Hadrian's Wall

ancient rome · england · military history · architecture

Built by Romans. Emperor Hadrian ordered the wall constructed in AD 122 to protect the Roman province of Britannia. Thousands of soldiers built this enormous stone structure across the entire width of northern England.

Incredibly long. The wall stretched about 73 miles from Wallsend in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west. That is roughly the distance across New Jersey or the width of a large mountain range.

Guarded and controlled. Soldiers were stationed in large forts, smaller milecastles (watch towers), and turrets all along the wall. The gates in the wall may have also worked like customs posts, checking who came and went.

Deep ditches dug. In front of and behind the stone wall, Roman engineers dug large ditches to make the wall even harder to cross. These ditches helped protect Roman soldiers from attack.

Still standing today. Parts of Hadrian's Wall still exist in northern England after almost 2,000 years. You can visit and walk along sections of this ancient structure to imagine Roman soldiers standing guard there.