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The Wall
Page 211:-
Pages 211-230 are The Wall
THE VALLUM, OR PICTS WALL.
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Fortifications on the boundaries
of the provinces
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The Wall, CAMDEN
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The Picts Wall
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THE upper edge of Cumberland is crossed by the famous wall,
the boundary of the Roman province, called by the antient
writers the Vallum Barbaricum, the
Praetentura, and Clusura *, by Dio[a],
Δια[ ]ειχισμα,
by Herodian [b] χωμα, by
Antoninus [c], Cassiodorus [d], and others, Vallum,
by Bede [e] Murus, by the Britans Gual Sever, Gal
Sever, and Mur Sever, by the Scots
Scottinwaith, by the English and the neighbourhood
the Picts Wall, or Pehits Wall, the Keepe
Wall, and, by way of eminence, The Wall.
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Limits or bounds of the
empire
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boundary, Roman Empire
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When by their valour under Providence the ambition of the
Romans crowned with a train of unexpected successes had so
extended their empire on every side that they began almost
to be jealous of their own greatness, the emperors thought
it adviseable to set some bounds to it, considering it as a
piece of good policy, "to set some bounds to their
greatness, as the Heavens have their proper extent and the
sea its limits [f]." These bounds were, according to
circumstances of places, either natural as the sea, large
rivers, mountains, desarts; or artificial, as lines, viz.
ditches, castles, towers, barricadoes of trees, ramparts of
earth and walls, along which garrisons were stationed
against the barbarians. Hence in the Novellae of Theodosius
[g] we read, "Our ancestors contrived the wall on the border
to defend against the inroads of the barbarians all the
territory comprehended under the Roman allegiance." On these
borders soldiers called borderers were quartered in border
castles and towns in time of peace: but when there was
reason to fear an invasion of the neighbourhood, part of
them were staioned in the lands in the country of the
barbarians to defend the lands, and part made inroads into
the enemy's frontier to watch their motions, and attack them
when opportunity offered †.
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Praetentura 1.
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roman wall no.1
Agricola's Wall
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The Romans in this island seeing the remote parts of
Britain, where the soil and air were less favourable, were
inhabited by the barbarious Caledonian Britans, the
reduction of whom would cost much trouble, and be attended
with little advantage, established at various times various
Praetenturae to bound and defend the province. The first
seems to have been fixed by Julius Agricola when he
garrisoned the narrow tract of ground between ‡
Bodotria and Glotta, which was presently after
fortified.
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Praetentura 2.
Rota Temporum
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roman wall no.2
Hadrian's Wall
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Hadrian, to whom the God Terminus gave way when he, either
through envy of Trajan's glory, who had extended the empire
to the utmost, or through fear, retired above 80 miles in
this island, formed the second Praetentura. He, says
Spartianus [h], drew a wall for 80 miles to separate the
"Romans and Barbarians." From the following words of this
author we may collect that this wall was built "of great
piles driven deep into the ground, and bound together like a
mural § fence [i]." this the wall now under
consideration, which runs 80 miles, having on it PONS AELIA,
CLASSIS AELIA, COHORS AELIA, ALA SABINIANA, so called after
AElius Adrianus and Sabina his wife. The Scotish historian
also, who wrote the Rota Temporum, says "Hadrian was
the first who drew a rampart of prodgious bulk of sods pared
off the ground as high as a mountain, with a very deep ditch
in front from the mouth of Tine to the river Esc, from the
German ocean to the Irish sea." Hector Boethius [k]
expresses it in the same words.
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Praetentura 3.
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roman wall no.3
Antonine Wall
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Lollius Urbicus, lieutenant of Britain, under Antoninus
Pius, by his success in war advanced the frontier again to
that first Praetentura established by Agricola, and there
raised a third Praetentura on the wall. He, says,
Capitolinus [l], "defeated the Britans, and drew another
wall of earth to keep off the barbarians," that is different
from that of Hadrian. The glory of ending this war in
Britain Fronto, as the Panegyrist relates [m], "ascribed to
the emperor Antoninus, and though that prince sitting in his
palace at Rome committed the conduct of it to him, he gave
to him, as to one at the helm of a vessel of war, all the
glory of the expedition and voyage." But I shall shew
hereafter that this wall of Antoninus Pius and his
lieutenant Lollius Urbicus was in Scotland.
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Praetentura 4.
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roman wall no.4
Severus's Wall
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When the Caledonian Britans in the reign of Commodus had
broken through this, Severus, slighting that immense country
beyond it, drew a fortification across the island from Eden
mouth, or Solway frith, to Tine mouth, in the same place, if
I mistake not, where Hadrian made his wall of piles, and
with me agrees Hector Boetius [n]. "Severus, says he,
commanded Hadrian's wall to be repaired, stone battlements
[o] to be added, and towers at such intervals that the sound
of a trumpet might be heard from one to the other, even
though the wind was contrary;" and in another place [p],
"Our chronicles relate that the wall began by Adrian was
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211.*
The frontiers of provinces were called Clusurae from
excluding the enemy, and Praetenturae because
praetended or drawn before the enemy. See Pichaeus in
Adversar. I. c.14.
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211.†
Hence stationes agrariae in Vegetius.
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211.‡
Edenborrow Frith and Dunbritten frith.
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211.z
Some for muralis read militaris. What is said
of the stakes is to be understood with limitation, there
being no traces of wood in this work. Horsley, 117.
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[a]
LXXVI. c.12. p.866,
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[b]
III. c.48.
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[c]
Itin. p.464. 466. Edit. Wesseling.
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[d]
Chronicon.
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[e]
H.E. I. 12.
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[f]
[blank]
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[g]
Tit. 43.
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[h]
Hadrian, c.11. p.51.
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[i]
Ib. c.12. p.57.
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[k]
V. fol. lxxviii.
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[l]
v. Art. Pii c.6. p.132.
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[m]
Eumenius Paneg. Constantio c.14.
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[n]
B. VI. fol. lxxxviii.
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[o]
propugnacula.
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[p]
B. VI. fol. lxxix.
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"completed
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gazetteer links
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-- "Wall, The" -- Hadrian's Wall
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