Caledonia

an ancient name for north Scotland. The term is found in Pliny's Natural History and in the Agricola of Tacitus of 96 A. D. Tacitus describes a battle between the Roman forces and 30,000 Caledonians. They are described as fighting with bows, swords, and small shields. Agricola erected a line of forts between the Friths of Clyde and Forth with the intention of defending the remainder of the island against the Caledonians. The name persists chiefly in poetry. A canal in the counties of Inverness and Argyle is called the Caledonian Canal. It extends from Murray Frith to Loch Eil, over sixty miles distant. It was open to navigation in 1823. It shortens the journey around the northern coast of Scotland several hundred miles. See Scotland