Hadrian’s Wall: ancient Rome’s shifting border
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Archaeologists continue to study Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, a Roman defensive structure built beginning in 122 CE. Emperor Hadrian ordered the wall’s construction after touring the northern provinces of Britain and Germany to secure the empire’s borders.
The wall, stretching 84 miles, wasn’t the furthest reach of Roman control. One hundred miles further north, Emperor Antoninus Pius began construction of the Antonine Wall in 142 CE, though this earthwork structure was abandoned after roughly twenty years.
Hadrian’s Wall remained a frontier for nearly 300 years, shaping settlement patterns in both England and Scotland. Scholar Andrew Gardner argues the wall represents a classic example of a border, dividing people while simultaneously fostering interaction and change. The wall’s purpose wasn’t fixed, and even Hadrian himself may have envisioned multiple uses for it. While much of the wall’s stone was later reused, its foundations and ditches remain visible today.
Its image appears in modern popular culture, from debates surrounding Brexit and Scottish independence to the fictional world of Game of Thrones. Gardner notes that depictions of the wall are often inaccurate, but its lasting influence demonstrates the complex relationship between borders and the societies they define.
