Hadrian's Wall

Walls have been a permanent feature in world history. From ancient times up to modern day walls have been used. Originally used for defensive reasons, today walls are used mainly to keep people in. One of the best known walls in the world is Hadrian's Wall that stretches across the the border between England and Scotland. Hadrian's Wall was built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian (r. 117-138 CE) in 122. This project was part of Hadrian's goal to consolidate the Empires gains and create a stable border. Also the wall was built for protection from the barbarian tribes of Scotland.

Hadrian's wall stretches 73.5 miles across northern England, from the North to Irish Sea. The wall was built out of stone. It was fifteen feet high with a width of 8 feet. Every mile there was a small fort with two towers between each of them. Also there were 16 large forts that could house up to 1000 soldiers. On the north side of the wall there was a ditch that ran along the wall. On the south side of the large forts towns sprang up to provide for the Roman soldiers.

Emperor Hadrian died in 138 CE and his successor Antoninus Pius wanted to expand the empire. Therefore, the Antonine Wall was built across the narrow part of southern Scotland between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde, in 142 CE. At this time Hadrian's wall was abandoned, and the northern border of the Roman Empire was the Antonine Wall. However, when Antonius Pius died in 161 CE his wall was abandoned and Hadrian's wall was refortified.

Hadrian's Wall was abandoned when the Romans abandoned Britain in 410, however, many of the towns by the forts continued on. Unfortunately, the wall fell into disrepair, with many stones being taken for other buildings. Today the main foundations of the wall and the forts remain. I have been to Hadrian's wall, and what surprised me the most was how well it was built. The wall was in a perfect straight line and the forts in symmetric distribution. What is left of the wall varies, some of it is gone completely, while some is over six feet high.

A great site for pictures of Hadrian's Wall
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/hadrian_gallery.shtml
For other information
http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/rome/a/aa060600a.htm
http://www.hadrians-wall.org/page.aspx//About-the-World-Heritage-Site/Archaeology-