Friday November 13th 2026
The Milsington leg on display in Roman Scotland Life on the Edge of Empire (photo by Stewart Attwood)
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
A remarkable discovery has changed experts’ understanding of the Roman Empire’s northern frontier, with new research suggesting a giant statue of Emperor Antoninus Pius once stood in southern Scotland.
The larger-than-life bronze monument is believed to have been erected to celebrate the emperor’s conquest of southern Scotland in the AD 140s.
The only surviving piece of the statue is a gilded bronze leg and boot, discovered in a bog at Milsington, near Hawick, in 1820.
For more than 200 years, it was thought the fragment had been brought north as loot from elsewhere in Roman Britain. However, researchers now believe it formed part of an equestrian statue of Antoninus Pius, similar to the famous monument of Marcus Aurelius in Rome.
The discovery is particularly significant because Antoninus Pius was the only Roman emperor to commemorate his victories in Scotland with the title Imperator, a battle honour meaning commander.
Researchers also believe the statue was carefully dismantled by Roman forces as they withdrew from southern Scotland in the AD 160s or 180s.
Examination of the surviving leg found no signs of it being violently hacked off. Instead, experts say it appears to have been deliberately removed, possibly as part of a wider process of dismantling important Roman monuments when the frontier was abandoned.
Dr Fraser Hunter, principal curator of prehistoric and Roman archaeology at National Museums Scotland, said the findings had turned previous understanding of Rome’s attempts to conquer Scotland on its head.
He said the monument offered a glimpse of the grand sculptures that once stood in southern Scotland and demonstrated the importance the emperor placed on his victories in the region.
The surviving bronze leg has been reconstructed and will feature in a major new exhibition, Roman Scotland: Life on the Edge of Empire, opening at the National Museum of Scotland this weekend.
The exhibition will explore life on the edge of the Roman Empire, including the experiences of soldiers, local communities and people whose lives were affected by the invasion.
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