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Monday 11 February 2008

Scottish Roman Wall


Hadrian’s Wall is the largest single Roman monument in the world and the most impressive Roman legacy north of the Alps. The Wall tells the story of Hadrian’s Wall, its makers, its effect and its impact on northern Britain. An extravagant folie de grandeur? An effective military barrier? A string of customs posts? Encompassing all of these things and much more, the Wall is a staggering phenomenon. With more than 24 million stones, its mass is greater than all of the Egyptian pyramids, and its scale is almost beyond grasp. 30,000 soldiers and craftsmen worked for 10 years to complete it, and when the great sea-wall down the Cumbrian coast was completed, it stretched for around 120 miles. Native kings must have shuddered at this amazing barrier. There is evidence that the garrison rendered the surface of the Wall and painted it white. A stunning statement of imperial power, throwing a girdle of stone across the waist of Britain.

The Wall will be the first substantial treatment of the Wall for 30 years. Incorporating much new research and taking the story right up to the present day, Alistair Moffat’s new book will present this remarkable and intriguing tale to the increasing numbers of visitors who walk the length of the Wall and marvel at Hadrian’s power, the technical audacity of the imperial army and the ability of native kings to inspire such a massive defence.

Alistair Moffat was born and raised in Kelso. He took degrees at the universities of St Andrews, Edinburgh and London and played rugby for Kelso and his universities. In 1976 he took charge of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as it grew into the largest arts festival in the world. He now lives in Selkirk. The Wall: Rome's Greatest Frontier.

Tour Hadrian’s Wall, Scotland, on an Ancestry Tour of Scotland. Best Scottish Tours, Best Scottish Food, Best Scottish Hotels, Small Group Tours of Scotland. Rent a Cottage in Scotland. Golf Scotland. Tour Roman Scotland.

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