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In AD 78 Gn. Julius Agricola became governor of the Province Britannia. After stabilizing the Province up to the Tyne-Solway-Line (the road along this line from Carlisle to Corbridge was probably built by Agricola and is known as the Stanegate, its medival name) Roman units entered Scotland and conquered the territory up to the Tay River. The furthest North legionary fortress of Inchtuthil at the Upper Tay indicates further advance in order to subdue the whole island, but with the withdrawel of the legio II adiutrix to the Danube the retreat from Scotland started.
After AD 86 all forts North of Newstead were abandoned, but the Romans still stayed for several years in Lowland Scotland (compare to Gask Ridge). At the end or beginning of the first century Roman units withdrew completely from Scotland to the Tyne-Solway isthmus. Maybe the emperor Trajan (AD 98 - 117) needed more troops for his wars in the East and along the Danube. |
| The Tyne-Solway isthmus is the first possible strategic frontier line South of Scotland (see Forth-Clyde isthmus). Under Trajan all forts in Lowland Scotland vanished. He accepted the retreat in Britain, although he is generally known as the great conquerer. Trajan established probably a kind of frontier along the Agricolan road from Carlisle to Corbridge today discussed as the Stanegate System. The road did neither end in Carlisle nor in Corbridge. East of Corbridge it is probably heading for the fort at Washing Well going further on to South Shields. In the West it is running to the fort at Kirkbride. |
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| The Stanegate vanishing east of Corbridge |
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Along this road various military sites were discovered suggesting that it may be a Trajanic frontier. There were several forts (Carlisle, Nether Denton, Vindolanda, Corbridge) and fortlets (Haltwhistle Burn, Throp) linked to the road. But still there are several problems to proof a working frontier system. First of all a closer spacing of forts is needed to control the area (Nether Denton to Vindolanda: a day march apart - half day march like on Hadrian's Wall is expected). There are several other forts along the Stanegate but the dating evidence is inadequate (for example Newborough, Carvoran). Also there are only two fortlets (Haltwhistle Burn, Throp). To garantee an effective control of the area more fortlets |
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| The Stanegate in Corbridge |
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of the area more fortlets would be needed and watchtowers would be essential. On the Stanegate there is a striking lack of watchtowers (prooved frontier systems like the Gask Ridge or the Raetien border provide a close spacing of watchtowers) For the five possible watchtowers (Pike Hill, Walltown Crags, Mains Rigg, Barcombe, Birdoswald) there is still no clear evidence. The growing number of installations seem to make movement control possible. So there are indications for a working frontier system, but the evidence is still not sufficient. Perhaps the Stanegate was only a special kind of east-west communication system linking the two roads to the North together (Dere Street, Annandale-Clydesdale). The effectiveness and how this system worked is still not clear. |
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