acceptable levels - ie a series of Laws enacted banning such activities as members of the adminstration (governors in particular) from marrying people from provinces they were in control of - unless they had already been betrothed before taking up positions in the province concerned.