The Roman Vallum at Great Hill
Introduction
The photograph on this page of The Roman Vallum at Great Hill by Andrew Curtis as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
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The Roman Vallum at Great Hill
Image: © Andrew Curtis Taken: 16 Jun 2011
Lichen-encrusted rock deep within a dense plantation of gorse is said to bear the tool marks of the Roman soldiers who cut the wide ditch of the Roman Vallum through this rock adjacent to Hadrian's Wall as it crossed the summit of Great Hill just east of Heddon on the Wall Image The Vallum was built on the south side of Hadrian's Wall sometime after the Wall and its forts had been built. Considerable effort in regions such as this, where it had to be cut through bed rock, was exerted to make it a continuous barrier, forcing easy crossing only at the location of the forts where a causeway was left across the Vallum ditch and sometimes gated. The common theory is that is established a demilitarised zone on the south side of the Wall. This was latter breached and possibly recut but much is still uncertain about this unique Roman earthwork.
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Image Location
Latitude
54.99595
Longitude
-1.784892