tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post3259473591237674813..comments2024-03-11T15:40:37.015+00:00Comments on Theoretical Structural Archaeology: Hadrian’s First Wall [Part 2 of 3]Geoff Carterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01111820035762957610noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-86516968440140939952014-08-30T18:39:26.080+01:002014-08-30T18:39:26.080+01:00Thank you for your interesting comment; Peter Hill...Thank you for your interesting comment; Peter Hill's excellent work on the stonework details how it was achieved in some detail, I would not want to comment further.<br />Another factor is that the Wall was abandoned and later refurbished, so we cannot assume it was fully finished; the work was certainly scaled back in quality and quantity, probably following at least one period of warfare.<br />The Timber Wall is not widely accepted, so nobody has factored this in. <br />I can only understand The vallum as a road trench; road building, next to mining, was the lowest form of labour - often seen as a punishment [Suetonius] - given the military context of the wall, I think it possible that was dug by slaves / prisoners of war.<br />I think the overall achievement also has to be seen against a backdrop of warfare. Geoff Carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01111820035762957610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2357316514436369105.post-29573600577351148952014-08-30T16:52:48.287+01:002014-08-30T16:52:48.287+01:00I'm writing this in August, 2014, after hearin...I'm writing this in August, 2014, after hearing a short discussion of the wall on the radio. This prompted me to do some reading and then some calculation.<br /><br />I'm gobsmacked by the amount of labor the wall and its apppratus of vallum and outposts represent. I don't see how it was done in the usual six years that is given as an estimate.<br /><br />Consider, 75 miles of wall in 6 years means completing 1,320 feet per WEEK if they were able to work as many as 50 wees per year. Is that possible, given all the stone that had to be cut and other materias dug and moved?Curious Readernoreply@blogger.com