Hadrian's Wall - a defensive fortification in the Roman province of Britannia - served as the frontier for several Roman invasions of Caledonia, the Latin name given by the Romans to land in present-day Scotland north of their province of Britannia, outside their empire.
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| Hadrian's Wall |
The troops based in the forts and walls were mainly recruited from the northwestern provinces of the Roman Empire, although some were from further afield.
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| Sycamore Gap Hadrian's Wall |
Initially, there were 12 main forts along the wall and several more that were added later, for a total of 17. They were occupied by about 10,000 troops and controlled traffic between Caledonia and the Roman Empire.
Hadrian's Wall not only served the purpose of defense; when the Romans were not at war with the Caledonians, they traded with them.
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| Hadrian's Wall |
Vallum, an earthwork to the south about 35 meters wide, consisted of a central ditch between two burial mounds. This unusual feature of Hadrian's Wall served to move between north and south.
Another important building was the barn, built with ventilation under the floor to avoid moisture and decay. Everyone had enough food to survive the siege for a year. Hadrian's Wall appears to have survived in this form until the end of the 2nd century. After Hadrian's death in 138, civil settlements began to be built just outside the gates at the Homesteads and other forts. Several temples were built in honor of Jupiter and mystical religions such as Mithraism.
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| Hadrian's Wall |
According to ancient historical sources, shortly after 180 AD. e. there was a major war when “the tribes crossed the Wall, which separated them from the Roman forts and defeated the troops that were on the wall. The forts on Hadrian's Wall had a long life span of nearly 300 years, all of which continued until the end of Roman Britain, which dates back to the early 5th century. The last coins found on Hadrian's Wall were minted in 403-406.
In later years, Hadrian's Wall became a stone quarry for the construction of castles and churches, farms and houses along its line. It was not until the mid-19th century that archaeologists and historians began to study Hadrian's Wall, or rather its still outstanding remains.