The Antonine Wall at Rough Castle

The Antonine Wall is named after the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius who ordered its construction in about AD 142. The Wall stretched from Old Kilpatrick on the Clyde to Bo'ness on the Forth, a distance of 60 kilometres.

The Wall was built of blocks of turf, laid on a stone foundation 4.2m wide. The Wall was at least 3.5m high, and is likely to have been topped by a palisade. In front was a ditch up to 12.5m wide. Behind the Wall ran a road which we call the Military Way. Forts and fortlets attached to the rear of the Wall housed regiments of auxiliaries.

View panoramas of the Antonine Wall by selecting areas of the map above or select a button below.