Battlefields›Roman defence of Hadrian's Wall

Roman Period

Roman defence of Hadrian's Wall

Q: When did Roman defence of Hadrian's Wall take place?

Roman defence of Hadrian's Wall took place in 180, in Northumberland, England. Tribes from the north breached Hadrian's Wall around 180 AD and killed a Roman general together with his troops, in what Cassius Dio called the most serious war of Commodus's reign. Governor Ulpius Marcellus was sent to suppress the revolt, conducting punitive raids north of the border; the war was not fully quelled until about 184 AD, when Commodus took the title Britannicus and commemorative coins were issued. Marcellus subsequently withdrew to Hadrian's Wall and concluded treaties with the tribes, though further unrest is attested into 185-187.

Q: Who won Roman defence of Hadrian's Wall?

Roman Empire (Ulpius Marcellus, eventually) was victorious. The defeated side was Caledonian/Maeatae tribes (initially victorious, later repelled). Tribes from the north breached Hadrian's Wall around 180 AD and killed a Roman general together with his troops, in what Cassius Dio called the most serious war of Commodus's reign. Governor Ulpius Marcellus was sent to suppress the revolt, conducting punitive raids north of the border; the war was not fully quelled until about 184 AD, when Commodus took the title Britannicus and commemorative coins were issued. Marcellus subsequently withdrew to Hadrian's Wall and concluded treaties with the tribes, though further unrest is attested into 185-187.

180

Northumberland, England

Era

Roman Period

Battle Type

Campaign

Location

Northumberland, England

Status

Unregistered

The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated

Caledonian/Maeatae tribes (initially victorious, later repelled)

Victor

Roman Empire (Ulpius Marcellus, eventually)

Outcome

Tribes from the north breached Hadrian's Wall around 180 AD and killed a Roman general together with his troops, in what Cassius Dio called the most serious war of Commodus's reign. Governor Ulpius Marcellus was sent to suppress the revolt, conducting punitive raids north of the border; the war was not fully quelled until about 184 AD, when Commodus took the title Britannicus and commemorative coins were issued. Marcellus subsequently withdrew to Hadrian's Wall and concluded treaties with the tribes, though further unrest is attested into 185-187.

The Battle

History & Significance

Roman defence of Hadrian's Wall was a Roman campaign, fought in the area of Northumberland, England in 180. Roman Empire (Ulpius Marcellus, eventually) prevailed over Caledonian/Maeatae tribes (initially victorious, later repelled). Tribes from the north breached Hadrian's Wall around 180 AD and killed a Roman general together with his troops, in what Cassius Dio called the most serious war of Commodus's reign. Governor Ulpius Marcellus was sent to suppress the revolt, conducting punitive raids north of the border; the war was not fully quelled until about 184 AD, when Commodus took the title Britannicus and commemorative coins were issued. Marcellus subsequently withdrew to Hadrian's Wall and concluded treaties with the tribes, though further unrest is attested into 185-187.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Roman defence of Hadrian's Wall lies on Yoredale Group, bedrock that formed in the Bashkirian. The rock here is limestone, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Civil War

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Literature

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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Roman defence of Hadrian's Wall

Roman camp, 290m north west of Seldom Seen

Scheduled monument · ~0.7 mi

The Roman camp situated 290 metres north-west of Seldom Seen in Northumberland is a fortified military installation dating to the Roman occupation of Britain. The site represents a temporary or semi-permanent marching camp, a type of defensive enclosure constructed by Roman forces during their ca…

Langley Barony Mines, Haydon Bridge

Scheduled monument · ~1.4 mi

Langley Barony Mines is a post-medieval mining site located near Haydon Bridge in Northumberland. The mines represent the exploitation of lead and silver deposits in the area during the early modern period, forming part of the broader industrial heritage of the North Tyne valley. The site preserv…

Mike Quinn / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Housesteads fort, section of Wall and vallum between the field boundary west of milecastle 36 and the field boundary west of turret 37a in wall miles 36 and 37

Scheduled monument · ~1.6 mi

Housesteads fort, section of Wall and vallum between the field boundary west of milecastle 36 and the field boundary west of turret 37a in wall miles 36 and 37, is a scheduled ancient monument forming part of Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland. This section of the Roman frontier fortification dates…

Clive Chafer / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Moated site and fishpond, 1km ENE of Sewingshields on Fozy Moss

Scheduled monument · ~2.2 mi

A moated site and fishpond is a defended or prestigious medieval enclosure located approximately one kilometre east-north-east of Sewingshields on Fozy Moss in Northumberland. The monument comprises a substantial rectangular moat with an associated fishpond, features characteristic of high-status…

Roman quarry inscription on Queen's Crags, 680m south east of East Hotbank

Scheduled monument · ~2.2 mi

Roman quarry inscription on Queen's Crags is a carved rock inscription located in Northumberland, marking the extraction site of stone for Roman military purposes. The inscription, cut into the natural rock face, documents quarrying activity associated with the construction and maintenance of Rom…

Andrew Curtis / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Round cairn, 150m ESE of Kingscrag Gate

Scheduled monument · ~2.3 mi

Round cairn, 150m ESE of Kingscrag Gate is a Bronze Age funerary monument located in Northumberland. The site consists of a circular mound of stone and earth constructed as a burial cairn, typical of funerary practices during the Bronze Age period. Such monuments commonly contained inhumations or…

Andrew Curtis / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Bowl barrow 420m south west of New Beggarbog

Scheduled monument · ~1.1 miles

Three prehistoric and Romano-British settlements and associated cord rig at Green Brae

Scheduled monument · ~1.3 miles

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