Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian's Wall

Although it was completed almost 1900 years ago, the Roman ruin known today as Hadrian's wall remains remarkably intact, and retains much of its former glory and mystique. Located in northern England, and stretching across nearly 80 miles of the hilly countryside of Northumbria, the ruin marks the northernmost expansion of one of the greatest civilizations in human history. It is architecturally significant as an astounding achievement of ancient engineering and design, and historically significant as a reminder of the military and political struggles of ancient Rome and Britannia. It is one of the most famed of all Roman ruins, and is unquestionably the most famous such edifice constructed so far from the capital city of Rome itself. On a grander scale, it is considered by many to be one of the greatest man-made structures of ancient times, and is often compared with the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, and the ancient temples of the South American Aztecs.

In the centuries before the birth of Christ, the city-state evolved as the central form of governmental power in the Ancient world. Sovereignty was centralized in the great cities of Rome, Vienna, Carthage, Alexandria, Cologne, and Damascus. Unlike the nation states of modern times, there were no clear boundaries delineating spheres of influence. Instead, each city-state governed local territories, and exerted its political influence as far outward as was pragmatically possible, with the only constraints being the technological, military and logistical limitations of the era. The city-states routinely went to war with each other over disputed territories and political conflicts. There was little peace in the outlying regions, and the only stability was found near the great cities themselves.

Over the course of time, the city of Rome began to develop more influence and power, effectively gaining control of vast sections of modern day Italy and Germany. A combination of geography, natural resources, and a succession of visionary leaders enabled Rome to begin to build one of the first legitimate Empires of ancient times. A vast empire was envisioned by Julius Caesar, one of the greatest Roman leaders, and his wise rule and subsequent assassination in 44 B.C. started a chain of events which eventually led to the crowning of the first Emperor of Rome.

That first Emperor was Augustus, a nephew of Julius Caesar, and his ascension to the throne in 27 B.C. marks what is traditionally considered the beginning of the Roman Empire. The Empire lasted at least 400 years as the dominant political force in a large portion of the ancient world. Roman influence spread far and wide over much of Europe, North Africa, and eastern Asia. At its height, the Roman Empire stretched from Spain in the west, all the way east to Syria, Arabia, and parts of modern day Russia. In the south the empire stretched to cover Egypt and much of north Africa, and in the north, the influence of Rome extended into the British Isles as far as contemporary Scotland.

Hadrian's Wall, built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, was begun in 122 A.D. at the very height of the Roman Empire. It marks the northernmost expansion of the empire, and dominates the landscape of central England to this day. The Romans remained a force in Britain until roughly the year 220, even after the wall itself had been abandoned. The Roman Empire had collapsed by approximately 400 A.D.

Publius Aelius Hadrianus, the future emperor of all Rome, was born in southern Spain on January 24, 76 A.D. He was born into a wealthy, educated, and highly political family. When he was 10 years old, his father died. It was Roman tradition at the time that a male child must have a male guardian appointed upon the death of his father, so the young Publius was "naturally committed" to the care of the most powerful and influential men in the region. One of the two men appointed as guardians was a man named Trajan, a cousin to Publius. He was a regional political leader and a commander of several armies, and was probably appointed as guardian to Hadrian because at the time of the boy's father's death, he had been in Spain commanding several legions of Roman troops.

Shortly after becoming the boy's guardian, Trajan was called to duty in the northern sections of the empire near modern day Germany, and he took Hadrian with him to Rome. As Trajan fought battles in the north, Hadrian was undergoing his Roman education and becoming acquainted with the different culture and philosophy of the capital city of Rome. During the period he made valuable friends and political connections, and became close with Trajan.

When Hadrian was 20, following political struggles, the throne was taken over by Emperor Nerva in the year 96 A.D. Two years later Trajan, Hadrian's cousin and guardian, became emperor of the entire Roman Empire, and Hadrian became his apparent heir to the throne. In the year 117, at the age of 41, Hadrian began his reign as Emperor.

Many of his biographer's suggest that because he was born and raised in Spain, Hadrian never became entirely accustomed to the ways of Rome. It is suggested that this is the reason why he seemed happier to spend much of his reign traveling to the far reaches of the empire. Whatever the reason behind his behavior, he became famous for his travels, and visited more of the empire than any other Roman leader. It was his interest in the outposts of his empire, and his sense of the importance of the outlying territories, which led him to travel to Britain in 121 A.D. and order the construction of the great wall which eventually bore his name.

Although Britain is first mentioned in Roman history in 350 B.C., it would be several centuries before any attempt was made to occupy the island. Romans first invaded Britain in 55 B.C. during the reign of Julius Caesar, but Caesar only managed to hold onto a small portion of southeastern Britain. The fact that Britain is an island made it difficult to conquer. As was made evident during World War II during the last century, the English Channel protects Britain from being easily invaded by any army.

Rome did not successfully conquer Britain for almost another century, when the Emperor Claudius invaded with four entire legions of Roman soldiers in the year 40 A.D. Even after the invasion, there was never real peace between the Britons and the Romans, and battles were waged intermittently for the next century. One of the greatest of those battles was fought in 117 A.D., the year that Hadrian became Emperor of Rome. In that year, north Britons congregated into one great army and swept south to attack the