Hadrian's Wall was likely planned before Roman Emporer Hadrian's visit to Britain in 122. According to restored sandstone fragments found in Jarrow that date from 118 or 119, it was Hadrian's wish to keep "intact the empire," which had been imposed upon him via "divine instruction." The fragments then announce the building of the wall. It is entirely possible that, on his arrival in Britain in 122, one of the stops on his itinerary was the northern frontier and an inspection of the progress of the wall as it was being built.
Although Hadrian's biographer wrote "(Hadrian) was the first to build a wall 80 miles long to separate the Romans from the barbarians", reasons for the construction of the wall vary, and no recording of any exact explanation survives. However, a number of theories have been presented by historians, primarily centring around an expression of Roman power and Hadrian's policy of defence before expansion. For example, on his accession to the throne in 117, Hadrian had been experiencing rebellion in Roman Britain and from the peoples of various conquered lands across the Empire, including Egypt, Israel, Lybia and Mauretania. These troubles may have had a hand in Hadrian's plan to construct the wall, and his construction of limites in other areas of the Empire, but to what extent is unknown.
c/o Wikipedia
Dru absolutely loves the idea that the Romans actually had a wall built to keep the Scottish "Barbarians" out. What a linage of people to come from:)
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