HI 303X - 01
A Line of Stone
Hadrian’s Wall and what it meant for the West
John Lewis D'Antonio
3/7/2015
Col. Sheldon
Help Received: Col. Sheldon
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One of the most notable if not the most famous Roman landmark that still stands is
Hadrian’s Wall. Named after the man who ordered it built, it served as a defensive wall against
the Scots of Northern Britain. An impressive display of Roman engineering along with marking
the farthest north the Romans would be able to hold for a significant amount of time, this line of
stone is a prime example of the impact of Rome on the West.
Hadrian’s Wall was an impressive display of Roman engineering at its finest. It would
span 80 Roman miles (73 mi) from coast to coast1, approximately a half a kilometer from what is
today, the border of modern Scotland.2 A V shaped protective ditch was dug in front of the wall.
Fortified gates along with towers known as milecastles were placed every roman mile and
intermediate turrets were placed every third of roman mile. 12 forts were also built along the
wall in strategic locations, and by the end of Hadrian’s reign, several more had been added.3
Examples of these are Cilurnum at modern day Chesters and Vindobala at modern day
Rudchester. Because of the spacing between the forts, it was fairly easy to pass information
through the use of runners, smoke signals and even shouting on some parts of the wall.
The Garrison in Britain at the time was based on a foundation of three legions equaling
about sixteen thousand men. There were also another sixty eight auxiliary units that brought the
total effective strength of the Roman army in Britain to about fifty-five thousand men.4 Out of
all of these men it is estimated that a total of seven thousand infantry and two thousand cavalry
were garrisoned about the various forts and towers at any given time and the majority of these
were auxiliaries. While this seems like a small number, with the way the system of forts was
e.d. John Roberts, “wall of Hadrian” in The Oxford Classical Dictionary, Oxford U. K., Oxford University Press,
1996
2
“Hadrian’s Wall”, Wikipedia , 2/24/15, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian's_Wall
1
3
4
Roberts, “wall of Hadrian”
David Divine, “Hadrian’s Wall: A Study of the North-West Frontier of Rome” pg. 163
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built, one hundred to three hundred and fifty Roman soldiers could be at any point on the wall
within an hour. This number was deemed sufficient to repel an attack of up to one thousand
men.5 Because the majority of attacks on Hadrian’s Wall were smaller raids and rarely exceeded
one thousand men, Rome was confident in their ability to defend it against most attacks. If a
larger force were to attack the wall, within just a few hours a much larger Roman force would be
able to mass and counterattack at any point along the wall.
Let us next examine the purpose for which the wall was built. Rome is well known not
only for its expansionism, but also for many people resisting its spread of power. When Emperor
Hadrian came to power in 117 AD, he quickly became known as one of the few emperors that
focused more on defense than expansion. During his reign he began to have trouble with
rebellions among the Scots, he then decided that he would have a wall built that would mark the
end of the empire. Archeology of the wall suggests that construction began around 118 or 119
AD.6 Thousands of miles from the capital city of Rome, this wall would mark just how far the
Empire had spread across Europe.
Although many would attempt to continue Roman expansions past the wall, they would
never be past for long. In fact it didn’t take long before emperors were attempting to abandon
the wall. The emperor immediately following Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, all but abandoned
Hadrian’s wall to a support role and attempted to build another wall about 100 miles north after
Hadrian’s death in 138. This wall had double the forts of Hadrian’s but was made primarily out
of sod taking away from its defense. However the campaign came to a grinding halt and combat
lingered on in the Scottish Lowlands. When Pius died, Marcus Aurelius realized that the
campaign to conquer Scotland was not going to be successful and proceeded to reoccupy
5
Divine, pg. 180
“Hadrian’s Wall”, Wikipedia
6
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Hadrian’s Wall as the Empire’s main line of defense. However the expansionist mentality of
Rome would not be kept down for long and Emperor Septimius Severus launched another
campaign to conquer the Scots in 208 AD and retook the wall that was built by Antoninus.
However once more the campaign would end inconclusively and they would withdraw to
Hadrian’s Wall.7 Hadrian’s Wall continued to be the edge of the empire until the year 410 when
it is estimated that Roman rule in Britain ceased. After Rome left the wall was dismantled in
many places for use in construction of roads and other buildings. However, many long sections
still remain and many tourists visit Hadrian’s Wall every year.
One man is primarily responsible for the portions of the wall that remain the most intact.
John Clayton was a lawyer and town clerk in Newcastle during the 1830’s. Because of the
extensive damage being done to what was left of the wall Clayton became extremely enthusiastic
about preserving the wall and began purchasing land in an attempt to save what was left.
Different archeological sites that he saved include forts and settlements at Chesters,
Carrawburgh, and Vindolanda.8 Vindolanda is the most visited portion of Hadrian’s Wall and
houses museum on the Wall and the Roman Army. Rome’s most famous mark on Britain is still
visited today by hundreds of tourists.
Hadrian’s Wall stands as a testament to Roman engineering and the edge of their
expansionist empire. Dozens of milecastles and forts dotted its length manned by thousands of
auxiliaries. Despite attempts to expand past, the wall would remain the last line of defense of the
Roman Empire in Britain and stood as an example of how far the reach of the Empire really was.
Even after Rome abandoned Britain around the 410 and the wall was brought low, in many
7
8
“Hadrian’s Wall”, Wikipedia
“Hadrian’s Wall”, Wikipedia
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places it continues to stand to this day. Visiting the wall gives us a sense of what Rome has done
for and to the West. It tells us this land was Rome and it will be changed forever because of it.
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Bibliography
Divine, David. Hadrian’s Wall: A study of the North-West Frontier of Rome. Boston, Gambit
Inc., 1969
“Hadrian”, Wikipedia, 2/24/15, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian
“Hadrian’s Wall”, Wikipedia, 2/24/15, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian's_Wall (Also the
source of the picture)
Roberts, John e.d Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World, Oxford U.K., Oxford University
Press, 2007