In this blog, we’re exploring the Temple of Mithras at Brocolitia, located on the historic Hadrian’s Wall. Mithras is a deity whose cult, originating from Persia, was embraced and Romanised by the soldiers of the Roman Empire. This transformation led to the widespread establishment of Mithraic temples across the empire, from the Middle East to...Read More
In today’s blog we’re investigating the bustling life of the vicus, the civilian settlements that thrived outside the Roman forts across the Empire. Housesteads Roman Fort on Hadrian’s Wall was no different, enjoying a vibrant community fuelled by the economic activities of Roman soldiers. Soldiers and civilians The Roman army paid its soldiers in such...Read More
In this blog, we’re looking at the West Gate of Housesteads Roman Fort and finding out about the fascinating history of the forts along Hadrian’s Wall. Interestingly, when Hadrian’s Wall was initially constructed, it was designed without forts integrated into its structure. However, a pivotal decision by Emperor Hadrian led to the inclusion of these...Read More
In this blog, I’m in a place called Benwell in the West End of Newcastle. In Roman times, this area was known as Conicum. Here there is a Vallum which is a military ditch behind Hadrian’s Wall. It lies to the south of the Wall and some historians suggested this was originally designed as the...Read More
For this blog I’m at Mile Castle 39 on Hadrian’s Wall. The wall was originally built and designed to have Mile Castles along its length to defend itself from attack. They were supposed to be small garrisons, housing troops to project the Roman power either to the north or south of the Wall. Milecastle 39...Read More
For this blog, I visited Black Carts Turret on Hadrian’s Wall. When Hadrian’s Wall was originally constructed it didn’t have forts built into it. Instead, it was designed to have a series of Mile Castles and turrets to provide the defences for the Roman Empire. As the name suggests, those Mile Castles are positioned every...Read More
This blog explores what one of the most famous walls in the UK might have looked like when it was first built. In order to explore this subject, I visited Hadrian’s Wall not far from Black Carts Turret. We’re going to look at the construction of the wall, and its elements and tell a few...Read More
Believe it or not, there is a place on Hadrian’s Wall where the Romans gave up. It’s a place called Limestone Corner. Limestone Corner looking to the West. The Romans are a famous civilisation, not only for their ability to build Hadrian’s Wall, but for their determination. When they came up against enemies or challenges,...Read More
Hadrian’s Wall is situated in the North East of England in Northumberland National Park. This blog is the beginning of a new series of blogs all about the Wall. The blogs are written in the same style as I would plan a guided tour to explore the knowledge and stories I love about the area...Read More
In this blog, we go back to the 15th century to take a look at the final time when Bamburgh Castle sat at the centre of a Kingdom before being reduced to rubble. More specifically, we go back to 1464 when Bamburgh was besieged by Yorkist forces. The King at the time was King Henry...Read More
