Did
You Know?
The
Wall is 117 kilometres (73 miles) long
There
are 16 forts, 80 milecastles and 158 turrets (2 between each
milecastle)
The
Wall and the forts took 16 years to complete
|
 |
| The
legionaries and auxillaries of the II Legion, VI Legion
and XX Legion
constructed Hadrian's Wall. Meet
some of the soldiers from the II Legion
Augusta who helped build Hadrian’s Wall in the Second
Century AD. They were stationed at Housesteads Fort. |
| Click
on each soldier for a printable colouring-in sheet. |
 The
Centurion
Quintus the Centurion is in charge of a group of 80
men called a centuria (century). He wears a leather tunic,
chain mail, greaves on his legs, a helmet and a cloak. Like
all soldiers he wears caligae (boots) with nails in the soles
to make them stronger for marching. He is expected to march
24 Roman miles a day (36 kilometres). On his chain mail he
has medals from all the battles he has fought. |
 The
Legionary
Only Roman citizens could become legionaries. Like all legionaries, Aurelius
is very fit and heavily armed. He wears plate armour, tunic, belt, sandals
and helmet and fights with a short sword called a gladius, a dagger and
a javelin. Aurelius is an engineer as well as a soldier and helped plan
the fort at Housesteads. He is used to walking a long way carrying heavy
packs as well as tools for building. |
 The
Standard Bearer
Tiberius is a Signifer and an officer in the II Legion
Augusta. Each centuria has a Signifer to carry its signa (standard) and
lead it when the army is on the march. Tiberias carries a standard with
an image of the sun-god. In battle he is expected to protect the standard
even if it costs him his life. He wears a helmet with a feathered plume
and a shirt of chain mail over his tunic. An Aquilifer carries the standard
for the whole legion called an aquila (eagle). This is a very important
job because the legion will be disbanded if the aquila is captured or
destroyed. |
 The
Horn Blower
With so many soldiers in the fort it is important that everyone knows what
they are doing. Herion uses his horn to wake the centuria up in the morning
and to signal the changing of the guard. In battle his horn makes sure
the soldiers in his centuria know what is happening. |
 The
Archer
Victor was born in Syria but his travels with the army have taken him far
from home. Now he lives on this chilly northern-most frontier of the Empire.
He is a skilled marksman, firing his arrows into the enemy lines at the
beginning of any battle. So that he can move easily he wears a lightweight
chain mail shirt to protect his body. When he is on guard duty he keeps
a sharp eye out for signs of trouble. ‘Shoot first, ask questions
later’ is his motto! |
Emperor
Hadrian got so fed up with the Caledonian tribes that in AD 122
he ordered the army to build a great wall across the north of
Britain. When it was finished it stretched from The Solway in
the west to the mouth of the River Tyne in the east