‘It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.’ Arthur Conan Doyle’s attribution of this to Sherlock Holmes is as important to an archaeologist as to a detective, and this volume certainly proves the point. The core of the book is an account of the excavation of a length of 75m of Hadrian’s Wall to the west of the Roman fort at Wallsend together with the associated specialist reports. The account is supplemented by discussion of earlier records and other recent excavations in the area as well as a report on the reconstruction of a section of the Wall. This is the most detailed published account to date of any stretch of Hadrian’s Wall and sets the standard for all future reports.
Hadrian’s Wall was originally planned to be about 10 Roman feet (2.96m) wide. During its construction, however, it was reduced in thickness by at least 2ft (60cm). Where the Wall has been examined throughout its 5km from Newcastle to Wallsend, it is always this narrower width. This led to the statement in 1930 that this eastern end was a later addition to the frontier, perhaps better expressed as being built late in the programme. The drawing together of all the modern excavations in this stretch has led to the dramatic discovery that whereas the foundations of the Wall everywhere else were only one layer deep, here two were laid. This not only emphasises the unique nature of this stretch, but also suggests that it was indeed constructed late in the building programme. A further detail is that the foundations and lowest course of the Wall appear to have been built in lengths of 30 Roman feet.
A strength of Bidwell’s reports is his re-examination of earlier relevant excavations. Here, it is his observations on the records relating to F G Simpson’s 1929 investigation of the relationship between the Wall and the west gate of the fort. Bidwell’s conclusion is that the gate was erected with a wing wall laid on a single course of foundations, and therefore in advance of the Wall itself. It is through such observations, ancient as well as modern, that we can understand the building process better and through that obtain an appreciation not just of the way that the Wall was constructed but the sequence of building, which in turn help us to understand the priorities of the builders and the significance of the changes in plan.
The section of the Wall west of Wallsend was erected over a valley, which led to the repeated collapse and rebuilding of the superstructure, an indication of the determination of the Roman army to maintain the Wall as a barrier. This was underlined by the discovery of two phases of pits on the berm, presumably to hold obstacles such as sharpened branches. By way of contrast, the discovery and excavation of an aqueduct, an extremely rare survival in the western provinces, bringing water to the fort’s bath-house from north of the ditch and the examination of fields dating to the third century, also to the north of the Wall, are reminders that the linear barrier was not a great divide.
The erection of a replica stretch of the Wall in 1993/4 was preceded by a rigorous examination of the available evidence, detailed in the report. The discussion includes consideration of the evidence for the top of the Wall. A decision could not be fudged, and it was decided to provide the replica with a wall-walk, which at least has the advantage of providing visitors with a viewing platform. This was provided with a forward parapet. Modern health and safety considerations have resulted in the placing of a metal railing on the south side of the wall-walk; Roman soldiers would doubtless have welcomed such an addition, considering that any patrolling would have taken place at least 3.6m above the ground.
This is not just an excavation report, important as that is, but a wider consideration of the significance of the results and their relevance to other parts of Hadrian’s Wall. It should be on the bookshelves of everyone interested in Roman frontiers.
