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30 Surprising Facts about Hadrian's Wall - English Heritage Blog
Stretching from coast to coast, Hadrian’s Wall was the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire. 2017 marks an important anniversary in the history of Hadrian’s Wall – 30 years since becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In gaining this status, the landmark is officially acknowledged as a site of ‘outstanding value to humanity’ which will be protected and preserved for future generations to enjoy as we do now.
It remains a site of major importance with a rich and surprising history. We challenged our historians and curators to find 30 things that you might not have known about
Hadrian’s Wall. Let us know in the comments how many surprised you.
1. Hadrian’s Wall is not just a wall
Its signature feature was a continuous curtain wall of stone or turf, but in front was a ditch and sometimes other obstacles. Along the line of the Wall were turrets, small fortlets known as milecastles, and forts for larger garrisons. These were all linked by a military road. Running parallel a little further to the south were two large earthworks either side of a ditch called the
vallum.
2. It took around 15,000 men about 6 years to build
Hadrian’s Wall was built by legionaries – the citizen-soldiers of the Roman army. The army contained specialists in masonry, engineering and architecture.
It took units from all three of Britain’s legions to construct the Wall: the II Augusta based in Caerleon in South Wales, the VI Victrix from York and the XX Valeria Victrix from Chester – who were also once based around
Wroxter Roman City.
3. Soldiers from Syria were stationed there
Hadrian’s Wall was garrisoned by auxiliary soldiers from across the
Roman Empire. These were non-citizens who were recruited into the army and often stationed far away from their homeland.
Although generally the soldiers manning Hadrian’s Wall came from northern Europe, there are also examples of units posted there from much further afield. Examples included Asturians (from northern Spain) at
Chesters Roman Fort and Dacians (from Romania) at
Birdoswald. Perhaps the furthest from home were the Syrians at
Housesteads, who lived alongside the Tungrians from modern day Belgium.
4. We know the names of men who built Hadrian’s Wall
The
Clayton Collection contains 53 centurial stones. Centurial stones give us the names of centurions who, with their men, built Hadrian’s Wall. Each group would have been given a set length of wall to build, and they often inscribed a stone when they had finished.
5. Cavalry soldiers lived alongside their horses
In Roman cavalry barracks, such as those at
Chesters Fort, the soldiers lived in the rear room, while their horses lived in the front separated only by a narrow wall. Covered pits were dug beneath the horses to take away the waste!