Hadrian's Wall was originally a Roman fortification that stretched 73 miles across the North of England and its main purpose was to the defend the North Western Frontier of the Roman Empire. However, legend has it that the Roman's built it to keep the Scots out of their lands- as they were said to be a little frightened of them- they'd already struggled to keep Boudicca and her forces at bay and didn't need any more trouble! Read on to find out more amazing facts about Hadrian's Wall!
1. It was built in 122AD by the men working for Emperor Hadrian.
2. It took alot of manpower!
Hadrian's Wall took 15,000 men over six years to build! That meant some serious manpower and some serious organisational skills!
3. It is a very long wall!
Hadrian's Wall spans 73 miles in length beginning near Newcastle and finishing near the Solway Firth at the Irish Sea. However, Romans would say that it was longer than 73 miles as a Roman mile was shorter than the miles we measure it today- the Romans said a mile was approximately 1000 walking steps- whereas we believe a mile to be 1600 metres approximately.
4. It DOESN'T mark the division between England and Scotland!
Many people seem to think that Hadrian's Wall represents the boundary between England and Scotland. However, this is not true! Hadrian's Wall is in England and was built to represent the 'End of the Empire' in the North West Frontier.
5. Soldiers patrolled the wall
During the Roman occupation of Britain until 410AD, soldiers drawn from all over the Empire patrolled the wall- in order to keep the peace and stop unrest from the Scots on the other side. Soldiers from as far as Syria came to defend the Wall.
6. Most of Hadrian's Wall is gone
Sadly, most of Hadrian's Wall has disappeared in modern times. This is no surprise since it is almost 2000 years since it was built- that is a lot of weather to resist. Archaeologists began to take an interest in preserving it during the 1800s.
7. Fortifications littered the Wall
The Romans built small forts into the wall- every mile approximately. Each fort would be manned by a small legion of 20 or so soldiers. It was more than just a wall it was an enormous defence unit.
8. Hadrian may have been the designer
It is thought that Emperor Hadrian- the leader who ordered the wall to be built- may well have designed the wall himself. Hadrian was known to have a love of buildings and architecture (building design).
9. It wasn't always made from stone
Unbelievably, Hadrian's Wall was initially built from turf- not stone- as this was alot quicker to get a hold of- stone was more difficult to shape and cut in the Roman times.
10. You could get flushed away...
If you were stationed at Hadrian's Wall as a Roman soldier, it would have been a quite luxurious job. The main reason for this was the fact that Hadrian's Wall had some flushing toilets. We take these for granted these days, but this was a big technological advancement during Roman times.
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