Posted on 06/01/2022 11:26:24 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Archaeologists have discovered 134 ancient settlements north of Hadrian’s Wall from around the period of the Roman occupation.
Hadrian’s Wall (Vallum Aulium) was a defensive Roman fortification that ran 73 miles (116km) from Mais (Solway Firth) to the banks of the River Tyne at Segedunum (Wallsend).
Following Hadrian’s accession to the throne in AD 117, he constructed a wall like no other in the Roman world, a wall that was a physical expression of Rome’s power to solidify the Roman policy of defence and indicate the most northern frontier of the Empire.
Whether this would have deterred a threat from the northern tribes invading from Caledonia is unknown, with some scholars suggesting that the wall served to provide a means of immigration control and customs for taxation.
In AD 142, Emperor Antoninus Pius extended the frontier further north and constructed the Antonine Wall (Vallum Antonini). This wall ran 39 miles (62.7 km) and annexed lands formerly ruled by the Damnonii, Otadini, Novantae, and the Selgovae tribes.
Previous studies have mainly focused on the Roman archaeology, i.e. forts, road network, encampments and Roman settlements extending north into parts of Caledonia (Scotland) between the two walls...
The team discovered 134 previously unknown Iron Age settlements mainly consisting of ancient farmsteads inhabited by the indigenous tribal population of Caledonia. The Lidar data paints a fuller picture of the ancient landscape, revealing often dense distributions of sites dispersed across the region with a regularity that speaks of a highly organised settlement pattern.
The archaeologists are also surveying notable discoveries in greater detail using geophysics and applying radiocarbon dating to gain a more complete picture of the settlements.
(Excerpt) Read more at heritagedaily.com ...
Over 100 ancient settlements discovered north of Hadrian’s Wall
They were HOA’s. The Romans wiped them out when they refused to pay fees.
Sounds fun!
The Picts got their asses handed to them by the Romans. The reason Roman conquest of Caledonia never got done was, there was nothing of value up there. Hadrian's wall was construted on a natural ridge or more than one, and served as a way to control and tax commerce. As in other places, settled life thrived in areas adjacent to areas under full Roman control.
The Picts also got their asses handed to them by the Scots when they finally got around to leaving Ireland.
Not much later, the Vikings wiped out the Picts (or perhaps absorbed some of the survivors) in what is now the Scottish isles. The language (related to Welsh and Cornish) and some form of their culture tottered on until perhaps the 11th century.
Study sheds light on life beyond Rome’s frontier
https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2022/study-sheds-light-on-life-beyond-rome-s-frontier
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-22019088
Hadrian’s Wall: Aerial revelations could rewrite past
he Flying Archaeologist - Hadrian’s Wall is broadcast on Friday, 19 April at 19:30 BST on BBC One North East & Cumbria. The series is broadcast nationwide from Wednesday, 1 May at 20:30 BST on BBC Four.
Published 19 April 2013
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