Great Britain is an ancient country. During its existence, this state has experienced many wars. In ancient times, when there were no modern weapons, for which there were no obstacles, very often walls, ramparts, ditches were erected as defensive fortifications. One of these structures is Hadrian's Wall, which was supposed to prevent the advance of enemies.
What kind of shaft is this
The shaft is called the stone and earthen wall of Hadrian, which is a very powerful, at that time, defensive fortification. The Romans built it many centuries ago. In fact, a long time ago there were two shafts, but the second one is not popular, including because it is poorly preserved. It is called the Antonine Wall and is located a little to the north. The height of the structure directly depended on the material used for construction and the place of construction itself, and the length was initially no less than 120 kilometers. One end of the shaft was built fromstones, the other - from the earth. The first had a height of 5-6 meters and a width of three meters, the second - three and six meters, respectively. For some reason, some people think that it borders on Scotland and England, but this is not so. If you look at Hadrian's Wall on the map, you can clearly see that it does not reach Scotland for about one kilometer, that is, it is located entirely on English territory.
A bit of history on the construction of Hadrian's Wall
The fortification has such a name for the reason that its construction was started by order of Emperor Hadrian, who at that time ruled Rome and was planning a trip to Britain. The exact date is not known, but it is thought to have been 122 AD. The reason for this construction is also unknown. Most likely, they simply wanted to create a symbol of the powerful, invincible Roman Empire. After all, the state did not need a defensive structure at all, since no one posed a threat to it. Economically, the strengthening did not justify itself, and the rampart would not have been able to hold back the onslaught of the enemy. It was much easier to add lands to the empire, which would have been much cheaper. It is still not clear why they built 17 real forts and built two full-fledged ramparts, where more than 10 thousand people served.
The further fate of the shaft
With the departure of the Romans from these places, the structure collapsed. In the 18th century, a road was built here and most of the wall was simply demolished, as it interfered with the construction. John Clayton was the first to point outthe remaining Hadrian's Wall and in the 19th century bought some of the land under it. Seeing this, the locals stopped tearing apart the remaining stones and pulling them apart. After some time, these lands became the property of the National Trust, which was engaged in a noble cause - the preservation of historical and natural heritage. And in 2003, here, along the former fortification, a trail was opened for hikers.
Hadrian's Wall strengthening device
As we know, strong and massive walls often served as the most powerful protection not only for cities, but also for countries from enemy attacks. We also know well about the Great Wall of China, which is the most famous example of such fortifications. So, the British building is a mini-analogue of it. It consisted mainly of stone and peat, stretched east from the western part of the island, while resting against the Solway River on one side, and the Tyne River on the other. Observation towers were installed along the entire length, quite high. The structure was finished with bricks on the outside, and turf on the inside. Also, for the purpose of additional protection, deep ditches were dug in front and behind the shaft. For about 250 years, Adrianov was maintained in good condition, despite the frequent change of owners: he was in the possession of either the Romans or the Picts. Its further fate has already been described above, it remains only to report that some parts of the rampart were preserved only because the locals used them as a quarry.
Light show and theatrical performance at Hadrian's Wall
Such a performancewas played out for the first time at this fortification on March 13 of this year. This show was completely free. For the first time in about 1600 years of its existence, the building of the Roman Empire was equipped from beginning to end with floodlights. Creating this show, the organizers did a good job. Tourists saw a completely different Hadrian's Wall. Great Britain proved once again that it is a great country. First, beautiful angels descended to the shaft (represented by actors from Theater Anu), and after half an hour the first lights began to light up. Gradually, the illuminated path stretched further west and ended on the coast near Cumbria. For good illumination of a sufficiently large distance, experts installed about 500 spotlights specially selected for this purpose. They were installed at a distance of 250 meters from each other. It turned out to be an amazing show. Many of the travelers and tourists were filming Hadrian's Wall at that time. The photos turned out great, but they could not fully reflect the beauty of what was happening. To do this, you had to look at him with your own eyes. Especially on performances of actors and smart fireworks. But nothing, you have such an opportunity - the show will be repeated periodically.
