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Hadrian's Wall and Housesteads Roman Fort
Bardon Mill, Hexham, Northumberland, UK
March 20th 2006 - 12:54 GMT
© 2006 Steve Pendleton, All Rights Reserved.
The Wall was built around AD 122 when the Roman Empire was at its height and was intended to help subdue tribes in the north of Britain by controlling the movement of people in the region, to deter any raids into Roman territory, and to act as a visible symbol of the power of Rome.
The Fort remains amongst Britain's most impressive Roman ruins. In total there were 16 permanent bases along the Wall, of which Housesteads is one of the best-preserved.
Of course, I would have preferred bright sunshine and a nice blue sky for this panorama but the weather I got when I was there made it a little easier to imagine how bleak and remote it must have felt for a Roman Centurion based there almost 2,000 years ago!