You have probably heard something about the Hadrian's Wall in England, right? It is one of Britain's cultural icons and major ancient tourist attraction! But do you know why exactly it was called like this? Did Hadrian really exist or not? Keep on reading to find it out!
BASIC HISTORY FACTS AND TOURIST INFO
The name Hadrian Wall derived from Latin "Vallum Hadrian" and has actually other names. It is sometimes called Roman Wall and Pict's Wall as well. The construction of the Wall started during the reign of the emperor Hadrian in AD 122 when the territory of Britain was under the rule of the Roman Empire. It served as a defensive fortification for almost 300 years.
Located in the northern part of England, we can still see some parts of the wall that have remained. It stretches from the banks of the river Tyne to the border between England and Scotland and the Irish Sea.
Nowadays, Hadrian's Wall is a popular tourist destination. There is the Hadrian's Wall Path that runs for 135 km from Wallsend to Bowness-on-Losway mainly through countryside but also through the cities and suburbs of Newcastle and Carlisle.
The footpath has many sections, the first one of these is the one that has the Roman fort and Museum of Segedunum which explains the purpose of this historical construction. Some of the sections can be reached on the Hadrian's Wall bus or by a train.
REASONS FOR CONSTRUCTION
But let's go back in history for a while, shall we? It is interesting to note that reasons for the construction of Hadrian's Wall are still discussed, there is no exact answer to the question "Why did the Romans decide to build the Wall?". Some of the historians suggest that it was built as a borderline between Scotland and England, but there are many others who say it's a total misconception. Other theories suggest Hadrian wanted to build this wall in order to represent his power or else to defend his territory from raiders (especially the Picts with whom the Romans had many fights).
The Wall was in use almost until the end of Roman Rule in Britain which ended in AD 410.
NOWADAYS
Hadrian's Wall can be surprisingly seen to this day, even though the majority of the real wall has, of course, disappeared with time.
There are also other "buildings" that have survived which are part of the Roman Wall, because it wasn't built just in a form of a simple wall.
As there were many thousands of soldiers building all the construction, they needed different forts and other outposts. We can see some of them even today, particularly in Northumberland.
Want to know more about the north of England and its famous historical sites? Click here to learn more about it! And don't forget to give a like to this post and share with your friends :)
Interesting landmatk to visit one day