Hadrian’s Wall: A Reminder of Roman Power

the Battle of Mons Graupius in 84 AD, Agricola defeated Caledonian leader Calgacus to secure Roman domination over Scotland.

Despite achieving victories, Agricola encountered difficulties in starting the Romanization process of the new land. To strengthen their success, Agricola and his successors established Stanegate, which was a Roman road that connected river crossings between Carlisle and Corbridge. This was defended by a series of numeri (watch-towers), small forts, and later added 'half-day' forts. Stanegate served as a model for Hadrian's Wall. Hadrian's Wall was constructed due to the Roman Empire's expansion reaching its peak under Trajan, who spent most of his reign plotting campaigns around the Empire.

During Hadrian's reign in 117 AD, the Roman Empire encountered numerous threats from various enemies, including rebellions in Egypt, Libya, Palestine, and an uprising in Britain involving the Brigantes tribe, as well as the Selgovae and Novantae tribes. This uprising against Roman supremacy occurred between 119 and 121 AD and is often collectively referred to as the Picts. Hadrian faced political pressure during his succession as he was not Trajan's biological son, but rather adopted shortly before Trajan's death. Hadrian's objective was not conquest, but rather the establishment of stability within the Empire.

As a junior officer, Hadrian served on the Empire's eastern frontiers and gained invaluable experience in stabilizing volatile situations. The Roman Empire's frontiers were primarily natural, such as the Rhine and Danube Rivers in the west and east respectively, or deserts in North Africa. In places without natural boundaries, artificial barriers like the Raetian palisade in Germany between the Rhine and Danube were constructed, similar to the situation in Scotland. Each frontier area presented a unique set of

problems requiring specific solutions. However, it appears that after 87 AD, when the II Adiutrix legion was transferred to the Danube, there was a decision to abandon the conquest of Scotland.

However, the issue arose that the Island needed to establish a frontier within its borders instead of at its edge. This was a significant shift in Roman policy since Roman Emperors rarely set boundaries for their empire. One of the purposes of Hadrian's Wall was to create a frontier for the Roman province of Britain since there was no natural boundary between Scotland and England. There were many unsuccessful attempts to conquer Scotland prior to and after Hadrian's reign. Rather than attempting to conquer Caledonia, which is in southern Scotland, Hadrian chose to consolidate the already conquered area marked by the Wall.

According to Hadrian's biographer Aelius Spartianus, the purpose of the Wall was to separate Romans from barbarians and keep people within the area, evident in the founding of cities like Aldborough. The Wall provided psychological comfort for both the army and civilians, serving the dual function of keeping people in and out. Its military purpose was to prevent raids by the Selgovae tribe into Romanized territories, which was reinforced by forts, milecastles, turrets, and ditches. The Cumberland coast saw an extension of the Wall to ensure that no unexpected invasion arrived on the coast beyond the Wall.

Some argue that the Wall was not intended for use as a fighting platform, and that it did not have patrols walking along the top. Its purpose was not only to keep people out or inside, but also to separate them. The tribes responsible for most of the

trouble in Northern England and Scotland were the Selgovae, Novatae, and Brigantes. Had the Brigantes been separated from other tribes, such as the Selgovae, they could have settled down and accepted the Roman administrative system. However, coalition with other tribes led to several rebellions, including the one led by Venutius, leader of the Brigantes, in 69 AD. This separation of tribes was not on a full scale, but rather localized.

The Romans' intention was not to completely isolate the area to the north of the Wall but rather How was The Wall constructed? Hadrian began construction of the wall in 122 AD, after his visit to Britain. Although the exact date of completion of the wall is unknown, most of the work had been finished by 132 AD. It is certain that it was completed before Hadrian's death in 138. The wall started at the Pons Aelius (modern Newcastle) where a new bridge, named after the emperor, had just been built across the Tyne. From there, it followed a low ridge to the north of the river towards Chester, where it crossed the Northern Tyne, and then continued along the line of the Whin Sill.

Hadrian's Wall, which was around 111 kilometres or 76 Roman miles long in its original design, runs mostly along high ground and, after passing Castlesteads and crossing the Irthing, it runs parallel to the north bank of the river all the way to Stanwix in Carlisle. The wall continues on from there following the south shore of the Solway Firth for 14 miles until it reaches the Irish Sea near Bowness. The construction of Hadrian's Wall was planned with consideration for

the pre-existing Stanegate system and was built a mile or so in advance of it and its forts. Additionally, the designers took advantage of the landscape of Northern England in order to optimize the wall's effectiveness.

The Wall follows natural crags and ditches where possible, such as the section on Whin Still which features north-facing crags. Overall, the Wall is 76 Roman miles in length, or just over 70 British miles. Originally constructed in two parts, one of stone and one of turf, the Stone section spans 45 Roman miles from the east coast to the crossing of the river Irthing. The remaining 31 miles were initially constructed in turf but were later rebuilt in stone following the completion of the Antonine Wall. It is unclear why the entire wall was not built in stone initially despite a plentiful supply of building stone in Northern England, as evidenced by the later rebuilding of the turf section around 158 AD.

The stone wall utilized a rubble core and was constructed using dressed stone in lime mortar. While the exact height of the wall cannot be determined due to the lack of surviving walls at their full height, preserved stairways suggest a minimum height of 15 feet. This height was necessary for soldiers atop the wall to view the ditch in front of it. The foundation for the wall was primarily built with a width of 10 feet.

Despite the intended width of the wall, there are variations in its construction. Due to an alteration in the plan, there are now three different widths of the wall. The initial design called for a 10ft width, referred to as the

"Broad Wall." However, the other two sections of the wall were constructed at 8ft and 6ft wide, earning them the title of "the Narrow Wall."