Hadrian’s Wall (often referred to as the ‘Roman Wall’) is a military fortification constructed of stone and turf by the Roman Empire, to prevent military raids on Roman Britain by the Pictish tribes (ancient inhabitants of Scotland) in the north, to improve economic stability and provide peaceful conditions in Britain.
The Roman occupation of Britain had began with Julius Caesar’s successful second invasion of the British Isles in 55 BC. 100 years later Emperor Claudius ordered 24,000 soldiers to establish military control of the country. By 79 AD most of the land was under Roman control except the far north. By the time Hadrian came to power in 117 AD, the Roman Empire had failed to expand and so the emperor started to consolidate his boundaries by ordering a wall to be built ‘to separate Romans from Barbarians’. It spanned 73 miles across the width of what is now northern England and was the third of four similar walls built across Great Britain. Hadrian’s Wall was, however the most heavily fortified.
A considerable segment of the wall is still in existence today, which can be followed on foot.
