Hadrian’s Wall
On the 3rd of April a group of boys and teachers from Hampton School voyaged to Newcastle to see Hadrian’s Wall. Hadrian’s Wall is a very important archaeological site because of the vast amount of relics recovered during excavations. Also Roman Architecture, such as bits of the wall, still remain intact today and other parts of the wall have been removed and used in other buildings. The Wall is important to the development of Britain as well.
Hadrian’s Wall was 75 miles long. It spanned coast to coast from Maryport to Newcastle but only small portions of the original wall still exist. It was built by the Romans under the command of the emperor Hadrian in 122 AD. 16 forts were built along the wall and there are theories that it was painted white on the north facing side.
The main reason to build walls is for defence. Whether you are building a castle wall out of stone to protect from enemies or a shed wall out of wind to protect against wind and rain, walls are generally built to defend. However when you build an 84 mile-long wall across a country it’s very difficult to defend every part of it from invaders. The purpose of Hadrian’s Wall would not have been to forcefully keep out barbarians from the north. It would have been a symbol to show the barbarians that the Romans are powerful enough to build a massive wall so invading them would be pointless. The theory that the wall was painted white supports this because it would have made it a much more visible and stunning piece of architecture that would leave enemies in awe and fear. It also made it easier for the Romans to control immigration. Instead of completely stopping it they allowed it to happen in a way that suited them.
Before the construction of Hadrian’s wall Scotland and England did not exist and the Island of Britain was separated into many tribes all with their own allegiances. The wall separated their cultures for the next 400 years and they developed separately eventually unifying into civilisations. Hadrian’s Wall is the reason England and Scotland are different countries with different culture. The consequences of this wall have been highlighted in the news recently because of the prospect of another Scottish referendum. Most borders between countries are caused by natural constructs such as mountains or rivers. The border between England and Scotland was a result of Roman occupation in Britain. However despite the fact that the wall hasn’t existed for many years now the countries are as divided as ever.
