The Antonine Wall is the UK's newest World Heritage Site

To support the Wall’s application for UNESCO World Heritage Site status, RCAHMS have produced a map on a modern base at a scale of 1:25,000 showing the course of the Wall, and the locations of its major surviving features.

Emperor Antoninus Pius ordered the construction of the 60km (40 Roman miles) Antonine Wall to indicate the northwestern frontier of the Roman Empire in the mid-2nd century AD. Running from modern Old Kirkpatrick on the north side of the River Clyde to Bo’ness on the Firth of Forth, it consisted of a turf rampart fronted by a deep ditch, with forts linked by a road called the Military Way. It was through the gates of these forts and fortlets that many Roman goods passed into the lands of Caledonia beyond.

Inclusion on the World Heritage List is a high accolade and provides international recognition of the importance of the Antonine Wall. The new RCAHMS map is an essential resource for anyone wishing to visit the Wall, providing detailed archaeological information and highlighting specific areas of interest, such as the Roman Fort at Rough Castle near the Falkirk Wheel and the Bathhouse at Bearsden. It also gives advice on the best vantage points to see the Wall, and provides photographs of specific features – such as the Fortlet at Kinneil in Bo’ness.

Plans are currently in progress to cater for more visitors at the Wall, including improving facilities such as road signs, car parks and on-site notice boards. The Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, museums at Kinneil and Callander House in Falkirk, and Kirkintilloch Museum already exhibit finds from the Wall, and next year, the University of Glasgow’s Hunterian Museum will open a new Antonine Wall Centre.

Dr Rebecca Jones of RCAHMS, said, “We are delighted to have produced this map to celebrate the Antonine Wall’s new status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Wall is now part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Sites and has been recognised as historically important as Hadrian’s Wall and the German limes. We look forward to Scots and tourists alike using the map to explore the Wall.”

The map is priced at £5.00 and is available now from all good booksellers. You can also order direct from BookSource, 50 Cambuslang Road, Cambuslang, Glasgow, G32 8NB, telephone 0845 370 0067, email orders@booksource.net

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