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Caledonia (/ˌkælɪˈdoʊniə/;Latin:Calēdonia[kaleːˈdonia]) was theLatin name used by theRoman Empire to refer to the part ofScotland that 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, includingTacitus andCassius Dio, referred to the territory north of the River Forth as "Caledonia", and described it as inhabited by theMaeatae and 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.
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-Celtic roots*kal- 'hard' and*φēdo- 'foot'.[3] Similarly, journalistAlistair Moffat suggests the name is related to theWelsh wordcaled 'hard', which could refer to the rocky land or the hardiness of the people.[4][unreliable source?]
The name of the Caledonians may be found intoponymy, such asDùn Chailleann, theScottish Gaelic name of the town ofDunkeld, meaning 'fort of the Caledonii', and possibly in that of the mountainSìdh Chailleann, the 'fairy hill of the Caledonians'.[5][6] According toHistoria Brittonum, the site of the seventh battle of the legendaryKing Arthur was a forest in what is now Scotland, calledCoit Celidon in early Welsh.[7][8] The name seems to relate to that of a large centralBrythonic tribe, theCaledonii, one amongst several in the area and perhaps the dominant tribe, which would explain the binomial Caledonia/Caledonii.[citation needed]
The modern use of "Caledonia" in English andScots is 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 Caledonian airline andCaledonian Railway. TheCaledonian Sleeper is an overnighttrain service from London to Scottish destinations.
TheInverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. is a professionalfootball club. In music, "Caledonia" is a popularScottish patriotic song andfolkballad written byDougie MacLean in 1977 and published in 1979 on an album of the same name; it has since been covered by various other artists, most notablyFrankie Miller andVan 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 seriesCaledonia and associated novel is a supernatural police drama that takes place in Glasgow, Scotland.[12][13]
Ptolemy's account in hisGeography also 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 calledHibernia by the Romans) and later for Scotland, theScoti peoples having originated in Ireland and resettled in Scotland.[note 2] Another, post-conquest, Roman name for the island of Great Britain wasAlbion, which iscognate with theScottish Gaelic name for Scotland:Alba.
There is an emerging trend to use the term Caledonia to describeNew Caledonia in 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".
The dictionary definition ofCaledonia at Wiktionary