Why I Am Hadrian's Wall

I was the limit of the world. I was the edge of civilization. When the Romans built me, they created a border that would define future civilizations. I am Hadrian’s Wall, and I was the border of the Roman Empire. As Hadrian's Wall, I have had a tragic life, one with a confused construction, many purposes, an existence of despair, and many people of great importance.

At the beginning of my life, my construction was hurried and often created confusion. My creation was ordered in 122 AD by the Roman emperor Hadrian (Rome: Echoes of Imperial Glory). However, despite the task at hand, I was finished by 128 AD (Martin 7). This was an incredible rate of construction for the equipment at that time. Nevertheless, it is no surprise I was completed this

Still, many of their theories are true. The main reason for my construction was to act as a border. As stated by a website about me, I was built to… “protect Roman England from the tribes who lived in Scotland” (Hadrian’s Wall Country). This shows the Romans believed that the northern tribes were violent. However, I was not just built to protect the Roman Empire, I was built to control people moving in and out of the empire (Hadrian’s Wall). I allowed the Romans to have control over Britain. However, I was also built as a monument. First, I was built as a monument to the Roman Empire. As stated by Colin Martin, I “…carried a strong psychological message, presented as an explicit and authoritarian statement of political and military power” (Martin 5). The Romans were trying to state that they were stronger than the northern tribes. I also proved that the Romans had no shortage of power, and that they could easily use that power if necessary. I also was built as a monument to the emperor at the time: Hadrian. I was built to illustrate the power of his border policy (Rome: Echoes of Imperial Glory). I clearly defined the empires limits. Hadrian had realized that the empire could not continue to expand and survive (Hadrian’s Wall). While it may still be debated, all of these theories are true to my

At the beginning of my life, after I was constructed, I proved to be very useful to the Romans. At first, I acted as the boundary and protection of the Roman Empire. I was also used to intimidate the northern tribes and persuade them to not attack (Martin 5). During my life, I faced many attacks. One time, during a long Roman civil war, the northern tribes passed over and through me to get into the Roman territory (Martin 7). The Roman leader at the time decided to bribe the tribes to leave rather than battle them (Martin 9). Another time, in an event called the Barbarian Conspiracy, the tribes gathered with sea raiders and took back much of the island. While I may have proved a difficult obstacle, I was still overcome at some times. While I may have been overrun, the Romans still saw me useful after these events. However, my usefulness did not last forever. Ten years after I was completed, my creator, Hadrian, died in 138 AD (Martin 7). Hadrian’s son, Antoninus Pius ordered the Roman army to abandon me only a year after he took his father’s place (Martin 7). For over 15 years, I was left abandoned while the Roman Army was building Antonine Wall further north in Britain (Hadrian’s Wall). This would not be the only time I would be abandoned. In 410 AD, Rome abandoned Britain and at the same time, me (Hadrian’s Wall). Soon after, the area fell into a time period where the era of Rome in Britain was