A Tour of Hadrian’s Wall, Installment 1: Introduction

Hadrian’s Wall is perhaps the best known (and arguably the most important) ancient roman monument in Britain. This article is the first installment in a planned series of at least 20 articles that will describe the Wall and its associated sites, including forts, milecastles, and civilian settlements.

Selected as a World Heritage Site (WHS) in 1987, Hadrian’s Wall has since become part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire WHS, along with the German Limes (gained WHS status in 2005) and Scotland’s Antonine Wall (gained WHS status in 2008). It is hoped (by me, at least!) that further remains of Rome’s extensive frontier system (stretching as far as Romania, Jordan and north Africa) will be added to this WHS in coming years.

The Wall is a physical structure stretching 80 Roman miles (about 73 modern miles) from coast to coast across Britain, from Wallsend in the east to Bowness in the west. While not all of the Wall remains in existence today, most of its course is known and can still be traced except where urban development has expanded on to the line of the Wall. The Wall, in its final stage of use, was constructed entirely of stone and was littered with 80 milecastles and a regular pattern of 2 turrets between each milecastle. Some 13 military forts were placed directly on the line of the Wall, with several additional forts located within the general vicinity but not directly on the Wall itself. Combined, this complex is well-deserving of its WHS status and the attention it has received in scholarly pursuits and the popular imagination.

Construction began in the 120s AD, probably in 122, during the emperor Hadrian’s visit to Britain. The Wall has been attributed to Hadrian, though the name “Hadrian’s Wall” is a modern convention and there is only one reference to the Wall in classical literature (Aelius Spartianus, Historia Augusta, Life of Hadrian, 5). Despite this lack of detailed literary reference, the Hadrianic origins of the Wall is secure and fully supported by archaeological evidence along its course.

While the entire length of the Wall was later built in stone, this was not the original plan, nor, it seems, were the forts originally intended. Based on archaeological evidence, it appears certain that only the eastern 50 miles was originally stone, while the western 30 miles was constructed of turf. Additionally, as the Wall was constructed, a decision was made to narrow it from 10 feet wide to just 8 feet; only about 20 miles of the Wall were constructed to the original width. Beyond these structures, the Wall was mirrored by a series of earthworks to both the north and south; a large ditch of about 30 feet wide and 10 feet deep was dug to the north, while a feature known as the “vallum” (another large ditch with mounds on either side) was later added to the south.

Hadrian’s Wall is truly a monumental site. While much work has been done to write its history and understand its features, a lot remains uncertain and there are many questions, debates and controversies. I hope to touch on some of these in later installments of this tour, but will first focus on describing the various sites, beginning with the Wall forts. If you have any specific questions, or would like me to provide more detail on something, please let me know. I hope you will find this both educational and interesting.

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Tags: Archaeology, britain, england, frontier, hadrian's wall, history, roman empire, uk