Hadrian’s Wall
Carlisle Cumbria UK
Hadrian’s Wall
Hadrian’s Wall is the most important monument built by the Romans in Britain.
It is the best known frontier in the entire Roman Empire and stands as a reminder of past glories of one of the world’s great civilisations.
Hadrian’s Wall ranks alongside the Taj Mahal as one of the great wonders of the world. It became a World Heritage Site in 1987.
It spans nearly 2,000 years of history, crosses dramatic and wild landscapes, and still graces towns and cities. Forts, museums and events bring Roman history to life. Walks lead you through spectacular countryside, and time spent exploring this unique Roman heritage in its ever changing setting, will leave you with an unparalleled sense of awe and wonder.
Who built the wall?
The wall was built by order of the Emperor Hadrian probably given during his visit to Britain in AD 122.
Over the next six years professional soldiers and legionaires built a wall 80 Roman miles long (117km or 73 modern miles) from Wallsend-on-Tyne in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west. As with most building work, modifications carried on long after this.
Why Build a Wall
A Roman biographer of Hadrian states that the wall was built ‘to separate the Romans from the Barbarians’ (not the Pics and Scots) – they arrived later).
There are many theories about why the wall was built but it is generally agreed the Emperor Hadrian wanted to mark a northern boundary of his empire.
Expansion further north came later when from 140AD to 163AD Hadrian’s Wall was briefly replaced by the Antonine Wall, but the frontier soon moved south again. Interestingly, there is little evidence of major conflict on Hadrian’s Wall.
What Was Built?
Work started in the east on a stone wall. Some five metres high, perhaps with a parapet. This ran as far as the River Irthing near Gilsland. Further west, the Wall was built of turf at first. Later this stretch too was built of stone.
It was a sophisticated piece of engineering. Every Roman mile there was a mile-castle guarded by at least eight men. Between mile-castles were two equidistant turrets where sentries kept watch. Thus a close check could be made on the movement of goods, people and animals crossing the frontier.
During building, control was strengthened by the construction of large forts along the wall. These and other supply forts to the south, housed auxiliary soldiers, many from Belgium, Germany and former Yugoslavia. The forts also served as crossing points and around them grew civilian settlements.
To the north of the wall was a deep defensive ditch and to the south another ditch, The Vallum, flanked by mounds of earth. The Vallum, with crossing places at forts, was the Roman equivalent of the barbed-wire fence controlling civilian movements into modern military sites.
West of Bowness, a chain of fortlets and towers ran down the Cumbrian coast to complete the impressive ‘Edge of Empire’.
What Happened Next?
By the early 400s, the Empire was in decline and Britain became cut off from Rome. Frontier defences were neglected and as pay ceased to arrive, soldiers drifted away. Local settlement patterns changed. Border skirmishes continued and over time, the Wall and forts became derelict.
As the centuries passed, stones from the Wall were re-cycled to build farm houses, field walls and even churches.
The Hadrian’s Wall we see today is all the more precious for being the last remains of an incredible Roman structure.
Hadrian’s Wall - Carlisle Cumbria UK