Hadrian’s Wall: A Piece Of Ancient History

Hadrian’s Wall was built as a defense in Roman Britain. According to history in AD 122when the region was ruled by Emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two walls of protection that were built across Great Britain, the second wall was known as the Antonine Wall which was a lesser know of the two walls because there really isn’t much left of that particular wall. The Hadrian Wall was the most successful in their defenses for the Empire. The wall was not only know for their military defensive style but the wall was used as custom posts that allowed trade and levy taxation.

The entire wall of Hadrian’s does not exist, these still is a very significant portion of the wall that still stands today. The mid section s the section that exists and the length of the wall can be used for site seeing along the Hadrian’s Wall Path or by bicycles on the National Cycle Route 72. According to experts this the most popular site that tourists come to see in Northern England. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Historians call it the most important monument that was built by the Romans in Britain.

Hadrian’s Wall when it was first built was measured to be about 80 miles and the width and the height of the wall depended on the construction materials that were used to create that particular section of the wall. The wall that is located East of the River Irthing and it was made from squared style stone and measures 9.7 feet wide and 16 to 20 feet high. The wall located in the West is made from turf and it measures in at 20 feet wide and 11.5 feet high. These measurements do not include any of the wall’s ditches, forts or berms. The Central part of the wall measured in at 8 Roman feet wide on a 10-foot base, a beautiful site to be seen.

Hadrian’s Wall runs from the west from Segedunum at Wallsend on the River Tyne to the shores of the Solway Firth but does end a short way west of the Bowness on Solway. After Emperor Hadrian died in AD 138, the new emperor left the wall alone and used it as a support role and which start the idea of the Antonine Wall, which became known as the Scottish Lowlands later on. Over time much of the wall has disappeared but the longer sections were used for building new roads in the 18th century.

The re-purpose of the wall was for moving troops along to crush the Jacobite Resurrection. The wall that had been preserved was due in part to John Clayton; he was a lawyer by trade and was the town clerk in the 1830’s. Clayton was inspired to buy some of the land in the surrounding the wall; soon he had land control from Brunton to Cawfields. The wall is a great part of history and thanks in part to John Clayton; many visitors can come to England and see a great piece of history.