Caledonians facts for kids
The Caledonians were a group of Celtic tribes who lived in what is now Scotland during ancient times, when the Roman Empire was powerful. They spoke a language called Brittonic, which was similar to old Welsh. Their name, Caledonians, gave the land its name: Caledonia.
At first, the Romans saw the Caledonians as a type of Britons. But after the Romans took over the southern part of Britain, they started calling the people in the north "Picts". The Picts were likely related to the Caledonians and spoke a similar language. The Caledonians were enemies of the Roman Empire, which ruled most of Great Britain as the Roman province of Britannia.
Like many other Celtic tribes in Britain, the Caledonians built hillforts and were farmers. They had many battles with the Romans, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. The Romans never fully conquered Caledonia, even though they tried many times. Most of what we know about the Caledonians comes from Roman writings, which might not always be fair or complete.
Some historians think the Caledonians were related to the Picts and spoke a similar language. They might have also included Britons who were escaping Roman rule. Tribes like the Vacomagi, Taexali, and Venicones may have joined the Caledonians in fighting the Romans. The Romans sometimes made agreements with other British tribes, like the Votadini, to help keep the peace.
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What Does "Caledonian" Mean?
The name "Caledonia" comes from the tribal name Caledones. This name likely meant "people with hard feet." It might have suggested they were tough and strong, or that they could stand firm in battle. An old Roman inscription found in Colchester mentions a single person called a Caledo.
Caledonian History
In AD 83 or 84, the Caledonians fought a big battle called Mons Graupius. Their leader was Calgacus. They were defeated by a Roman general named Gnaeus Julius Agricola. The Roman writer Tacitus wrote about this battle. He didn't call Calgacus a king, so we don't know if the Caledonians had one main leader or if Calgacus was just a war leader chosen for the fight. Tacitus also wrote that the Caledonians had red hair and long limbs.
In AD 122, the Romans started building Hadrian's Wall. This huge wall created a clear border between Roman lands and Caledonia.
Around AD 139, the Romans likely tried to invade Caledonia again. In AD 142, they began building another wall, the Antonine Wall, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Hadrian's Wall. This was meant to help them conquer more land. However, the Romans gave up on this wall around AD 158 and went back to Hadrian's Wall.
Historians say that the tribes in Northern Britain and Scotland, including the Caledonians, were "too warlike" to be easily controlled. This is why the Romans kept many soldiers there. Some experts believe the Caledonians didn't always attack the Romans directly, but might have had smaller fights with other tribes.
In AD 180, the Caledonians were part of an attack on Roman Britain. They broke through Hadrian's Wall. It took several years for the Romans to get them under control. Eventually, the Caledonians signed peace treaties with a Roman governor. This suggests they could work together and make formal agreements, even if they had many different chiefs. Roman historians sometimes used "Caledonian" to mean any tribe north of Hadrian's Wall, so it's not always clear if they meant only the Caledones tribe or a larger group.
Around AD 197, the Caledonians helped other tribes attack the Roman border again. They had broken their earlier peace treaties. The Roman governor who came to fix things had to pay the Maeatae tribe to get peace, instead of fighting them.
By the end of the 2nd century, the Romans often grouped most northern tribes into just two main names: the Caledones or the Maeatae. The whole region was called Caledonia, and all its people were often called Caledonians, no matter their specific tribe.
The Caledonians are mentioned again in AD 209. The Roman emperor Septimius Severus led a large army north of Hadrian's Wall, hoping for a great victory. The Caledonians are said to have given up some land to Rome. However, some Roman writers claimed the Caledonians caused 50,000 Roman soldiers to be lost due to their fighting style, like surprise attacks. One historian suggests that Severus didn't want a big battle, but instead tried to destroy the Caledonians' farmland to make them starve.
By AD 210, the Caledonians had teamed up with the Maeatae again and launched new attacks. Severus' son, Caracalla, led a harsh mission to kill everyone he found from the northern tribes. Caracalla really disliked the Caledonians and wanted them gone. Severus himself was planning a full conquest but became ill and died in AD 211. Caracalla tried to take over, but his soldiers didn't accept him as emperor. So, he made peace with the Caledonians and went back south of Hadrian's Wall to claim the emperor's title. The Caledonians then took back their lands and pushed the Romans back to Hadrian's Wall.
After this, the Caledonians aren't mentioned much in history for about a century. This doesn't mean they were wiped out. In AD 305, another Roman emperor, Constantius Chlorus, invaded the northern lands of Britain. He claimed a big victory over the "Caledones and others." This event is important because it's the first time the word 'Pict' was used to describe the tribes in that area.
How the Caledonians Looked
The Roman writer Tacitus, around AD 98, described the Caledonians as having red hair and large bodies. He thought these features meant they were of Germanic origin. Another writer, Jordanes, also said they had reddish hair and big, loose-jointed bodies.
A Roman speaker named Eumenius also wrote that both the Picts and Caledonians had red hair. Some historians believe that Tacitus and other Romans knew the Caledonians might have dyed their hair red. They think the Romans might have misunderstood this as a natural feature of their people.
Historians also suggest that the pressure from the Romans might have made northern tribes create special ways to identify themselves, like unique clothing or jewelry. Early examples include armbands, earrings, and decorated weapons.
Caledonian Archaeology
- Further information: Picts
We don't have much direct proof of a specific "Caledonian culture" from archaeology. However, we can learn about the settlements in their territory during their time.
Most Caledonians living north of the Firth of Forth probably lived in villages without strong defenses. Their houses were made of timber or stone. Those closer to the western coast might have used dry stone for their homes.
The hillforts found from the North York Moors to the Scottish Highlands show that a unique way of life developed in northern Great Britain. These hillforts were much smaller than those in the south, usually less than 10,000 square meters. There isn't much evidence that the Caledonians lived or defended these hillforts often. It seems they usually lived in smaller, spread-out settlements.
By the time the Romans invaded, the Caledonians had started moving from large hillforts to smaller, more protected farmhouses surrounded by earth walls. These new farmhouses were likely home to single families, who were connected to their neighbors through marriage.
We don't know exactly why the Caledonians changed from living in hillforts to farms. Some think it was because showing off a big home became less important. This could be due to better food production or fewer people. Another idea is that finding Roman items meant people showed their status with fancy imported goods instead of impressive buildings.
Archaeologists have found Roman objects and money in many Caledonian structures. This suggests that the Caledonians and Romans traded with each other from as early as the first century AD, and this trade continued for a long time.
See also
- Antonine Wall
- Cruthin (In Ireland; possible descendants, predecessors or relatives of the Caledonians)
- Dicalydones
- The Mark of the Horse Lord
