Scotland England and the Wall: Castlerigg

Monday, June 15, 2009

Castlerigg

This morning we walked up to the stone circle near Keswick, up the hill forty minutes. We started off mid morning and made it back for lunch, so that is pretty near.

The circle is one of many in the Lake District. No one really knows who exactly made the circle or why but they date back to any where between 2500 to 1600 B.C. so, they are pretty old. We hope to be able to figure out how to see some of the others but it is a challenge. None are that close to each other and none really easily easy to get to.

It is quite an experience to visit. Castlerigg is on a high meadow surrounded by mountains on every side, It is a very special spot. You can imagine groups of fairly primitive peoples gathering on special occasions to celebrate here.

Shelley and wanted to see the circle without the crowds so we got up early and walked up to Castlerigg this morning early. We were there before 7:00. Four photographers beat us to it.

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Hadrian's Wall Background

Hadrian's Wall was built following a visit by Roman Emperor Hadrian in 122 AD. He was quite concerned about raiders from the north. The Roman's were experiencing military difficulties in Britain and he was eager to impose order. He also most likely saw the building of such an impressive wall as a symbol of Roman power in occupied Britain. It was constructed to keep Roman Britain safe from hostile attacks from the Picts. It took somewhere between four to six years to complete.

It was the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire at that time. The wall stretches from Newcastle, Wallsend-on-Tyne in the east to Bowness on the Solway Firth in the west.

The wall was 73 miles or 117 kilometres long, about 8 to10 feet wide, and 15 feet high. In addition to the wall, the Romans built a system of small forts called milecastles which housed by 60 men every Roman mile along its entire length, with smaller towers every 1/3 mile. Sixteen larger forts holding from 500 to 1000 troops were built into the wall, with large gates on the north face. To the south of the wall the Romans dug a wide ditch called a vallum with six foot high earth banks.

The width and height of Hadrian's Wall was dependent on whatever construction materials which were available nearby. East of River Irthing the wall was made from squared stone and measured 3 metres (9.7 ft) wide and five to six metres (16–20 ft) high, while west of the river the wall was made from turf and measured 6 metres (20 ft) wide and 3.5 metres (11.5 ft) high. This does not include the wall's ditches, berms and forts. The central section measured eight Roman feet wide (7.8 ft or 2.4 m) on a 10-foot (3.0 m) base. Some parts of this section of the wall survive to a height of 7 or 8 feet