This summer I've been hiking along Hadrian's Wall in North England, from Wallsend (East of Newcastle) to Bowness-on-Solway (that's West of Carlisle). At Wallsend, ancient Segedunum, the Metro station has bilingual signs West of Newcastle the trash boxes are adorned with sestertii of Hadrian At Corbridge the soil has moved a lot since the Romans left In a Mithra Temple along the wall, visitors are still making (modest) offerings. That's not Rome's Trevi Fountain, but the spirit is the same. On a hill top, the course of the wall is interrupted by a huge Roman camp One of the famous milecastles, which monitored circulation through the wall between the Empire and the Barbaricum. Some Roman coins from the camp of Vindolanda, finely restored and on display at the local museum of course that's British Weather... ;-) At Bowness-on-Solway, after a 140 km walk, plus detours to visit a couple nearby forts or Roman towns, you eventually come to a simple cabin that marks the end of the journey.
Interesting to see three of those Flavian bronzes from Vindolanda were struck at Lugdunum. A very high percentage of Lugdunese Flavian bronzes also show up in field finds in Britain. Thanks for sharing!
Very cool, thanks for sharing the photos. I "went to" (by Zoom) an ANS talk by Richard Beleson last October, who participated in the excavations and was giving a report on it (for the ANS Long Table series). I "saw" @Valentinian in attendance, who asked a question about whether they use metal detectors. I found the answer very revealing, so good question! (Was anyone else there? I wrote down attendee names I recognized on the Zoom screens.) He even found a coin or two. It was quite interesting. It was Long Table 112. You can actually watch it on the ANS's YouTube Channel: I have a bunch of notes, but here's ANS description: ANS Fellow Richard Beleson will give a presentation on the history of the excavations at Vindolanda, a Roman fort in northern Britain. These excavations have produced extraordinary finds, including the famed “Vindolanda tablets,” the largest collection of Roman footwear, and hundreds of coins. Mr. Beleson, along with fellow ANS member Wayne Kimber and Dave Michaels of the Classical Numismatic Group, participated in these exciting excavations this past summer. He will discuss the experience, give us a brief look at some of the finds, and explain how to become a volunteer.
What a fun trip that must have been! I also like going on long walks - in fact a friend and I just recently completed a 24-hour, 72 mile hike. As an American I can't imagine what it must be like to walk along Roman roads and ruins like that. Thanks for sharing!
Amazing trip and amazing photos. Thank you for your continued participation here - I enjoy all of your posts.
