Caledonia

Caledonia(/ˌkælɪˈdoʊniə/;Latin:Calēdonia[kaleːˈdonia]) was theLatinname used by theRoman Empireto refer to the part ofScotlandthat lies north of theRiver Forth,which includes most of the land area ofScotland.^[1]Today, it is used as a romantic or poetic name for all of Scotland.^[2]During theRoman Empire's occupation of Scotland,the area they called Caledonia was physically separated from the rest of the island by theAntonine Wall.The Romans several times invaded and occupied it, but unlike the rest of the island, it remained outside the administration ofRoman Britain.

Latin historians,includingTacitusandCassius Dio,referred to the territory north of the River Forth as "Caledonia", and described it as inhabited by theMaeataeand theCaledonians(Latin:Caledonii). Other ancient authors, however, used the adjective "Caledonian" more generally to describe anything pertaining to inland or northern Britain.^[1]The name is probably derived from a word inCommon Brittonic.

History

Etymology

According to Zimmer (2006), Caledonia is derived from the tribal nameCaledones(orCalīdones), which he etymologises as"'possessing hard feet', alluding to standfastness or endurance ", from theProto-Celticroots*kal-"hard" and*φēdo-"foot".^[3]Similarly, journalistAlistair Moffatsuggests the name is related to theWelshwordcaled,"hard", which could refer to the rocky land or the hardiness of the people.^[4]^{[unreliable source?]}

Map of the populations in northern Britain, based on the testimony ofPtolemy.

Toponymy

The name of the Caledonians may be found intoponymy,such asDùn Chailleann,theScottish Gaelicword for the town ofDunkeldmeaning "fort of the Caledonii", and possibly in that of themountainSìdh Chailleann,the "fairy hill of the Caledonians".^[5]^[6]According toHistoria Brittonumthe site of the seventh battle of the mythicalArthurwas a forest in what is now Scotland, calledCoit Celidonin early Welsh.^[7]^[8]The name may be related to that of a large centralBrythonictribe, theCaledonii,one amongst several in the area and perhaps the dominant tribe, which would explain the binomial Caledonia/Caledonii.^{[citation needed]}

Modern usage

Scottish pub inBudapestnamed "The Caledonia"

The modern use of "Caledonia" in English andScotsis either as a historical description of northern Britain during the Roman era or as a romantic or poetic name for Scotland as a whole.^[8]^[9]

The name has been widely used by organisations and commercial entities. Notable examples includeGlasgow Caledonian University,ferry operatorCaledonian MacBrayne,and the now-defunctBritish Caledonianairline andCaledonian Railway.TheCaledonian Sleeperis an overnighttrainservice from London to Scottish destinations.

TheInverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.is a professionalfootballclub. In music, "Caledonia"is a popularScottish patrioticsong andfolk balladwritten byDougie MacLeanin 1977 and published in 1979 on an album of the same name; it has since been covered by various other artists, most notablyFrankie MillerandVan Morrison.^[10]^[11]An original rock piece titled Caledonia appeared on Robin Trower's fourth album, "Long Misty Days", where coincidentally Frankie Miller cowrote another track on that album. The web seriesCaledoniaand associated novel is a supernatural police drama that takes place in Glasgow, Scotland.^[12]^[13]

Ptolemy's account in hisGeographyalso referred to theCaledonia Silva,an idea still recalled in the modern expression "Caledonian Forest",although the woods are much reduced in size since Roman times.^[14]^{[note 1]}

Some scholars point out that the name "Scotland" is ultimately derived fromScotia,a Latin term first used for Ireland (also calledHiberniaby the Romans) and later for Scotland, theScotipeoples having originated in Ireland and resettled in Scotland.^{[note 2]}Another, post-conquest, Roman name for the island of Great Britain wasAlbion,which iscognatewith theScottish Gaelicname for Scotland:Alba.

There is an emerging trend to use the term Caledonia to describeNew Caledoniain English, which reflects the usage in French of Calédonie (where the full name is La Nouvelle-Calédonie). The New Caledonian trade and investment department promotes inward investment with the slogan "Choose Caledonia".

Notes

^The extent of the reduction is a matter of debate. This association with aSilva(literally the flora) reinforces the idea that Caledonia was a forest or forested area named after the Caledonii, or that the people were named after the woods in which they dwelt.
^Bede used a Latin form of the word Scots as the name of theGaelsofDál Riata.(Bede 1999,p. 386)

References

^^a ^bRichmond, Ian Archibald; Millett, Martin J. Millett (2012),"Caledonia",in Hornblower, Simon; Spawforth, Antony; Eidinow, Esther (eds.),The Oxford Classical Dictionary,Oxford University Press,doi:10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001,ISBN 978-0-19-954556-8,retrieved14 February2021
^Knowles, Elizabeth (2006),"Caledonia",The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable,Oxford University Press,doi:10.1093/acref/9780198609810.001.0001,ISBN 978-0-19-860981-0,retrieved15 February2021
^Zimmer 2006,pp. 163–167.
^Moffat 2005,p. 22.
^Bennet 1985,p. 26.
^Watson 2004,p. 21.
^Lacy, Ashe & Mancoff 1997,p. 298.
^^a ^bKoch 2006,p. 332.
^Keay & Keay 1994,p. 123.
^"Rock and roll years: the 1970s".The Scotsman.16 October 2003.Archivedfrom the original on 28 December 2003.Retrieved17 January2009.
^"Biography".Dougiemaclean.com.Retrieved17 January2009.
^Beacom, Brian (14 January 2014)."New detective drama set to hit our screens".Evening Times.Retrieved26 December2014.
^Marshall, Andrew (26 August 2014)."Caledonia".Starburst.Retrieved26 December2014.
^Smout, MacDonald & Watson 2007,pp. 20–25.

