Scotland: Rome's Final Frontier

The amazing story of how Scotland became the Roman Empire’s toughest military challenge.
At the height of its power, Rome ruled over millions of people from Syria to Spain. In 43AD Emperor Claudius’ forces invaded and conquered Britain, but there was one part of these barbarian lands that wasn’t so easy to reign- Scotland. In this fascinating history documentary Fraser Hunter explores some of the most extraordinary Roman sites to see how Scotland defied an onslaught of Roman imperial power for over a century.
Watch Scotland: Rome's Final Frontier and more acclaimed documentaries on BBC Select today. Restrictions apply*.
More documentaries you might like...

Armada: The Untold Story
The fierce naval conflict between England and Spain that changed the face of Europe.

Border Country
What are borders, why are they created and how do they affect nations and individuals?

Border Country
What are borders, why are they created and how do they affect nations and individuals?

Hitler: A Life In Pictures
Photos and film reveal the public and private life of Germany's infamous dictator.

Rebellion: The Stuarts In Exile
How much threat did the deposed Stuart dynasty pose to the developing British state?

Inside the Tower of London
Go behind closed doors to see how an iconic piece of British history is run today.

Inside the Tower of London
Go behind closed doors to see how an iconic piece of British history is run today.

King George and Queen Mary: The Royals Who Rescued the Monarchy
The pioneering reign of Elizabeth II's grandparents, King George and Queen Mary.

Titanic and Me
Len Goodman discovers how the impact of the Titanic disaster is still felt today.

The Ottomans: Europe's Muslim Emperors
The story of the mighty Ottoman Empire and its role in shaping Europe and the wider world.

Titanic and Me
After more than a century the impact of the Titanic disaster is still felt today.

Last Battle Of The Vikings
How did the Norsemen and their presence shape the identity and culture of Scotland?

The Catacomb Mystery
Can the discovery of thousands of skeletons help unlock the secrets of the Roman Empire?

India's Partition: The Forgotten Story
In 1947, India was divided in two leading to violence and death. Why did it happen?

The Last Days Of Anne Boleyn
What led to the dramatic downfall and violent execution of Queen Anne Boleyn in 1536?

Philippa Gregory's The Real White Queen And Her Rivals
The women at the heart of the bloody War of the Roses that helped shape British history.

The Most Dangerous Man In Tudor England
The dramatic story of William Tyndale and his mission to translate the Bible into English.

Renaissance Education: The Schooling Of Thomas More's Daughter
How the ideas that shaped Margaret More's education changed the cultural life of England.

Russia: 1000 Years Of History
An exploration of Russia's beginnings to its position as the biggest country in the world.

Take Me To Titanic
This innovative documentary travels with the explorers down to the bottom of the ocean.

Belsen: The Untold Story
Using survivor testimony and archive footage, the story of the infamous camp is told.

Belsen: The Untold Story
Using survivor testimony and archive footage, the story of the infamous camp is told.

Henry VIII's Enforcer: The Rise and Fall of Thomas Cromwell
Was Thomas Cromwell a corrupt, ambitious politician or has history unfairly maligned him?

Rome: What Lies Beneath
Discover what the glory of the Roman Empire was really like using space-age technology

Woman standing facing the right with British flags in the background
The Stuarts
The Stuart monarchs are considered merciless tyrants, but they also forged modern Britain.

Image of the profile view of a pharoh
Tutankhamun: Life, Death and Legacy
Tutankhamun: Life, Death and Legacy

Image of a court in session.
Nuremburg: The Nazi Trials
Exploring one of history’s most important trials that brought Nazis to justice

Jesus' Family Tree
The traditional view of Jesus and his family is far from an accurate representation.

The Bible: A History
What history's bestselling book can tell us about ourselves and our modern-day beliefs.

Antiques Roadshow
What treasures will be found as antique experts appraise the public’s heirlooms?

Schindler: The Real Story
How did Oskar Schindler differ from the one seen in the famous film?

Christmas Carols with Lucy Worsley
From pagan fertility rituals to World War I, the story of Christmas carols is surprising.

Who Killed The Princes in the Tower?
Did King Richard III murder two princes to ruthlessly gain the crown of England?

The Quintinshill Rail Disaster
Reinvestigating the deadliest rail crash in British history that killed over 200 people

The Normans
How the extraordinary ambition of the Normans transformed the history of Europe.

Return of the Black Death
Could 25 medieval skeletons help to eradicate the Bubonic plague?

The Pity of War
Britain's decision to enter the First World War might have been a tragic miscalculation.

