Biography
The Wall was a product of the Roman occupation of Britain. How did that invasion come about, and what were its lasting effects?
Hadrian's Wall: The Basics
Running across northern England, from the Tyne to the Solway Firth, is a great 73-mile wall built in AD 122-8 on the orders of the Roman Emperor, Hadrian. According to his Roman biographer, it was constructed "to separate the Romans from the barbarians".
The Roman Conquest of Britain
The invasion of England launched by the Roman emperor Claudius in AD43 was not the Empire's first foray into the British Isles. A couple of incursions mounted by Julius Caesar in the years 55 and 54BC had been more about shoring up Caesar's public image at home than looking for fresh pastures to conquer. In any case, what was there in England to tempt the Romans? A cold, northerly island inhabited by woad-daubed savages didn’t seem to offer much to exploit, and it was decided that it wasn’t worth the effort.
Building the Wall
Hadrian came to Britain in AD 122 determined to make the troubled province secure. His planned wall, running from the Tyne to the Solway, was a means of controlling northern Britain, both north and south of the frontier, for the areas on each side were equally unsettled. The wall would create a powerful chain of military bases, which could be supplied by sea and river in the event of rebellion.
The Roman Legacy
The 350-year period of Roman occupation of Britain was by no means the story of a brutal foreign power imposing its own unfamiliar customs on an unwilling populace. By the time the imperial forces had begun to depart in AD 410, life for the indigenous populations had changed beyond recognition – and overwhelmingly for the better.