Bibliography

Bede(1999) [731]. McClure, Judith; Collins, Roger (eds.).The Ecclesiastical History of the English People; The Greater Chronicle; Bede's Letter to Egbert.World's Classics. Oxford University Press.ISBN 0-19-283866-0.
Bennet, Donald J., ed. (1985).The Munros.Glasgow: Scottish Mountaineering Trust.ISBN 0-907521-13-4.
Hanson, William S. (2003). "The Roman Presence: Brief Interludes". In Edwards, Kevin J.; Ralston, Ian B. M. (eds.).Scotland After the Ice Age: Environment, Archaeology and History, 8000 BC — AD 1000.Edinburgh University Press.ISBN 0-7486-1736-1.
Haverfield, Francis(1911)."Caledonia".InChisholm, Hugh(ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 987.
Keay, John;Keay, Julia (1994).Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland.London: HarperCollins.ISBN 0-00-255082-2.
Koch, John T.(2006).Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia.Vol. 1.ABC-CLIO.ISBN 1-85109-440-7.
Lacy, Norris J.; Ashe, Geoffrey; Mancoff, Debra N. (1997).The Arthurian Handbook(2nd ed.). Garland.ISBN 0-8153-2082-5.
Moffat, Alistair(2005).Before Scotland: The Story of Scotland Before History.London: Thames & Hudson.ISBN 0-500-05133-X.
Smout, T. C.;MacDonald, Alan R.;Watson, Fiona(2007).A History of the Native Woodlands of Scotland, 1500 — 1920.Edinburgh University Press.ISBN 978-0-7486-3294-7.
Watson, William J.(2004) [1926].The Celtic Placenames of Scotland.Edinburgh: Birlinn.ISBN 1-84158-323-5.
Zimmer, Stefan (2006) [2004]."Some Names and Epithets inCulhwch ac Olwen".Studi Celtici.3:163–179.

External links

The dictionary definition ofCaledoniaat Wiktionary
Anglia Scotia et Hibernia– 1628 map of the region by Mercator and Hondius
"Caledonia".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. IV (9th ed.). 1878. pp. 662–664.
Clans of Caledonia– Strategy board game based in historic Scotland

[15] The extent of the reduction is a matter of debate. This association with aSilva(literally the flora) reinforces the idea that Caledonia was a forest or forested area named after the Caledonii, or that the people were named after the woods in which they dwelt.

[16] Bede used a Latin form of the word Scots as the name of theGaelsofDál Riata.(Bede 1999,p. 386)

[:0-1] Richmond, Ian Archibald; Millett, Martin J. Millett (2012),"Caledonia",in Hornblower, Simon; Spawforth, Antony; Eidinow, Esther (eds.),The Oxford Classical Dictionary,Oxford University Press,doi:10.1093/acref/9780199545568.001.0001,ISBN 978-0-19-954556-8,retrieved14 February2021

[2] Knowles, Elizabeth (2006),"Caledonia",The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable,Oxford University Press,doi:10.1093/acref/9780198609810.001.0001,ISBN 978-0-19-860981-0,retrieved15 February2021

[FOOTNOTEZimmer2006163–167-3] Zimmer 2006,pp. 163–167.

[FOOTNOTEMoffat200522-4] Moffat 2005,p. 22.

[FOOTNOTEBennet198526-5] Bennet 1985,p. 26.

[FOOTNOTEWatson200421-6] Watson 2004,p. 21.

[FOOTNOTELacyAsheMancoff1997298-7] Lacy, Ashe & Mancoff 1997,p. 298.

[FOOTNOTEKoch2006332-8] Koch 2006,p. 332.

[FOOTNOTEKeayKeay1994123-9] Keay & Keay 1994,p. 123.

[10] "Rock and roll years: the 1970s".The Scotsman.16 October 2003.Archivedfrom the original on 28 December 2003.Retrieved17 January2009.

[11] "Biography".Dougiemaclean.com.Retrieved17 January2009.

[12] Beacom, Brian (14 January 2014)."New detective drama set to hit our screens".Evening Times.Retrieved26 December2014.

[13] Marshall, Andrew (26 August 2014)."Caledonia".Starburst.Retrieved26 December2014.

[FOOTNOTESmoutMacDonaldWatson200720–25-14] Smout, MacDonald & Watson 2007,pp. 20–25.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[note 1]

[note 2]