FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136  
137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   >>   >|  
British coinage, from this reign to that of Caracalla, shows that Hadrian inaugurated the system of minting coins not only with reference to Britain, but for special local use. They were doubtless struck within the island; but we can only conjecture where the earliest mints were situated. D. 5.--Twenty years after Hadrian's visit we again find (A.D. 139) some little trouble in the north, owing to a feud between the Brigantes and Genuini, a clan of whom nothing is known but the name. The former seem to have been the aggressors, and were punished by the confiscation of a section of their territory by Lollius Urbicus, the Legate of Antoninus Pius; who further "shut off the excluded barbarians by a turf wall" (_muro cespitio submotis[266] barbaris ducto_). The context connects this operation with the Brigantian troubles; but it is certain that Lollius repaired and strengthened Agricola's rampart between Forth and Clyde. His name is found in inscriptions along that line,[267] and that of Antoninus is frequent. This work consisted of a _vallum_ some 40 miles in length, from Carriden to Dumbarton, with fortified posts at frequent intervals. It is locally known as "Graham's Dyke," and, since 1890, has been systematically explored by the Glasgow Archaeological Society. It is in the strictest sense "a turf wall"--no mere grass-grown earthwork, but regularly built of squared sods in place of stones (sometimes on a stone base). Roman engineers looked upon such a rampart as being the hardest of all to construct. SECTION E. Commodus Britannicus--Ulpius Marcellus--Murder of Perennis--Era of military turbulence--Pertinax--Albinus--British Army defeated at Lyons--Severus--Caledonian war--Severus overruns Highlands. E. 1.--It may very probably be owing to the energy of Lollius that Britain, "Upper" and "Lower" together as it seems, as inscriptions tell us, was about this date ranked amongst the Senatorial Provinces of the Empire, the Pro-consul being C. Valerius Pansa. That it should have been made a Pro-consulate shows (as is pointed out on p. 142) that they were now considered amongst the more peaceful governorships. In fact, though some slight disturbances threatened at the death of Antoninus (A.D. 161), the country remained quiet till Commodus came to the throne (A.D. 180). Then, however, we hear of a serious inroad of the northern barbarians, who burst over the Roman Wall and were not repulsed without a hard campaign. T
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136  
137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Antoninus
 

Lollius

 

British

 
Commodus
 
Hadrian
 
rampart
 

barbarians

 

Britain

 

Severus

 

frequent


inscriptions
 
Caledonian
 

Highlands

 

energy

 

overruns

 

Perennis

 

engineers

 

looked

 

hardest

 

squared


stones
 

construct

 

turbulence

 
military
 

Pertinax

 
Albinus
 
defeated
 

Britannicus

 

SECTION

 

Ulpius


Marcellus

 

Murder

 
remained
 
throne
 

country

 
slight
 

disturbances

 

threatened

 

repulsed

 

campaign


inroad

 

northern

 
consul
 

Empire

 
Valerius
 
regularly
 

Provinces

 

Senatorial

 
ranked
 

considered