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Chapters:
0:00 Walls and Fortifications
2:45 Attacks from the North
5:10 Attacks from the South
6:46 Construction
7:38 Vindolanda
8:35 Antonine Wall
13:48 Support
The Truth About Hadrian’s Wall, Rome’s False Northern Frontier (History Documentary)
The Truth About Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman Empire’s False Northern Frontier (History Documentary)
Stretching 73 miles right across northern England today, Hadrian’s Wall is often described as once serving as the northern frontier of the Roman Empire, but is this true? More on that later. Today, I’ve taken you to a section of Hadrian’s Wall in the north of modern England near Greenhead, just east of the Roman Army Museum.
Standing here you’re immediately struct by a defining feature of the Roman army – Roman soldiers weren’t just soldiers, they were also skilled craftsmen and engineers. To build a wall of this magnitude in a foreign land you’re occupying almost 2,000 years ago, doesn’t just take incredible imagination, bravado and dare I say arrogance, it takes unbelievable skill, discipline and organisational power.
That is one thing that has always struct me about the Romans, their ability to throw up massive structures in foreign lands whilst also fighting wars. Julius Caesar’s army built dual fortifications during the Battle of Alesia in Gaul for instance, one to trap Vercingetorix and his men inside Alesia, and another wall around the Romans to keep the Gallic relief army out.
But what is truth about Hadrian’s Wall, why was it built and how was it built? To understand this wall we need to understand the context in which it was built. Hadrian’s predecessor, Trajan, expanded the empire greatly. In fact, when Trajan died in 117 AD, the Roman Empire was at its territorial zenith. When Hadrian came to power, he inherited an empire that stretched from Britian to the Middle East, with many local tribes across the empire having periods of resistance to Roman rule. It was time for fortification.
Fortifications were nothing new to the Romans, they had built and continued to add fortifications across the Empire, most notably to help control Germanic tribes. Roman border defences are known as Līmes, and the two sections of limes in Germany covered a length of 340 miles.
If we turn our attention back to Britain, Hadrian’s Wall was built was for the Romans to fortify their position in Britannica and keep the barbarians north of the wall at bay. Emperor Hadrian (ruled 117–138 CE) went to Britain in 122 AD and, in the words of his biographer, “was the first to build a wall, 80 miles long, to separate the Romans from the barbarians.”
Sources:
Scotland History Tours, What They Don’t Say About Hadrian’s Wall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EZpYXcXRII
Hadrian’s Wall | 10 Places That Made England with Dan Snow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mHOtDbiFjI
Why Was Hadrian’s Wall Built? | Animated History https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmmfS4Z4Jig
Hadrian’s Wall, Britannica – https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hadrians-Wall
Hadrian’s Wall – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian’s_Wall
Antonine Wall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonine_Wall
Our History – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTgFE8R6_Os
The Bridgeness Roman Distance Slab – https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/scottish-history-and-archaeology/the-bridgeness-roman-distance-slab/
Lilia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilia
Celtic History Decoded – What Scottish Tribal Confederation Fought the Roman Empire? Meet The Maeatae (Dumyat Hill, Ochil’s) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veAYaWV_kQ0
Antonine Wall: Rough Castle https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/antonine-wall-rough-castle/history/
Hadrian’s Wall Documentary – Hadrian’s Wall Walk – Hadrian’s Wall History – Hadrian’s Wall Drone – England – Roman Empire
#history #hadrianswall #romanempire
source
Have you visited Hadrian's Wall before? If so, what section? Please let me know your thoughts below…
Interesting, its important to note that *Scotland was invaded and subdued many times and the wall was used as a staging area. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o90We_hfLGU
Would of been wild times back then. Glad i was born when i was. Pass the whiskey
Our ancestors from the island must have been fierce. The ancient enemies built not one but two separate walls to keep them out.
Sycamore Gap. Remember learning about Roman soldiers at school but so much slant on what was told. The time frame of the build and the amount of labour it must have taken them is bonkers. It is so wild out there can't imagine what a Roman soldier far away from family must have thought living and working out there. Bleak is an understatement.
Thank you so much for all your research and presentation. The Roman Empire and collapse of it always intrigued me as a child. Those traps were something else!. Blessings and thanks to the tribes of the Caledonians, Maeatae and the Damnonii. i will check out your Maeatae video and relisten to this presentation.
Finding out about some of my ancestral line and what they endured and defended is like a missing link for me. Yourself and Bruce Fummey research and presentation I really resonate with. Thank you so much.
Very informative Steven Coch 😊
Barbarians Lol the Scottish were just bloody brilliantly fierce fighters! If the Romans hadn’t of invaded, I’m sure this isle would be fully speaking Brittonic, and Gaelic. I don’t like the Scotland History Tours guy…he’s very rude to people.
👍
Walked the length of Hadrian's Wall in my youth. Before there were any museums on it. Only archaeologist's digs. It was an impressive 5days
but did they install a purple burglar alarm
England needs to rebuild the wall as part of its independence.
Never been to Hadrians wall, but been to the remnants of Antonines wall, found it interesting that it was manned by Roman soldiers from Syria, when my sister was helping out some Syrian refugees in Glasgow and I told her to mention to them that there was Syrians here before the Scotti-ish ! 😊
I enjoy your videos but please slow down a little. Take a breath between sentences and don't cut the footage too quickly. I used to do the same with my videos and people have constructively given me helpful feedback. 🙂
Im amazed in that part of the world you can get away with wearing only a T shirt
Love to visit this historic Roman wall in the future thanks for making them video's
Mate a think your yer vids are really well done not quite hummie but keep it up because some of your jokes are bretter
Great video! People should read John Reid's Eagle and the Bear, which was published this year. It may be the best book to date on Rome's wars with the indigenous tribes of northern Britain. Those living north of Hardian's Wall were very tough and fierce fighters, and even the few Roman sources that remain describe them as such.