Hadrians Wall

[Gaius Paulinus Maximus]

A HEXHAM archaeologist has challenged perceived wisdom with startling claims that Hadrian's Wall was originally built of wood.

In a 65,000 word thesis published on his website, Geoff Carter says his hypothesis answers some age-old questions. Archaeologists have long wondered why the ditch that runs parallel is several feet away from the Wall itself, reducing its effectiveness as a deterrent to invaders. They also question why the ditch curves inwards towards each of the milecastles. The answer, says Mr Carter, is that the ditch was originally dug at the foot of a timber wall that was put up as a temporary measure.........

 

Read the full article HERE

 

Also read Geoff Carter's thesis HERE

[Centurion-Macro]

I suppose iot makes sense. It fits in with the ditch being further away from the wall than it would have been with a normal wall. And the Romans did used to do wooden walls and barricades first before stone ones I think.

[Bryaxis Hecatee]

I've read the thesis some days before the press took a hold of it and I must say it looked rather convincing to me. Many factors have been taken into account and the autors' experience in wooden buildings' analysis is not new. The way he presents data (which I haven't correlated with other sources) does make sense, as does his use of the litterary sources availlables. Unfortunately the evidences are scarces and having a definitive opinion on the subject might not happen before quite a long time.