Matthew Symonds has been studying Hadrian's Wall, in particular its mile fortlets, for two decades, and in this volume he presents his narrative for the frontier. Symonds focuses not on the detail of the remains and infrastructure of the monument but on its impact across the north of England in the three centuries of its Roman occupation and beyond.
The book's subtitle is its central thesis: the construction of the Wall divided a society, and that very division shaped the design of the Wall as it evolved during construction. Symonds goes on to explore the effect the Wall had on the landscape and population, from its construction to the present day.
The impact the Wall had on the geography of the Tyne Solway isthmus when it was built, cutting, or at least severely constricting, communication routes, is explored. By the time the construction of the Wall was ordered the Roman army had been in occupation for four decades, and should well have understood local sensitivities, be they supply line, communication routes or sacred locations. Symonds demonstrates how the Wall would have cut across them all, but also how the presence of the Roman army may well have inflamed local tensions to a point where the Wall seemed like an optimum solution, at least for an Emperor who desired a clear definition to his physical realm.
The impact of its construction on local communities is also evidenced in excavations of the native settlements of the Northumberland coastal plain, which show a large-scale abandonment once the Wall was constructed. However, this impact changed through time. Symonds goes on to explore the evidence for the changing nature of the Wall, relating it to possible periods of both peace and unrest. The creation of the civitas capital at Carlisle, and possibly at Corbridge, is referenced as an ultimate expression of a period of peace and stability.
This volume also considers the post-Roman life of the Wall, demonstrating its place in the national subconscious. Here Symonds builds on Shannon's exploration of early maps which depict the Wall cutting across northern England, and as an aside evidences the fact that Wallesende (modern Wallsend) is namechecked as early as the late eleventh century. The shift in title from the ‘Picts Wall’ to the ‘Roman Wall’ is set in context with the union between England and Scotland, but as many who work on the Wall today are only too aware, the image of the Wall as the border with Scotland is still nigh on impossible to erase from the English psyche.
The volume has a very contemporary tone. The sub-headings for many of the chapters – such as ‘Wonder Wall’ and ‘All quiet on the north west frontier’ – betray the journalist in the author. There is a reference to Hadrian ‘doubling down’ and discussion of ‘insurgencies’. This style, and comparisons with the (in)ability of modern armies to cope with guerrilla warfare, would lead to the understandable conclusion that this work is an interpretation of the Wall set alongside current societal memes. Symonds acknowledges this himself, pointing out that this is a viewpoint he has held for two decades. He has clearly marshalled the evidence to support his contention that the Wall was built to withstand something between small-scale raiding and full-scale war, that is to say a constant guerrilla war involving small mobile units hard to pin down.
Symonds is a highly regarded expert on Hadrian's Wall, as well as editor of Current World Archaeology, and that dual status is reflected in a text which weaves together various strands of evidence into an accessible and assured narrative. Naturally not every reader will agree with every aspect of his thesis. For instance, Symonds is firmly and, in this reviewer's opinion, convincingly of the view that the Wall was topped by a wall walk – a position not held by every scholar of the frontier. But all will surely agree that this is an important volume that considers the Wall in its setting both geographically and chronologically, in a readable and engaging style.
Sadly, though, Symonds has been failed by his publisher in the important area of illustrations. The monotone illustrations are printed with poor contrast which leaves them looking washed out and detail difficult to discern. This is most significant in the case of fig. 14 which shows fording points in the area of the Wall. This is a significant element in Symonds's text and yet very hard to follow on a map that simply has not been allocated enough space or contrast. This should not detract from the work of Symonds. The narrative stands alone.
In 2022 Hadrian's Wall is, according to most estimates, 1900 years old. As Symonds says, ‘The Wall has transitioned from a largely closed military zone to a mass tourist destination, without ever losing its relevance’.
