They once ruled over an empire of unimaginable proportions, stretching from North Africa across the steppes of Eastern Europe to Gaul and Germania. But when they settled on the islands of the North Atlantic, it was the beginning of the end of their dominance in Europe…
Intro and travel report
We live (with primary residence) in Baden-Baden, a former Roman city in Germania – now Germany. They brought wine to the Rhine and made the city one of the most important spa towns in Europe on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
But the Romans were not only in Germania, but also in England… I found it all the more interesting to drive along and ‘experience’ the former northern border of the Roman Empire. More precisely, Hadrian’s Wall in the north of England.
At that time, the weather there was still too uncomfortable to do any significant viticulture, but the Romans brought their bathing culture with them to Britain. They also brought their extraordinary organisation and administration. Roman settlers, settlements and towns found their way further and further north.
None of this would have been possible without the Roman army, which had no equal in the ancient world. Long before the McDonalds fast food chain, the Romans had achieved the value of standardisation – their armies in all parts of Europe were very similarly trained and similarly equipped. The same burger and the same sword everywhere in Europe – so to speak.
No tribe and no army had been able to resist them in the long term. Germanic tribes and Gauls had already cut their teeth on them (apart from Asterix and Obelix).
But then the unexpected happened: they could go no further in Britain. The whole conquest had gone rather badly, the weather was too bad and in the mountains of the north, apart from a few cattle and sheep, there was mainly snow in winter and lots of rebellious native tribes.
The decline of the Roman Empire had already begun and Rome had other things to worry about than dealing with unruly hillbillies on a cold and wet island.
So Rome did what it had already done in other places: it ended its advance and fortified the borders of its empire, in this case the north-west frontier.
Does that sound familiar to us in Germany? Yes exactly, the Limes was also such an imperial border through Germania and Hadrian’s Wall in the north of England was also to become one.
Incidentally, it was named after Emperor Hadrian, who travelled extensively throughout his empire and fortified its borders. Hadrian’s Wall was built between the years 122 and 128 AD and stretches 73 miles from the west coast to the east coast of England.
It crosses some of the most beautiful and wildest landscapes on the island – literally. The long wall winds its way across the hills of northern England like a smaller version of the Great Wall of China.
There is a National Walk along Hadrian’s Wall, a long-distance hiking trail that largely follows the course of the Roman wall (see: https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/trails/hadrians-wall-path/trail-information/).
During our visit, I saw numerous walkers with large rucksacks passing the Roman fort to explore the beautiful Northumberland countryside on foot.
What kind of Roman fort? That’s right, we’re getting to that now. Hadrian’s Wall is the largest Roman structure still to be found in Britain. But there are many more. Some of them are located on Hadrian’s Wall or very close to it.
One of the largest Roman sites you can visit is Housestead or Vercovicium, a Roman fort of which there were several along Hadrian’s Wall at the time. The foundation walls are still quite well preserved and it lies directly on the wall and is part of it.
The Housestead Visitor Centre provides information about the visit, then you walk up the hill for about 10 minutes and there is a small museum and the fort itself, which you can visit on your own or with a guided tour. See: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/housesteads-roman-fort-hadrians-wall/plan-your-visit/.
Right next to the fort is a farmhouse, on the grounds of which everything is located. You walk between sheep through the Roman site. I highly recommend sturdy shoes. High-heeled shoes would definitely be unsuitable for the visit, but normal trainers or sneakers will do just fine.
I visited the small museum and found it nice and informative. I really liked the animated information film explaining the fort and its history – well done, really.
I then walked through the fort on my own and along Hadrian’s Wall in both directions to take some photos. There are always good explanatory signs. But if you’ve seen the film, you’re already well informed.
The structure of the fort is – typically Roman – strictly symmetrical and standardised. This was necessary because troops were constantly moved from fort to fort or exchanged. The troops were the same size and all the forts were the same – so everything always fitted.
The hospital in the centre of the fort where wounded or sick soldiers were cared for was particularly progressive – exemplary!
Around 800 to 1000 soldiers lived here at the time, some with their families. As the borders of the Roman Empire continued to expand, it was no longer possible to man all troops exclusively with Romans, as the Romans could not possibly have so many new recruits.
The forts were therefore often manned by mixed troops, some of whom were Romans and some of whom were recruited from other subjugated countries of the Roman Empire. The further away from home, the more ‘auxiliary troops’ were needed and deployed.
Housesteads originally had about 50% Romans and 50% soldiers from the continent, mainly from the Ukraine and Belgium (if I remember correctly). Towards the end of the Roman Empire, more and more Romans were transferred to other centres and the garrison in Vercovicium eventually consisted mainly of soldiers from the continent.
In around 400 AD, the Romans abandoned the Vercovicium Housesteads and other sites in the Roman Empire and gave up their presence in Britain. Hadrian’s Wall was open and no longer the north-west frontier of the Roman Empire.
Conclusion
We included a drive through the north of England and a visit to Housesteads on Hadrian’s Wall in our three-week round trip through Scotland. We really enjoyed the drives through the beautiful landscapes of Northumberland, as we really like the north of England in general!
If you’re travelling in the north of England, be sure to stop by Hadrian’s Wall and visit at least one of the Roman sites there. The Vercovicium Housesteads is very interesting and beautiful to see and I’m sure you’ll love it too.
More interesting articles for you
Coming soon…
Cover picture: Information board in the Vercovicium Housesteads (Photo: Ulrich Knüppel-Gertberg)
