its only 3ft high, couldnt they just jump over it!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
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Position:Home>History> How was Hadrians wall suppose to keep the Barbarians out?Question: How was Hadrians wall suppose to keep the Barbarians out!? its only 3ft high, couldnt they just jump over it!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: The wall had several purposes: A solid boundary, to regulate comings and goings including trade, as another responder said!. A clear political statement that Roman territory stopped there!. On one side was Rome: the other side, they had no ambition (for the moment) to intervene in!. A forward line with a regular garrison, from which reconnaissance patrols could be organised in the area immediately to the north!. A first line of defence!. If you look at a map of Roman forts in the area, it is clear that in case of an attack, the Wall garrison would hold out as best it could, but that the main counterattack would come from a mobile reserve of both cavalry and infantry stationed in forts some miles to the south!. There was a string of these, placed so that wherever the defence was breached, troops from several locations could converge on the spot!. It is obvious that no thin defensive screen is likely to succeed by itself, since the attack can concentrate more troops at the vital point than the defence will have - and to draw troops along the wall to strengthen the defence leaves it vulnerable elsewhere!. A highly mobile second line is the answer!.Www@QuestionHome@Com It was not designed as an invulnerable defensive wall, sort of Maginot line of the time!. It served several purposes!. To mark a limes (border) between the Empire and the barbarians, to have a limited defensive capability, able to repel sustained attacks just until reinforces could be deployed, and for trading purposes between local roman/britannic people on one side, and the barbarians on the other!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Hadrian had an army with bugger all to do, so to fill in their tour of duty he got them to build a wall and when they had finished building it Hadrian being a clever commander got the same soldiers to walk up and down it!. At the time the baddies on the North side of the wall were Border Reivers living in the kingdom of Northumbria!. Bamburgh castle is one possible location of Camelot, (not the lottery)!. Due to Northumbria not having much worth nicking and the Italians preference to paella over kippers, both sides tried to keep out of the others way and there never was much action on Hadrian's wall other than stopping the local sheep farmers from stealing it!. Led to believe that was a touchy point with some legionaries who had put in long shift stacking stones :0)Www@QuestionHome@Com It is more than three feet high and in its hey-day was much higher!. It formed the rallying base for the Roman troops!. You cannot have seen it or you would have known that it commands the countryside to the north!. The enemy were the Celts, not the Barbarians, and any attack could be held until the Roman reinforcements arrived!. Still, I suppose you had to have your joke!.Www@QuestionHome@Com much of it is down torn down or fallen down, think how long its been standing!. And from my history i believe it was the symbolism as well as the sheer scale of it that was to keep the hordes out or in, dependent on your view!. It is true that many people tore down the stones to build their own buildings, particularly churches after the Romans left!. So that is one of the reasons!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Most of Hadrian's Wall was nicked for other buildings!. I suspect it was originally much higher!. You might at a pinch call the Scots Picts, but the Barbarians never came near the British Isles!. It is now thought that the wall was built to keep the troops busy when there was no fighting to be done!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Haha Ive often thought that myself but when it was built in 122 AD it was a minimum of 10-foot high in the shortest places and up to 20 foot high, this doesn't include the trenches that were also built !. Its been deconstructed for the materials in the following 1900 years!. Hope that helpsWww@QuestionHome@Com lol, bet humpty wished he on that wall instead of the higher one, we have an ad here in aus about bidpond and the great wall of china, the father didnt know why it was built, so he told his son it was to keep the rabbits out, maybe thats why, or were they really small people lol! :)Www@QuestionHome@Com Probably higher than 3 feet then!. Today, it might be to keep the aliens out Scotland!. The wall was at that time the boundary of The Roman Empire!. Hadrian was making a statement and saying, let's try to hang on to what we've got!.Www@QuestionHome@Com People were shorter, but my understanding is the same as others that the wall was higher and the land has risen up to it over the centuries, as well as stones being taken by locals for their own buildings and walls!.Www@QuestionHome@Com It was 13-15 feet high, according to this BBC site: http://www!.bbc!.co!.uk/history/ancient/rom!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Hey Hadrian's wall was much taller when it was built, but after the Romans left Britain people started taking the high quality stone to build there own buildings!.Www@QuestionHome@Com It wasnt to keep the barbarians out, it was to regulate trade between the Romans and the 'Barbarians'!.Www@QuestionHome@Com The Romans built it too show barbarians who was more intelligent ,show of force and for trade!.Www@QuestionHome@Com If you really want to know what there is to know:http://www!.aboutscotland!.com/hadrian/wal!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com lol it was higher than 3ft when it was built, it was like 15 ft and people were smaller back then so couldn't jump over it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com lets face it,most scotsman of that time were vertically challenged,not much different now,Www@QuestionHome@Com They were a lot shorter in those days!.Www@QuestionHome@Com the romans were quite small people,to them 3ft was pretty highWww@QuestionHome@Com It never was for that purpose, thats just a mythWww@QuestionHome@Com Well it was taller then but it didn't work!. there seems to be more Scots in England than in Scotland! LOLWww@QuestionHome@Com http://www!.hadrians-wall!.org/ have a lookWww@QuestionHome@Com |