Jungle Atlantis
An archaeological team in Cambodia discover an incredible, mysterious lost metropolis.

Churchill's First World War
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's extraordinary experiences during World War I.

Rome's Invisible City
Venture beneath the streets of Rome to explore a hidden city seen by very few

The Hector: Canada's Mayflower
The horrific story of migrants who left Scotland in 1773 to settle in Nova Scotia

Moon Landing
Relive the drama and danger of the mission to the moon in this thrilling documentary

The Industrial Revolution
Unraveling the mysteries behind the Industrial Revolution in 19th century Britain

Death Camp Treblinka
Those who survived the Treblinka Nazi extermination camp tell their story

BBC at War
This enthralling series asks, how much did World War II shape the personality of the BBC?

Could Hitler Have Been Stopped?
Leading historians debate whether Adolf Hitler and the Nazis could have been stopped.

Churchill: Winning the War, Losing the Peace
Why was Winston Churchill ousted from power after World War II?

Nature And Us: A History Through Art
In the age of climate crisis, what can art teach us about our relationship with nature?

Young Victoria
How a modest little girl turned into Queen Victoria, one of history's most powerful women.

The Queen's Palaces
What secrets lurk within the walls of Buckingham Palace and other royal residences?

The Bible's Buried Secrets
Can contemporary historical evidence confirm stories from the Bible?

Treasures of the Indus
Ancient treasures are used to chart the fascinating history of India and Pakistan.

Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial
Could the Nuremberg trials help shed light on the motivations of leading Nazis?

Elizabeth I and II: The Golden Queens
Exploring the parallels between Queen Elizabeth I and II

Kissinger: Statesman or War Criminal?
Henry Kissinger: canny political operator or a despicable war criminal?

The Art of Gothic
Why were Brits in the 19th-century obsessed with art that was horrific, macabre and weird?

Magic Numbers
Brilliant mathematician Hannah Fry explores the mystery of math and the wonder of numbers.

The Silk Road
The world's first superhighway that carried goods and ideas between Europe and China.

Calculating Ada: The Countess of Computing
How did a scandalous 19th-century countess help create the modern era of computing?

The Wild West
What is the truth behind the iconic figures of the Wild West – and what is pure myth?

The High Art of the Low Countries
Size doesn’t matter. How one small region spawned the greatest artists of all time.

The Art of Spain
Territory, politics and religious conflict: the untold history of Spain’s cultural legacy.

Simon Schama's Shakespeare and Us
A Bard’s tale. How Shakespeare united the intellectual and populist like no one else.

Mad Dog: Inside the Secret World of Muammar Gaddafi
Regime of terror: a horrifying portrait of Libya’s leader from the insiders who made him.

Ancient Worlds
An epic quest through the birth of civili`ation and the development of humanity

Ancient Treasures with Bettany Hughes
How did our ancient ancestors, and the amazing treasures they left behind, shape the modern world?

The Crusades
Why were the Crusaders willing to endure pain, death and starvation in the name of God?

Countdown to War
The story of the 3 days between the Nazis invading Poland and the beginning of World War II.

The Six Queens of Henry VIII
Rediscover the Queens who shaped a King & his legacy in The Six Queens of Henry VIII, BBC's new look at the King's infamous wives.

History of Mother Earth: Gaia Uncovered
In space, you can hear the Earth scream... History of Mother Earth: Gaia Uncovered

Nixon in the Den
Was President Nixon a visionary on China? Davin Reynolds investigates in Nixon in the Den

Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley
Hitler's Terrifying Battle of Britain Bombing. Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley, BBC's leading historian

Africa and Britain: A Forgotten History
From slavery to settlement, award-winning historian David Olusoga explores the history of black Britain.

Harry Potter - A History of Magic
They’re the fastest-selling books in history. But what inspired the enchanting world of Harry Potter?

Rome: Empire Without Limit with Mary Beard
World renowned historian, Mary Beard, is back to shatter myths about the Roman Empire.

Russia 1917: Countdown to Revolution
Three men rise from obscurity to unleash a bloody revolution that changed history forever.

The Persians: A History of Iran
How was the world's first empire born and what led to its ultimate destruction?

Secret Cities
How much can the artistic history of a great city tell us about its character?

Racism: A History
Where did the notion of racism come from and how did such an abhorrent idea develop?

Filthy Cities
Dan Snow explores the murky histories of London, Paris and New York from the bottom up.

Queen Victoria and her Nine Children
How Queen Victoria's grief changed her as a mother and a monarch

Archaeology: A Secret History
Better living through archeology. How can our past make sense of our present?

