Roman, Celtic and Gaelic Scotland

The Scots are justly proud that their ancestors were never conquered by the Romans, though this overlooks the fact that the Romans were active in Scotland from AD 80 to until around AD 210, and left much evidence of their presence. Roman sites in Scotland are mainly forts and military camps, unlike the villas and domestic sites seen in England. The most obvious sites are along the route of the Antonine Wall, which originally ran for forty Roman miles from the Firth of Forth to the Clyde.

A Gathering of Eagles by Gordon Maxwell is a lively and accessible introduction. Roman Scotland: Frontier Country by David Breeze is a fine account of how and why the Romans tried to conquer Scotland and also why they failed. He also describes what life was like for the soldiers and civilians in the region. Romans in Scotland by Gordon Maxwell, The Roman Conquest of Scotland by James Fraser and The Last Frontier, the Roman Invasions of Scotland are for readers who want a more in-depth look at the subject. The Antonine Wall by Anne Robinson, recently revised by Lawrence Keppie, is essential for the enthusiast who wants to visit the remains of the most visible reminder of the Romans in the country. The Legacy of Rome, also by Lawrence Keppie, is the most complete guide to Roman remains in Scotland, using both literary and archaeological evidence to create a picture of the Roman period.

The period of the Iron Age and the Dark Ages is a complex and crucial chapter in the nation's history in which modern day Scotland began to take shape. The arrival of the Gaelic peoples and the merging of the Gaelic and Pictish nations to form the first Scottish kingdom is an archaeologically fascinating story, which is told in a number of excellent titles.

Picts, Gaels and Scots by Sally M. Foster is an overview of the period which examines the origins of the Picts and the Gaels and how they became Scots. She brings to life the ancestors of modern Scottish people. In Celtic Scotland Ian Armit explores the questions: 'Who were the Celts? Where did they come from? Did the tribes of Iron Age Scotland really belong to a 'European community' of Celts?' He uses the results of recent archaeological discoveries and earlier finds along with historical sources to illuminate this vital period in Scotland's history. In The Atlantic Celts, Ancient People or Modern Invention Simon James presents a provocative but entertaining alternative history of the British Isles. Settlement and Sacrifice by Richard Hingley looks at Scotland from around 1500 BC to AD 200, creating a picture of the lives, beliefs and customs of Scotland's Iron Age inhabitants.

Saints and Sea Kings: the First Kingdom of the Scots by Ewan Campbell tells the story of the people of Dal Riata, the 'Scots' who gave their name to the country. He challenges the commonly accepted belief that they came to Scotland from Ireland. Alba: the Gaelic Kingdom of Scotland AD 800 - 1124 by Stephen T. Driscoll describes the critical period in which a new nation was established, telling the stories of some of the most powerful and evocative names in Scottish history: Kenneth MacAlpin, Macbeth and Malcolm Canmore. In Angels, Fools and Tyrants Christopher Low looks at the Britons and Anglo-Saxons in Southern Scotland, whose role in the making of the nation is often overlooked. Much of this region was once part of the ancient Kingdom of Northumbria, a great power including the pilgrimage site of Whithorn and the fortresses of Dumbarton and Edinburgh. Scotland's Hidden History and Towers in the North, the Brochs of Scotland, both by Ian Armit and In the Shadow of the Brochs, the Iron Age of Scotland by Beverley Ballin Smith are all excellent books for the reader who is looking for an deeper understanding of this fascinating period.