Simon Schama's Power of Art
Eight masterpieces. Eight big names who changed the world. An electrifying feast of art.

Vienna: Empire, Dynasty and Dream
The rise of one of the great cities and how it offers a window into power, faith and war.

The Birth of Empire: The East India Company
The world’s first megacorp. How Britain’s East India Company grew into an imperial power.

Royal Cousins at War
It makes The Crown look like Sesame Street. The bitter regal rivalries that led to war.

Genius of the Ancient World
The original free thinkers. The stories of the Buddha, Confucius and Socrates.

Genius of the Modern World
Emigres, recluses, enemies of the state. How Marx, Nietzsche and Freud changed the world.

American History's Biggest Fibs
American history is fake, fact? Historian Lucy Worlsey delves deeper into US mythology.

Suffragettes
The violence, valor and sacrifices made by the women fighting for their right to vote.

Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
People as property: historian David Olusoga on the untold stories of British slavery.
BBC Select Email Newsletter
Sign up to be the first to know about new shows on BBC Select, the latest collection of documentaries and other content from BBC Studios we think you’ll enjoy.
Antiquity/ Ancient Times/ Biblical Times

Inside the Tower of London
Go behind closed doors to see how an iconic piece of British history is run today.

The Catacomb Mystery
Can the discovery of thousands of skeletons help unlock the secrets of the Roman Empire?

The Last Aztec
Author DBC Pierre takes a road trip across Mexico to seek the true soul of the Aztecs.

Rome: What Lies Beneath
Discover what the glory of the Roman Empire was really like using space-age technology

Image of the profile view of a pharoh
Tutankhamun: Life, Death and Legacy
Tutankhamun: Life, Death and Legacy

Sunset image with silhouette of standing person with arms to their sides.
Science’s Greatest Mysteries
Investigating some of science's biggest riddles and unknowns

Sunset image with silhouette of standing person with arms to their sides.
Science’s Greatest Mysteries
Investigating some of science's biggest riddles and unknowns

Jesus' Family Tree
The traditional view of Jesus and his family is far from an accurate representation.

The Bible: A History
What history's bestselling book can tell us about ourselves and our modern-day beliefs.

Rome's Invisible City
Venture beneath the streets of Rome to explore a hidden city seen by very few

The Bible's Buried Secrets
Can contemporary historical evidence confirm stories from the Bible?

Treasures of the Indus
Ancient treasures are used to chart the fascinating history of India and Pakistan.

The Body Beautiful: Ancient Greeks, Good Looks and Glamour
Why were the Ancient Greeks so preoccupied with images concerning the naked human form?

Confucius
The remarkable story of a great thinker who helped to form a nation and shape the world.
Archaeology

Last Battle Of The Vikings
How did the Norsemen and their presence shape the identity and culture of Scotland?

The Catacomb Mystery
Can the discovery of thousands of skeletons help unlock the secrets of the Roman Empire?

Take Me To Titanic
This innovative documentary travels with the explorers down to the bottom of the ocean.

Take Me To Titanic
This innovative documentary travels with the explorers down to the bottom of the ocean.

The Last Aztec
Author DBC Pierre takes a road trip across Mexico to seek the true soul of the Aztecs.

The Last Aztec
Author DBC Pierre takes a road trip across Mexico to seek the true soul of the Aztecs.

Scotland: Rome's Final Frontier
The amazing story of how Scotland became the Roman Empire's toughest military challenge.

Image of the profile view of a pharoh
Tutankhamun: Life, Death and Legacy
Tutankhamun: Life, Death and Legacy

Rome: What Lies Beneath
Discover what the glory of the Roman Empire was really like using space-age technology

Rome: What Lies Beneath
Discover what the glory of the Roman Empire was really like using space-age technology

Image of the profile view of a pharoh
Tutankhamun: Life, Death and Legacy
Tutankhamun: Life, Death and Legacy

Return of the Black Death
Could 25 medieval skeletons help to eradicate the Bubonic plague?

Jungle Atlantis
An archaeological team in Cambodia discover an incredible, mysterious lost metropolis.

Rome's Invisible City
Venture beneath the streets of Rome to explore a hidden city seen by very few

The Hector: Canada's Mayflower
The horrific story of migrants who left Scotland in 1773 to settle in Nova Scotia

The Bible's Buried Secrets
Can contemporary historical evidence confirm stories from the Bible?

Treasures of the Indus
Ancient treasures are used to chart the fascinating history of India and Pakistan.